August 22 and 24, the Assembly presented a report which rejected the proposed reform. Those who opposed the government, claiming that popular democracy had not been at play when Frías assumed the Presidency, believed that a Vice President should be the heir in case of an emergency. Nonetheless, the reform of Article 70 of the Constitution was rejected after General Quevedo declared himself against it. The discussion moved to the reform of Article 62, which required any government official to have been born in Bolivia. It was proposed that this only apply to the position of President and deputy. This proposal was rejected, and no further discussion was held on the matter. Another proposed reform involved Article 40, which stipulated that the National Assembly was to meet every August 6 in the capital. The proposal stated that the President be able to choose another city in case of extraordinary circumstances. Some proposed that a capital finally be chosen, since, for decades, the Assembly had met in many different cities. This reform was rejected as well. The reform of Article 12, which stipulated that a debtor could not be imprisoned, was also discussed; it was proposed that this Article be changed. The reasons stated generally pointed to the harm the Article had caused to the economy, the mining industry, and commerce. This reform led to a long and arduous discussion which was finalized on September 2, with the majority failing to achieve the two thirds necessary for a constitutional reform to take place. Land Ex-entailment Law Ever since the conquest of Peru by the Spanish, the indigenous inhabitants had been in charge of their communal lands. A fact which was changed when Melgarejo seized these lands and redistributed them. This was reverted in 1871, but had not materialized yet, leaving it up to the National Assembly of 1874 to solve the issue at hand. On October 5, the Land Ex-entailment Law was decreed, which indicated the right of ownership of the lands inherited by the ancestors to the indigenous people and for whose legalization only the possession of the title is needed, which was issued at the cost of 10 cts. and gave absolute rights and legal certainty to the indigenous over their properties. Madeira-Mamoré Railway Company A subject that was discussed over several sessions was the Madeira-Mamoré Railway Company. The Minister of Finance, Pantaleón Dalence, reported in his memorandum that