Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1841-11-11
safety required it,should be suspesdrd d


\ Tho 9TH section provided that the per-
son of debtor ouRh, ne;'fo hs'continueds
in prison after an assignment, withonA
presumption Of fraud Mr.. Dorr wished.
10 amend by striking out continued m,,
and substituting committed 10 prison. ME-,
Veazie was opposed TO Imprisonment "l-S
iogether, and moved that ought he alter
| ed Ia shall in the section. These u
,ae ndtnen,s. were opposed and lost, oh
the ground that il would place the Gene
raj Assembly in very difficult position
to abolish Imprisonment for debt by tho
Convention, without an adequate remedy
for the collection of debt be substituted.
Section 8, provided that The citizens
should freely enjoy all the rights of fish
cry to which they are entitled under the
/ Charter.
The section was amended so as Ia
extend to ell other rights as well as of.
fishery.
| The remaining sections were adopted
and the Convention then adjourned tilt
Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.
/ TUESDAY, Nov. 9.-Thc nineteenth
section of the bill Of rights concerning
religious Liberty was taken up. Mir.
Dorr aud Mr.. Randolph preferred the
phraseology Of the old statute. After
short debate the section was passed for
the present.
II The article on amendments was then
taken up. The report provided that two
thirds OF all the members elected 10 the
General Assembly should propose a.
A nj Ira
Barker, was altered to majority.
\ On motion Of MIR. +. II. Potter words,
requiring special town meeting for vot-
ing on amendments were stricken out.
The article was then adopted.
| MIR. Uorr moved thai there should be-
but two sessions Of The General Assem-
bly,, one in Newport to complete the
election on the first Tuesday in June
and one on the first Tuesday in January.
lie snd that we all wanted to 60 TO New
port to election, whether members Of tho
Assembly or not. and we needed but ono
other session during the year at wha'ev-
or place the Assembly choose, TO do all
the public and private business OF the
state. We needed no greater number
Of sessions for the purpose Of legisla-
ton there was no danger Of legislaiing
too little.
II Mr.. Randolph was in favor Of the law
as il now stood, and as it was embodied
in the report.
\ MIR. Atwell said the report contempla-
ted retaining in the General Assembly
all or n great part Of the powers now
possessed by them. They were still To-
unite both judicial and Legislative powers,
to hear private petitions, give authority
to sell real estate, liberate convicts, and
in short, to constitute high Court OF
Chancery, for all appeals, and to do U.s.
iice between man aud man in this State,
II was proper, in our small community,
that they should have these powers, and
it so, that they should distribute their
sessions among the different counties, in
order to give speedy justice TO all who
have any grievances, and bring redress
to the doors of the citizens.
/ The amendment was lost by q large
majority.
i Mr.. Atwell moved a reconsideration
Of the vote on the second Section, which
/ provided that the Representatives to the
General Assembly be chosen but once
year. lie did SO in order TO move that
the present system OF semi annual elec-
II tions be retained.
The vote was rcconsidered, and Mr..
Il Atwe!l moved the amendment stated
| above,
/ This provision existed in the charter,
and was confirmed by the earliest cleo
ton law. 1t had been the usage of the
Il people of Rhode Island from the earliest
charter times, and was one Of the dear
est rights of the people olths State. 1t
had been our boast tha, the Legislature
was creature ur the people that It could
not make oppressive laws, ar one foreign
TO our interest, because our representa-
tives had but six months to do mischief
II in. Ii was our most democratic feature,
making the people almost the law making
power, as they were the source of all
! power. Who ever heard any complai0ts
of the frequency Of these elections p
|, What freeman when he puts his vote in
to the ballot box of the Aug nst Town NEE
ting for his representative, ever thinks.
that he is performing an odious duty, that
it is n burden which he wishes the Cen
eraI Assembly to remove
1t had been his boast, as Rhode IS
land man, that we are the most democrat
ic State in the Union. The government
rested directly on the people, and were
held Immediately responsible for all their
acts.
MI. Randolph advocated the amend
inert,
The amendment wns adopted 80 to i6.
Section OH, giving the GovcIner are
yising power over The laws, amounting
to provisional veto, was STRICKEN ont (;
as also another section prescribing THO
manner in clecting officers in joint com
mtee.
The Convention then adjourned till 3
o'clock,
in the AFTERNooS, the report on tho
Senate was taken up, when Mr.. Ran
dolph moved an amendment to the bill
adopting the general ticket system in the
election OF Senators. After n short de-
bate, the amendment was adopted 40 to
-.