insurance companies, shall file a certificate with the Secretary of State, to be renewed annually, showing among other things the names and addresses of its shareholders in this State and the number of shares held by each, and the amount of its capital stock employed in this State. At the time of filing the original papers, every such foreign corporation shall pay to the Secretary of State, for the use of the State, a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25), and shall also pay a fee of one dollar ($1) for each annual renewal. All foreign corporations maintaining an office and regularly exercising their franchises in this State, with the exception of railroad companies, telegraph or cable companies, express or transportation companies, oil or pipe line companies, title insurance companies, electric light or gas companies, guano, phosphate or fertilizer companies, electric construction companies, telephone companies, parlor car or sleeping car companies, safe deposit companies, trust companies, national banks, life, fire, marine, casualty and other insurance companies, guaranty and fidelity companies, or any corporation paying a gross receipts tax, shall pay an annual franchise tax on their capital employed in the State at the rate of fifty cents a thousand dollars up to five hundred thousand dollars, but in no case less than twenty-five dollars; over five hundred thousand dollars and not more than five million dollars, one-fortieth of one per cent on the excess; and if over five million of dollars, then at the rate of thirty dollars for every million of dollars over such last mentioned excess:2

'Art. 23, sec. 68.

2Art. 23. sec. 70.

§12. Application of Law.-The new law becomes operative on and after the first of June, in the year nineteen hundred and eight, and the provisions thereof shall apply to and govern all corporations then existing and thereafter formed, and all corporate acts thereafter done. But the law shall not be so construed as to affect the existence of any then existing corporation or to impair the validity of any corporate act done and performed in conformity with the pre-existing law. In the event of any inconsistencies between any of the provisions of the new law and the rights conferred by any special Act or any legally authorized agreement of consolidation passed or

filed prior to June first, nineteen hundred and eight, the provisions of the special Act or agreement of consolidation shall prevail to the extent of such inconsistencies. In the event of any inconsistencies between any of the provisions of the new law and the provisions made for particular classes of corporations, the latter shall prevail to the extent of such inconsistencies. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the provisions of the new law shall be available to all corporations of the State as alternative to and not in substitution for any inconsistent provisions contained in any such special Act or agreement of consolidation, or any provisions made for particular classes of corporations.1

'Art. 23, sec. 1.

§13. Saving Clauses.-Nothing in the provisions of the new law shall be construed to affect the provisions of the Baltimore City Charter or to repeal or change any of the existing taxing laws of the State, except so far as the same are specifically changed, or to repeal or change any of the public local laws of the State other than taxing laws, or to authorize any corporation, now incorporated or hereafter to be incorporated, except such corporations as are now in practical co-operation and are exercising such franchise in the City of Baltimore, to exercise any franchise for the furnishing of light, heat or electric power within the city of Baltimore unless specially authorized by the General Assembly of Maryland. Nothing in the new law shall release any corporation from the payment of any tax or the performance of any obligation to the State or any city or county therein due or existing on the first day of June, in the year nineteen hundred and eight, or affect or change the remedy providing for the collection or enforcement of the same. Nothing in the new law shall release, affect or impair the rights of any creditor or creditors of any corporation, or the obligations or liability of any corporation or of any stockholder or of any corporate officer existing on the said first day of June, in the year nineteen hundred and eight, or the remedies to enforce or protect the same.1

'Art. 23, sec. 79.

BALTIMORE, May 15, 1908.

FRANCIS K. CAREY.

Corporation Law of Maryland.

DECLARATION OF RIGHTS.

Art. 38. That every gift, sale or devise of land to any minister, public teacher or preacher of the Gospel, as such, or to any religious sect, order or denomination, or to, or for the support, use or benefit of, or in trust for, any minister, public teacher or preacher of the Gospel, as such, or any religious sect, order or denomination; and every gift or sale of goods, or chattels, to go in succession, or to take place after the death of the seller or donor, to or for such support, use or benefit; and also every devise of goods or chattels to or for the support, use or benefit of any minister, public teacher or preacher of the Gospel, as such, or any religious sect, order or denomination, without the prior or subsequent sanction of the Legislature, shall be void; except always, any sale, gift, lease or devise of any quantity of land, not exceeding five acres, for a church, meeting house, or other house of worship, or parsonage, or for a burying ground, which shall be improved, enjoyed or used only for such purpose; or such sale, gift, lease or devise shall be void.

Vansant v. Roberts, Admr., 3 Md. 119. Grove v. Trustees of the Disciples, 33 Md. 451. England, Ex'r, v. Vestry of P. George's Par., 53 Md. 466. Church Extension Society v. Smith, 56 Md. 362. Trustees v. Manning, 72 Md. 121. Halsey v. Prot. Epis. Church, 75 Md. 275. Stigar, 75 Md. 376. Rogers v. Sisters of Charity, 97 Md. 554.

Kelso v.

CONSTITUTION OF MARYLAND, ARTICLE 3.

Sec. 33. The General Assembly shall not pass local or special laws in any of the following enumerated cases, viz: For extending the time for the collection of taxes, granting divorces, changing the name of any person, providing for the sale of real estate belonging to minors or other persons laboring under legal disabilities, by executors, administrators, guardians or trustees, giving effect to informal or invalid deeds or wills,

refunding money paid into the State Treasury, or releasing persons from their debts or obligations to the State, unless recommended by the Governor or officers of the Treasury Department. And the General Assembly shall pass no special law for any case for which provision has been made by an existing general law. The General Assembly, at its first session after the adoption of this Constitution, shall pass general laws providing for the cases enumerated in this section which are not already adequately provided for, and for all other cases where a general law can be made applicable.

Whittington v. Polk, 1 H. & J. 236. Horsey v. State, 3 H. & J. 2. Gover v. Hall, Exr., 3 H. & J. 43. Partridge v. Dorsey, 3 H. & J. 302. Crane v. Meginnis, 1 G. & J. 463. Dulany v. Tilghman, 6 G. & J. 461. Norris v. Trustees of the Abingdon Academy, 7 G. & J. 7. Barrett v. Oliver, 7 G. & J. 191. Lawrence v. Hicks, 8 G. & J. 386. The Regents of the University of Maryland v. Williams, 9 G. & J. 365. Dorsey . Gilbert, 11 G. & J. 87.

Sec. 34. No debt shall be hereafter contracted by the General Assembly unless such debt shall be authorized by a law providing for the collection of an annual tax or taxes sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it falls due, and also to discharge the principal thereof within fifteen years from the time of contracting the same; and the taxes laid for this purpose shall not be repealed or applied to any other object until the said debt and interest thereon shall be fully discharged. The credit of the State shall not in any manner be given, or loaned to, or in aid of any individual, association or corporation; nor shall the General Assembly have the power in any mode to involve the State in the construction of Works of Internal Improvement, nor in granting any aid thereto, which shall involve the faith or credit of the State; nor make any appropriation therefor, except in aid of the construction of Works of Internal Improvement in the counties of St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert, which have had no direct advantage from such works, as have been heretofore aided by the State; and pro vided that such aid, advances or appropriations shall not exceed in the aggregate the sum of five hundred thousand dol lars.

*

Sec. 39. The General Assembly shall grant no charter for banking purposes, nor renew any banking corporation now in existence except upon the condition that the stockholders shall be liable to the amount of their respective share or shares of stock in such Banking Institution, for all its debts and liabili ties upon note, bill or otherwise. The books, papers and accounts of all banks shall be open to inspection under such regulations as may be prescribed by law.

Hammond v. Strauss, 53 Md. 1. Helfrich v. Catonsville Water Co., 74 Md. 269. O'Brien v. Baltimore Belt R. R. Co., 74 Md. 363. Clark Co. v. Colton, 91 Md. 231.

Sec. 40. The General Assembly shall enact no law authorizing private property to be taken for public use, without just compensation as agreed upon between the parties, or awarded by a jury, being first paid or tendered to the party entitled to such compensation.

Garrett v. Lake Roland Elevated R. R. Co., 79 Md. 277. Deems v. Mayor and City Council of Balto., 80 Md. 164. Balto. and Eastern Shore R. R. v. Spring, 80 Md. 510. Turnpike Co. v. R. R. Co., 81 Md. 247. Mayor and City Council of Balto., et al., v. The Keeley Institute, 81 Md. 106. Gluck v. Baltimore, 81 Md. 315. Baumgardner v. Fowler, 82 Md. 631. Baltimore v. Merryman, 86 Md. 584. Poole v. Falls Road Ry., 88 Md. 536.

Sec. 48. Corporations may be formed under general laws, but shall not be created by special act, except for municipal purposes and except in cases where no general laws exist, providing for the creation of corporations of the same general character as the corporation proposed to be created, and any act of incorporation passed in violation of this section shall be void; all charters granted or adopted in pursuance of this section, and all charters heretofore granted and created subject to repeal or modification, may be altered from time to time, or be repealed; provided nothing herein contained shall be con-. strued to extend to banks or the incorporation thereof; the General Assembly shall not alter or amend the charter of any corporation existing at the time of the adoption of this Article, or pass any other general or special law for the benefit of such corporation except upon the condition that such corporation shall surrender all claim to exemption from taxation or