New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1846-07-27
sEW.YoRK CoNsTITrTI0yAL CONVENTION
rrcrr-rg W-EEH-XL!Tch DAY

EIGHTH WEEH-AL!kt u DA1-
Tenure Of the ssnate-Rids and I've Voilng-Are
all to be elected at once l-Cr0oker on Old
Senate-Rugges on a 0ne-Year Tern-Hofi-
man on LaW-Number for the Assembly-Three
and a Half Days Speaking Measured-Th5 VAN
dal H0rde-Chataeld and Waterbury on Single
Districls-Senate District Vote
ALBANY, Friday July 81, Isis.
To tie Editor Of Tie 7rl5aae
SIR: The Convention this morning decided, By a
vote OF leo tol2 that the tenure the Senate having
been fixed at two years the elections OF its mem
bcrs should not be. by alternate Districts. one-hsf
each year bat that the whole should De chosen to
gether blennially. The twelve Noes were Messrs
BERGEN Ruggles Cone!y Dubois E. Huntington
Jordan. O'Conor, 7. Spencer, Tallmadge. Marvin,
Nicholas and Rhoades.
The above decision was arrived ct on motion
b. NJ STETsoS in the way OF an amendment, TO
the effect that ALL the Electors should have an OPP
portunitv o! voting at General Election. He
would prefer 40. or Is Senators. with Double Dis
tricts for he disliked the ride and rye system be
cause it would in view OF party being continued IN
some form, be the canse OF corrupt expenditure
coonizinc &c He greatly preferred that all the
members of the Senate should be elected At once,
as the Single District system had been adopted
Mr. SIMMONS would like 10 have the House elect
ed for years and the Senate Tor ? and agreed with
the last speaker that it would be highly dangerous
to elect on the chess board scale OF alternate Dis
trcts.
whether would the election Of Governor, Senate As
sembly state Officers Electors OF President and VicePre
sident Judges and Congresanen, at tune, De an evil
or an advantage j
MIR McnrnY had opposed the Single District Sys-
tenn because new body, without experience IN
Senate business or the ride and rye system, seemed
the alternatives if adopted with ii. Wished the
Senate not elected the same year with the Gov
ernor.
Mr. STETsoS said they would not be
Mr. CRooKER apprehended that the experience
of this Convention elected it had been, Mt once
by the people, was sufficient guaranty that they
would be able at once discreety to elect a Senate
The Senate OF this State had been the greatest dem
agoguc factory in tits members learned TO over
reach each other IN nominations. &c W ouid any
one say that the experience OF Il lew wears hnd I'M
proved Senators ID love Tor the peoplc-had they
not rather looked to party and forgotten the inter
ests oil those who elected them! The country was
safe with 2-year term. and he wanted Governor
and Senate to como into Office together, fresh from
the people The Senate last year were employed
scnndalizinc each other on the one hand, and IN
chanting each his own praises on the other Had
Judge RUcGLrs thought Mr. Stetsons plan the
very worst POSSIBLE By elccting the Senate once
IN two years we give up the idea that 1t should he
1t continuing body. II We should ga back to one
wear elections Tor Senators, We would have much
greater chance 10 have the same members elected
again and thereby have in the body number OF
rxucricnced men than II we elected Senators Tor
two wears His own wish would have been to
Lsy. some men fresh from the people. and some
men left in the body well acquainted with sen
ate business What were the duties oi the
Senate To look INTO the financial affairs OF thus
State which are such that ITS members require
some time to understand thcn--thc schools-the
culcres-thc prison systeE-and various other IN
situations arc not 10 be learned IN q short session.
Mr. SwlcKnANErl-lt was the Assembly and
not the Senate through which the people had been
heard on nil occasions The time had gone ty
when the People required checks and balances
scntincls to protect them from their own folly
When had the People been well served by the
Senate. As hitherto elected until the Assembly
had forced them TO Weld When had the Senate
sought to promote the public welfare Single Dis
tricts are an important step toward practical re
form Was in favor OF elcctinS all the Senators
at once Hitherto the laws had cmanated from the
more numerous branch, influenced by the popular
will
MIR. HOFFMAN, agreed with Mr.. Stetson in his OBJ
ectionS to the ride and tyc system the single ben
eft from which was the election OF part one ear
part the next It's - Ntit e"Nil u ~ N'i'
Convention agreed to 1t the country never would
II they were to elect Senate and a Governor at
once it might prevent in future those collisions Ut
parties which occasionally distract the community
The Senate were, he considered, intended 70 repre-
sent the united Judgment OF the people, maturely
made up, and he argued that three years was the
best term for Senator-thc body o, the law could
not long remain as it is at prcsent-it had become
an evil too great to be endured-lt was spread over
countless volumes-was without order or system,
and piled up. amendment upon amendment, N! II
had become IN many respects impractlcaoie Tor or
dinarv use ready reierence-a COMMISSION. Il ap-
pointed might and this great labor OF the renovation
of the inv but much of the work OF revision would
fall to the share oil the Senate Why had the coun-
try had no Senate for the last years Why had
legislation gone on without the Senate Because
of the patronage vested with that body. Hour after
hour and month after month the sultors for place
harassed them and took up thcr time. II the Sen
ate piUs; in future act an appointing body-li 1t
be so-etit be Tor but few offices, and heiewer
the better.
After MIR Stetson's amendment and the resolu-
tom as amended. had been adopted, the Convention
went into Committee on DR. Tayors report Mr.
Hunt proposed biennial elections OF Assemb ymen.
Lost BY great majority. Mr. TAGGART proposed
to have l36 members in the Assembly. Lost Mr..
PENNlMAN was for lii. Lost. Mr. MURPHY moved
that the number be las Lost, yeas u. Mr. CoNELY
proposed l 40 Lost Mr.. HAwLEY 49,. Lost.
The Convention adopted lbs, as now
Mr. Srow asked. why not divide counties Tor SEN
ate il they are to be divided TO form Assembly Dis
tricts
\ debate wa, GO, up and lasted till near the din
ner hour. on the question OF the Five Minute
rule Mr. Cha,tied appealed from the decision Of
Mr. Patterson, the Chairman. and II was so man
aged that prodicious number OF speeches were
made about H. At last they repealed IL for
which | am very sorry for 1t might have
been upheld in good faith and the Conven-
ton Law is SO worded that the Delegates can
not receive wages the length of the session be
protrac,ei, however much some might wish to de
lay the submission 10 the People, and thereby hope
to battle honest reiormers The following account
of the length and number OF speeches during the
last three days is published to give the country
some idea OF the difficulties the friends OF progress
meet with
Nam5er and length of Speeches.
A Delegate who seldom delays business by ted I'll.
NAMES Of ,he several orators and OF the number OF
MINUTES occupied BY each, tronl which copy as
follows
I,,i x and = and