The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-10-12


the rights Of the docesss and against everything Of
the kind. As he said Saturday, there il no |
of us dssirs to ssn.ssts from each qothsr and a
though he Of opinion that the practice Of admitting
delegates in the manner referred to- was net according
wish expression Of opinion ths subject he would
have done So In manner not to Affect the rights Of
solution substitute for all Others for the purpose Of
terminating the difficulty in the following words:
Whereas the constitution Of the Protestant Episcopal
Church Of the United States In s true intent and
ing requires that the members of the general
shall directly chosen by respective dioceses
contrary practice hath obtained to a considerable
tent and In instances been sanctioned by the do
cessn conventions as well as the silent acquescenceof
Be 1t resolved, therefore, the deliberate Of
the general convention, that without questioning or
disturbing the right tenure Of any gentlemen holding
seats in this general ccnvsntion who have
been appointed In Of the modes heretofore pratced
and and acquiesced in above mentioned
due compliance In all future elections with the cons
tuition Of the church. until Il shall have been altered
amended ehould be faithfully observed and maintained
Mr. WiLLIAMs.of Virginia, hoped the gentleman from
New York would modify his resolution SO that the
mittee might report way of providing remedy
for filling vacancies other than the system at present
In
Hon Mr.. RIvEs, hoped an expression Of deliberate
opinion might be taken the main question involved
In the case. The constitution the supreme guide
OF tbs convention and ne desired an Interpretation
would have all the necessary force In all future
Mr.. OcELBY rose to correct Misrepresentation of his
remarks by Hon Mr. Rives: He did not intend to say
that tho original parties to the compact had right to
forward and break It, he merely intended to gay
that where there Is doubt In constituting the constu
ton 1t should be given in favor Of the dioceses The
doubt in this admitted II II s that Is the only
questions there be no doubt thenhe has spoken to
MI SEYMOUR said, we have come back to the point
we started FROM viz-What Is the construction Of the
constitution this subject
Mr. VAN INoEN proposed that for the purpose Of re-
lievng themselves Of their immediate endorsements
In order that the convention might proceed to business
they should adopt the first of the resolutions by
Mr. Hudson aud then refer the other resolutions which
had been offered to a committee.
Judge CHAMBERS hoped the house would understand,
beforeproceeding to there sixteen
the list Of the house. having irregular returns He
could not agree to the proposition which had been adj
yanced that this body had the privilege Of scrutinizng
Its members, and saying who and who not
members He agreed with his friend from Virginia. that
this body sat there body humanity constituted-an
cd by the members Of the churchwthin their control
subject to their supervision by them when
the church. which they were bound to recognise The
committee elections had always been extremely
sitve with regard to the admission of members In 1870
certain candidates. for holy orders applied for admission
Their right questioned The constitution ead that
clergy aud lay members only should be admitted but
these quasi cergymen, thought. Yet the
vention recognised only clerical and members there
fore they could not admit them The practice had al
ways BEEN however that the persons who elected
by this convention should be the members
Mr. ESTE Of Ohio wished to present one view of the
practicable to obtain what they all wished that
the gentlemen who had come there the representa-
Q1uer0nt different
evidence in their possession should be permitted to
cupy their seats in consistency with the constitution
under which they acted The constitution certain
ly plain that every diocese entitled to repre-
sentative Ia that body 1t equally plain that the
person presenting himself must be by the diocese
he represented. There canon in existence de-
csring how the choice should be made what should
be the evidences Of that choice It seemed to him that
question Of evidence. The practice OF previous
ventions had been to receive inferior evidence Now
appeared Win Sess atns. q Ssiassos, sSioh Ssvs
heretofore been received - should they rgidy de-
CLAIMED to be came Rsrs By tho
consent OF the diocese he represented Now he
denoe Of the existence Of the diocese that proper
aidsvits made that A. b duly elected, that
the evidence ought not to be received In short he
would receive inferior evidence at present. but hereafter
he would have Q canon framed providing that
Der should take seat in that convention without
ncate from the secretary that he had been duly chosen
MIR. WHARTON having learned, on enquiry from tho
chair that the substitute of the gentleman from Vir
ferent disposition Of the whole subject This was CON
sttutonsl difficulty and 1t the duty Of the house to
dispose Of that difficulty The application Of the prn-
from Virginia wpud be to exclude these gentlemen
from their seats altogether lie did how they
could dispose Of question by saying that
they would admit gentlemen contrary to the constitu
ton, under existing circumstances.
Hon. Mr.. RrvEs said his proposition was not to ad-
m but to waive all enquiry the subject for the pre-
sent
The resolution Of Mr. r. having been read
Mr. WHARroN said he should readily assent It, and
withhold his proposition he having previously mis-
understood the resolution of the gentleman from Vr
ginia.
Rev. j. L. WHEAT, of Tennessee. was opposed to the
proposition OF the hon gentleman from Virginia That
him obvious from the argument OF the learned gentle
man from Maryland The representatives of those
spoctive doceses had appedthose presenting consti
tutional certificates In their respective constitutions
when first presented there, they had made provision
for deegating the power Of selecting delegate to the
bishop standing committee of the diocsss and such
practice had been sanctioned again again by the
sspon Of deputies selected into the general conven
ton Not only therefore, had past practice warrant
ed this proceeding but the formal solemn action Of that
committee sanctioned IT, II seemed to him that they
were dsng great wrong to offer members seats graS
when they might claim them dc jure. He therefore
hoped the house would not accept the proposition Of the
gentleman from Virginia, but that which had been
offered by the gentleman from Georgia.
Mr. IIupsoS had series of resolutions TO OFFER In
support of which he felt disposition TO say few
words. The gentls man who last addressed the
house had taken q new position. He had urged
that the house should give those gentlemen seats
as matter OF right aud then expressed the hope that
be put upon that ground he feared it would be mega.
lived almost unanimously-for the reason that 1t
unnecessary and that it would be laying stronger and
more violent hands the constitution than had
been done since he had been member of that
ton The first resolution which he (Mr. IL had to
added to the roll Of the house sitting members That
was proposition which he believed every member of
might have to the practice which had obtained for ssvs
raj years His second resolution proposed to refer the
reference 10 regulation OF
hereafter to select COMMITTEES. II the house would
consent to do he supposed that would pre-
sent plain and simple proposition which the house
could act upon In reference the admission OF members
hereafter In eerence to the literal construction Of
the constitution advocated by the learned gentleman
from Virginia, he could most chserfuly accord with
him and he must express his regret only In
this body, but in other bodies constitutional prov
sions had not been more faithfully obeyed. The
learned gentleman from Virginia had alluded to the
constitution Of the United States He remarked that II
provided originally that the members Of the House OF
Rep utata an he In n m
the Legislatures of the several States should direct
less otherwise dire cted by Congress subsequently, not
many years agoxn act passed Congress- and receiving
the signature of the President became law, varying
the mode by which representatives to be chosen,
and requiring that they be chosen Ia congressional dis
tricts large portion of the States complied with the
provision but three four which neglected
to comply with It, and different modes adopted. In
State they appointed by the Legislature. Now,
hu nrovisiona nj fha cnnakiIutinn onvarn-