TÍTULO IX.

DEL RÉGIMEN ADMINISTRATIVO

INTERIOR.

ART. 120. El territorio de la República se divide en Provincias, Cantones y Parroquias.

ART. 121. En cada Provincia habrá un Gobernador; en cada Cantón, un jefe político; y en cada Parroquia, un teniente. La ley determinará sus atribuciones.

ART. 122. Para la administración de los intereses seccionales habrá Municipalidades. La ley determinará su organización y atribuciones en todo lo concerniente á la educación é instrucción de los habitantes de la localidad, policía, mejoras materiales, creación, recaudación, manejo é inversión de las rentas, fomento de los establecimientos públicos, y más objetos á que deban atender.

TITLE IX.

THE HOME GOVERNMENT.

ART. 120. The territory of the Republic shall be divided into provinces, cantons, and parishes.

ART. 121. In each province there shall be a governor; in each canton a political chief and in each parish a lieutenant. The law shall fix their respective powers.

ART. 122. To attend to the interests of each locality there shall be municipal corporations. The law shall provide for the organization of these bodies, and define their functions and their powers in everything concerning the education and instruction of the inhabitants of the locality, the police, the material improvements, the local taxation, the manner of collecting and disbursing the local revenues, the improvement of the public establishments, and all other matters within their jurisdiction.

ART. 123. No resolution passed by these municipal bodies shall be complied with if it is in opposition to the Constitution or the laws, and if any controversy should arise on this matter between a municipal corporation and the political authority the supreme court shall decide it.

ART. 124. The province of Oriente, the archipelago of Colon, and, in general, all other places which, owing to their distance, or their isolation, can not be governed by the general laws, shall be governed by special laws.

TITLE X.

THE NATIONAL FORCE. ART. 125. For the defense of the Republic and the preservation of order, there shall be a military force organized by law.

ART. 126. No person unless. purely military and in active mili

bre las personas puramente militares y que se hallen en servicio

activo.

ART. 127. Ni el Presidente de la República ni otra autoridad podrán, bajo su responsabilidad, reconocer ó rentar otros Generales y Coroneles que los que hubieren sido ó fueren aprobados, de una manera expresa é individual, por Congreso ó Asamblea Constituyente.

ART. 128. No pueden el Presidente de la República, ni las demás autoridades, sin incurrir en responsabilidad, reconocer ó rentar sino á los jefes y oficiales cuyos grados se hubiesen conferido ó aprobado, ó se confirieren ó aprobaren por un Gobierno constitucional.

ART. 129. Ni los Congresos concederán grado alguno superior al de General, ni aprobarán á los Generales y Coroneles sin examen de sus respectivas hojas de servicio.

ART. 130. La fuerza armada es esencialmente obediente, no deliberante; pero las autoridades militares no deben ejecutar las órdenes atentatorias contra los altos poderes nacionales, ó manifiestamente contrarias á la Constitución.

tary service shall be subject to military jurisdiction or authority.

ART. 127. Neither the President of the Republic nor any other authority shall, without incurring responsibility, appoint or pay a greater number of generals or colonels than that established in an express and individual manner by the National Congress or a constitutional assembly.

ART. 128. Neither the President of the Republic nor any other authority shall, without incurring responsibility, recognize and pay military chiefs or officials who are not already recognized and ordered to be paid by a constitutional government.

ART. 129. Congress shall not grant any rank superior to that of general, nor shall it approve the nomination of any general or colonel without first examining the military record of the nominee.

ART. 130. The armed force is, by its nature, an obedient and not a deliberative body; but the military authorities are not bound to comply with any order intended to overthrow the high national powers or issued manifestly in violation of the Constitution.

ART. 131. No requisition shall be made, nor shall any assistance be asked by any armed body, except to the civil authority, and in the manner provided by law.

TITLE XI.

SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION.

ART. 132. The Constitution is the supreme law of the Republic, and no secondary law, decree, rule, order, provision, or public treaty whatsoever, which might be found to be in opposition or at variance with its text, shall have any effect whatever.

TÍTULO XII.

DISPOSICIONES COMUNES.

ART. 133. No puede hacerse del Tesoro Nacional gasto alguno para el cual no hubiese aplicado el Congreso la cantidad correspondiente, ni en mayor suma que la señalada.

ART. 134. No puede una misma persona ó corporación ejercer simultaneamente la autoridad política y la militar ó judicial.

ART. 135. Todo empleado ó funcionario público, al tomar tomar posesión de su destino, prometerá sostener y defender la Constitución y cumplir los deberes que aquel le impone. El que no hiciere libremente esta promesa, no podrá entrar en el desempeño del cargo."

ART. 136. Nadie podrá gozar de dos sueldos del Tesoro Nacional.

TITLE XII.

GENERAL PROVISIONS.

ART. 133. No payment shall be made by the treasury if Congress has not authorized it by a proper appropriation, nor shall any amount be disbursed, in excess of the amount appropriated.

ART. 134. No person or body of persons shall simultaneously exercise political and military or judicial authority.

ART. 135. All employes or public functionaries, on entering upon the discharge of their duties, shall promise to support and defend the Constitution and to comply with their official duties. The one who should not make this promise freely shall not be allowed to enter upon the discharge of his duties."

ART. 136. No person shall receive two salaries out of the national treasury.

ART. 137. Entailments of property for whatever purposes are hereby forbidden. hereby forbidden. No real property in Ecuador shall be allowed to become inalienable.

ART. 138. The public powers owe protection to the Indian race, to the end that its social life may be improved.

TITLE XIII.

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

ART. 139. The Constitution shall not be amended at any time within four years from the present date. At the expiration of this time if two-thirds of the members of both chambers, in an ordinary Congress, deem it advisable to amend any article or articles of the Constitution, the amendments shall be drawn up and submitted to Congress to be discussed in the next ordinary session; and if the amendment is then approved by

con las formalidades prescritas en la Sección sexta del Título VI, será válida y hará parte de la Constitución.

TÍTULO XIV.

DISPOSICIONES TRANSITORIAS.

ART. 140. La Asamblea, aun después de promulgada esta Constitución, puede dar las leyes ó resoluciones que considere necesarias, y ejercer todas las demás atribuciones contenidas en el artículo 65.

ART. 141. La Convención elegirá, por escrutinio secreto y mayoría absoluta de votos, Presidente y Vicepresidente de la República, Consejeros de Estado, Ministros de la Corte Suprema, Ministros Jueces de Cuentas, de las Cortes Superiores, Rector de la Universidad Central y Rectores de las Juntas Universitarias del Guayas y el Azuay.

En vez de los dos Senadores y Diputados, que menciona el articulo 108, nombrará cuatro de sus miembros para Consejeros de Estado.

ART. 142. Mientras se promulgue la Ley de Régimen Administrativo Interior, facúltase al Poder Ejecutivo para que determine y señale los ramos y las funciones correspondientes á cada uno de los Ministros de Estado.

ART. 143. El Presidente y Vicepresidente de la República, que fueren elegidos conforme al artículo 141, terminarán sus funciones, respectivamente, el treinta y uno de Agosto de mil novecientos y uno y el treinta y uno de Agosto de mil ochocientos noventa y nueve. Tanto estos funcionarios como los Magistrados de los Tribunales de Justicia y los Senadores y Diputados, gozarán del sueldo que señale la Ley de Presupuestos que expidiere la Asamblea Nacional.

absolute majority in each chamber, the discussion and the vote having been in accordance with section 6 of Title VI of the present Constitution, it shall be valid and made a part of the Constitution.

TITLE XIV.

TRANSIENT PROVISIONS. ART. 140. The national assembly may enact, after the promulgation of this Constitution, any laws or resolutions which it may deem necessary, and use all the other powers specified in article 65.

ART. 141. The convention shall elect, by secret vote and absolute majority, the President and vicepresident of the Republic, the councilors of state, chief justice and justices of the supreme court, chief justices and justices of the tribunal of accounts and of the superior courts, rector of the Central University, and rectors of the universities of Guayas and Azuay.

Instead of the two senators and deputies mentioned in article 108, it shall appoint from among its own members four councilors of state.

ART. 142. Until the law providing for the organization of the Executive departments is promulgated, the Executive power is hereby authorized to determine the business to be transacted by each one of the secretaries of state.

ART. 143. The President and vice-president of the Republic elected in conformity with article 141, shall terminate their functions, respectively, on the thirty-first of August, nineteen hundred and one, and the thirty-first of August, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine. These functionaries, the same as the members of the tribunals of justice and senators and deputies, shall receive the salaries to be fixed by the appropriation law, which the national assembly shall enact.

ART. 144. El primer Congreso ordinario se reunirá el diez de Agosto de mil ochocientos noventa y ocho.

Dada en Quito, Capital de la República del Ecuador, á doce de Enero de mil ochocientos noventa y siete.

ART. 144. The first ordinary Congress shall meet on the tenth of August, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight.

Given at Quito, the capital of the Republic of Ecuador, this twelfth of January, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven.

ANEXO NO. 1.

ANNEX NO. 1.

ARTÍCULO ÚNICO.-El artículo 38 de la Constitución no comprende el caso de haberse denegado el cumplimiento de un fallo judicial ó arbitral á favor de contratistas extranjeros, quienes podrán apelar á la vía diplomática, conforme á los principios de Derecho Público.

ANEXO NO. 2.

Ley de 21 de septiembre de 1830, explicativa del artículo 44.

ARTÍCULO 1. La Capital del Estado Ecuatoriano será siempre é irrevocablemente la ciudad de Quito.

ART. 2. El Congreso Constitucional celebrará en ella sus sesiones.

ART. 3. Los altos funcionarios del Poder Ejecutivo y Judicial residirán en la misma por el tiempo que prescribe la Constitución y no podrán actuar en otra parte sin licencia previa del Congreso, so pena de nulidad de sus actos.

Párrafo único. Si la dicha capital se hallare apestada ó invadida de enemigos, ó en circunstancias difíciles que no pueden preverse: en estos casos estará al arbitrio del Jefe del Estado trasladarse temporalmente con dictamen del Con

of article 38.

Law of September 21, 1830, explanatory of article 44.

ARTICLE 1. The capital of the Ecuadorian State shall be always and irrevocably the city of Quito.

ART. 2. The Constitutional Congress shall hold its meetings at that city.

ART. 3. The high Executive and judicial functionaries shall reside in the same city during the whole time established by the Constitution, and shall have no power to act elsewhere without previous permission of Congress. Otherwise their acts shall be void.

Sole paragraph. If the said capital should be afflicted by pestilential diseases, invaded by enemies, or placed under difficult unforeseen circumstances, the Chief Magistrate of the State shall have the discretionary power of trans