ers," but that "no
member of the association shall have the privalege of voting on a
question to change any article of the constitution or laws of the
association unless he is a resident citizen of the county and a
claimholder, nor shall any member be entitled to vote for officers of
this association unless they are claim holders."

The same section provides that "any law or article of the constitution
of this association may be altered at the semianual meetings and at
no other meetings provided, however, that three fifths of the members
presant who are resident citizens of the county and actual claim holders
shall be in favour of such change or amendment, _except that section
fixing the quantity of land that everry member is entitled to hold by
claim and that section shall remain unaltered_."

By the same article semi-annual meetings of the Association are provided
for in section 3. Section 5 declares that "all persons who have resided
within the limits of the County for Two months, shall be recognized and
considered as citizens of the County." Another section stipulates that
"members of the association who are not citizens of the County shall be
required in making claims to expend in improvements on each claim
he or they may have made or may make the amount of fifty Dollars within
six months of the date of making such claim or claims and fifty Dollars
every six months there after until such person or persons becomes
citizens of the county or forfeit the same." The 10th section relates to
the procedure of the Claim Court. Finally, in section 11 the members
pledge their "honours" for the "faithful observance and mantanance" of
the Constitution by subscribing their names to the written document.

In addition to the Constitution, Resolutions were, from time to time,
adopted with the force of laws. It is here that the real spirit and
purpose of the pioneer squatters is best expressed. With characteristic
frankness they resolved to "discountenance any attempts on the part
of any and every person to intrude in any way upon the rightful claims
of another," since "the presumption is that a person thus attempting to
take away a portion of the hard earnings of the enterprising and
industrious setler is dishonest & no Gentlemen."

That they insisted upon equity rather than upon refined technicalities
in the administration of their law is seen in the following: "Resolved
that to avoid difficulty growing out of the circumstance