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To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the Cantons affixed to our Names send GREETING: WHEREAS the Delegates of the Northern Union in National Assembly did on the twenty seventh day of April in the Year of our Lord Two Thousand Eleven agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the Cantons of (list cantons here) in the Words following, viz. “Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the Cantons of (list cantons here)”.
Article I The Style of this Confederacy shall be “The Northern Union”.
Article II Each canton retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the Northern Union in National Assembly.
Article III The said Cantons hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.
Article IV The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different Cantons in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these Cantons, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several Cantons; and the people of each Canton shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other Canton, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any Canton, to any other Canton, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any Canton, on the property of the Northern Union, or either of them. If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any Canton, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the Northern Union, he shall, upon demand of the Governor or executive power of the Canton from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the Canton having jurisdiction of his offense. Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these Cantons to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other Canton.
Article V For the most convenient management of the general interests of the Northern Union, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each Canton shall direct, to meet in National Assembly on the first Monday in May, in every year, with a power reserved to each Canton to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year. No Canton shall be represented in National Assembly by less than two members, or more than one for every twenty thousand electors. Each Canton shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the Cantons, and while they act as members of the committee of the Cantons. In determining questions in the National Assembly, each delegate shall have one vote. Freedom of speech and debate in National Assembly shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of National Assembly, and the members of National Assembly shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on National Assembly, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.
Article VI No Canton, without the consent of the Northern Union in National Assembly, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or Nation; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the Northern Union, or any of them, accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or foreign Nation; nor shall the Northern Union in National Assembly, or any of them, grant any title of nobility. No two or more Cantons shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the Northern Union in National Assembly, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue. No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any Canton, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the Northern Union in National Assembly, for the defense of such Canton, or its trade; nor shall any military be kept up by any Canton in time of peace, except such number only, as in the judgment of the Northern Union in National Assembly, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defense of such Canton; but every Canton shall always keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of field pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition and camp equipage. No Canton shall engage in any war without the consent of the Northern Union in National Assembly, unless such Canton be actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by some nation to invade such Canton, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a delay till the Northern Union in National Assembly can be consulted; nor shall any Canton grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the Northern Union in National Assembly, and then only against the Kingdom or Canton and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the Northern Union in National Assembly, unless such Canton be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the Northern Union in National Assembly shall determine otherwise.
Article VII When land forces are raised by any Canton for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each Canton respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such Canton shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the Canton which first made the appointment.
Article VIII All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the Northern Union in National Assembly, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several Cantons in proportion to the value of all land within each Canton, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the Northern Union in National Assembly, shall from time to time direct and appoint. The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several Cantons within the time agreed upon by the Northern Union in National Assembly.
Article IX The Northern Union in National Assembly shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the respective Cantons; fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the Northern Union; establishing or regulating post offices from one Canton to another, throughout all the Northern Union, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office; and appointing the officers of and directing the operation of the land and naval forces. The Northern Union in National Assembly shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque or reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the Northern Union, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the Northern Union, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless a majority of Cantons assent to the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the majority of the Northern Union in National Assembly. The National Assembly of the Northern Union shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the Northern Union, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each Canton on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegates of a Canton, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several Cantons.
Article X All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of National Assembly, before the assembling of the Northern Union, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the Northern Union, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said Northern Union, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged.
Article XI Every Canton shall abide by the determination of the Northern Union in National Assembly, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every Canton, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a National Assembly of the Northern Union, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every Canton.
AND WHEREAS it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in National Assembly, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union: KNOW YE that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, and all and singular the matters and things therein contained: AND we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the Northern Union in National Assembly, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them. And that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the Cantons we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual.
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