Sec. 8. No private corporation shall issue stocks or bonds, except for money or property actually received or labor done, and all fictitious increase of stock or indebtedness shall be void; nor shall the stock or bonded indebtedness of any private corporation be increased, except in pursuance of general laws, nor until the consent of the persons holding the larger amount in value of stock shall be obtained at a meeting held after notice given for a period not less than sixty days, in pursuance of law.
Sec. 9. No property, nor right of way, shall be appropriated to the use of any corporation until full compensation therefor shall be first made to the owner, in money, or first secured to him by a deposit of money which compensation, irrespective of any benefit from any improvement proposed by such corporation, shall be ascertained by a jury of twelve men, in a court of competent jurisdiction, as shall be preseribed by law.
Sec. 10. No act of the General Assembly shall be passed authorizing the issue of bills, notes or other paper which may circulate as money.
Sec. 11. Foreign corporations may be authorized to do business in this State under such limitations and restrictions as may be prescribed by law. Provided, that no such corporation shall do any business in this State except while it maintains therein one or more known places of business and an authorized agent or agents in the same upon whom process may be served; and, as to contracts made or business done in this State, they shall be subject to the same regulations, limitations and liabilities as like corporations of this State, and shall exercise no other or greater powers, privileges or franchises than may be exercised by like corporations of this State, nor shall they have power to condemn or appropriate private property.
Sec. 12. Except as herein otherwise provided, the State shall never assume or pay the debt or liability of any county, town, city or other corporation whatever, or any part thereof, unless such debt or liability shall have been created to repel invasion, suppress insurrection or to provide for the public welfare and defense. Nor shall the indebtedness of any corporation to the State ever be released or in any manner discharged save by payment into the public treasury.
ARTICLE XIII.
counties, county seats and county lines.
Section 1. No county now established shall be reduced to an area of less than six hundred square miles nor less than five thousand inhabitants; nor shall any new county be established with less than six hundred square miles and five thousand inhabitants. Provided, that this section shall not apply to the Counties of Lafayette, Pope and Johnson, nor be so construed as to prevent the General Assembly from changing the line between the Counties of Pope and Johnson.
