Litchfield enquirer., 1842-11-03
CO2s9seczicsSt KegiSIVtsg7'e.
EXTRA SESSION.

l TUESDAY, Oct. g, lS42.
 The members of the Legislature assembled at 10 | o'clock, A. M., and the House called to order by
 Judge Peters of Colchester, who announced that the
 custom Extra Sessions was that the officers of the
 regular session should take their old places. 1 MT. Speaker Wightman then took the Chair
 Messrs. Hinman and Wilcox walked into the clerks,
 seats and the House ready do business for all
 and suadry the good psope of t mn sa csvs l land and the roll called by the first clerk. 1 The speaker then said as there was evidently a
 quorum presen, the House would come to order.--
 Mir. Backmaa of the Senate announced that body
 as organized and ready to proceed to business. Mir. LHommedieu moved that a committee be ap- | pointed to wait on the Senate and announce the or ganization of the House motion passed and l. Hom. l medeu and Scofeld were appointed by the Speaker. Resolution passed appointing Peter w. Powell messenger of the House. .- ...... Resolution passed appointing committee to wait on the Governor and announce that the House was ready to proceed to business. '.-
 Messrs Billings and Woodward were named by the speaker as that committee.
 Committee to wait on the Governor announced that
 they had performed the duty and that His ExcelIen-
 cy would transmit Message to the House at l2 ok. On motion of MT. Seymour the House took recess till quarterSefore l2.
 The House again assembled about l2 o'clock, when g Message from the Governor was delivered to the House by the hands of his private Secretary. The
 Message was then read by the first clerk, follows FelIosc Citizens of the Senate
 and of the House of Representatives Since we were last assembled at this
 place, to deliberate upon the interests of
 our constituents, an act has been passed by
 the Congress of the United States for the apportionment of Representatives among the several states, according to the sixth census. By the provisions of that act, the representation in Congress from this state tor the next ten years, is reduced to four
 members. A change therefore in the exist
 ing laws of this state for regulating the election of Members of Congress, is render ed indispensable. For the purpose of ma
 king that change, and adopting such new
 rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry into effect~th constitutional re- quirements of this new Apportionment Act,
 have deemed it my duty, under the provi- sions of the Constitution, to summon you to- gether at this time. 'F"
 By the second section of the law of Con- gress to which have referred, it is provided
 "That in every case where state is enti- tied to more than one representative the number to which each state shall be enti- tied under this sapportionment shall be elec-
 ted by districts, composed of contiguous territory, equal in number to the number of
 representatives to which each state may be entitled; no one district electing more than one representative" The constitutional authority of Congress to enact such pro- vision of law, and to render it obligatory upon the Legislature or people of the seve- ral states, without defining the limits and extent of the Congressional districts, and thereby superseding the necessity of state legislation on the subject, cannot be for moment admitted. li is in effect, nothing less than an assumption on the part of Con- gress of the right to command the several state legislatures to legislate upon partic: cular. question, in gwen form, without the