Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-05-29


done on his own responsibility and that, believe,
of one or two others with whom he consulted
| The motion prevailed and the Convention ad-
journed.
! Immediately after the adjournment, the Eastern
members met together in this hall with feelings of
strong dissatisfaction on the part of large por-
ton, if not much the larger portion of them. In
| that meeting it was finally agreed that commit
tee should be appointed, who were clothed with
no power beyond that of simply comforting with
such committee as might be appointed upon the
part of the West. The mombers of the Eastern
/ committee (ofwhom was not one) came together,
as understand and agreed among themselves up
on certain propositions, which were communicated,
so far as know or believe, to no one ofhe Eastern
members until they had been submitted to the
! Western committee of conference, under the cir
| cumstances which have been detailed to the Con-
vehtion by two of the members of the respective
committees, the gentleman from Loudoun (Mr.
Janney) and the gentleman from Kanawha (Mr.
Summers
Well, sir, every proposition which was presented
| by the East was unanimously rejected by the
Western committee, and the action of that COM
mttee was unanimously endorsed by the Western
meeting. When these facts were communicated
to the Eastern meeting, and we were then for the
|
submitted by our committee of conference and
how those proposition had been received, we
| thought it best to pursue the course we did pur-
sue in not taking any vote or expressing any opin-
ion in relation to the propositions thus made and
rejected. And if in this respect we erred, | con-
TESS am wholly at loss to conceive in what the
error consisted; | am at loss to imagine in what
respect it was eithernecessary proper that East
ern members should exp ess any opinion as to the
proprety or improperly of propositions which had
been unanimously rejected by the West. They
had been proposed and rejected, and there was an
end of Them No one entertained an idea of i'm
| posing on the West, as compromise, that to
which Western gentlemen were decidedly and
unanimously opposed. And until we saw this
report OF the Committee of Eight, some OF us, per-
haps, were simple enough to suppose that COM
| promise was one thing, surrender another.
| On the other hand it was proper to express an
opinion with respect to the propositions submitted
by the Western committee, because it was not
certain that they might not prove acceptable to a
portion of that Eastern meeting, and if SO, they
might form ground of Compromise; and accord
ngly when the question was about to be propoun-
ded to the meeting, with respect to the report of
| the Committee of Conference, and before it was
propounded, my colleague who sits before me,
| (Mr. ScotD rose and inquired whether he was to
understand that question confined exclusively
to the action of the Eastern Committee in reject
ing the proposition submitted by the Western
| Committee This enquiry was answered in the
affirmative. The question was then put, the vote
was taken, and the meeting unanimously con-
Cured in the course pursued by their COM
mtee in rejecting the PROPOSITIONS which were
submitted 10 them by the Western committee
| That was course, and our whole course of ac-
ton, leave it to any candid man to say whether
| fhn
ments that have been indulge in on this floor
| have made this statement Il wish it TO be dis
tinctly understood) as matter of history merely,
in order that as the proceedings ofthese meetings
| have been referred to (not by myself but by
others) the facts, and all the facts connected with
them, should appear | repeat then, that we
| took no action in If meeting upon the PROPOSE
tons submitted by The Committee of Conference,
simply because we did not consider it necessary or
proper to do so, after those propositions had been
| unanimously rejected by the Western committee
and the Western meeting, and no one therefore is
authorised to say from any thing that transplred
on that occasion, whether any. or how many OF the
Eastern members would have concurred in the
propositions made by The committee of conference
on the part Of the East and so made on their own
responsibility alone, as they expressly declared at
the time, to the committee OF conference on the
part of the West This much have deemed it
proper to state as due to the truth of history-but
let me tell gentlemen that when they venture to
institute comparison between these propositions
and this thing miscalled compromise, and to
assert that the latter isas good or better Tor the
East, they present an issue which have not the
slightest disposition to shrink from or to evade, but
on which | am prepared to meet them, now and
at all times, here or elsewhere, before the Con-
venton or before the country. Sir, maintain
with confidence, that whether you look to the prin-
cpe involved to the great interests at stake, re-
gardng it as a question of principle, or question
fpower-consder it in what light you willard
maintain there is no fair candid and impartial man
that can for moment entertain doubt that the
propositions submitted, by the Eastern comm ttee,
and each and all of them are not infinitely pre-
terabe to this scheme OF the Committee OF Eight
which may be compromise in name, but is Meth
er more nor less than an utter and absolute sur
render in fact.
Nay sir, will 90 further and say--and before | get
through trust will Show-hat there is at least one
il not Two OF the propositions submitted by the West
and ee cted by the East that is decidedly preferable 10
this scheme OF compromise torsoohy that now about
| TO be made part and parcel OF our organic law.
These propositions have been published, and l ana
glad that they have been and have gone to the country
shall not deain the convention by reading them. but
shall comment upon them in their ORDER and shall APP
pend them TO my remarks. wish the people, and es
pecialy the Eastern people, to what was proposed
10 the west, Wnat was OllefcQ Oy inc west ana men
to say what they think Of this scheme which, reported
by an Eastern committee elected by Western votes, is
now about to be forced upon them in the name OF COM
promise, by the united Western aided by fragment of
the Eastern delegation on this floor But to proceed
with the examination of these propositions.
What was the first proposition submitted by the East
ern to the Western committee? 1t proposed House
of Delegates of l56 members the suffrage basis Civ
ing the West majority of than H. if that.
The Senate consist of so members, was to be based
on taxation alone, giving to the East majority of ID
thus making tie joint ballot, and with the prov.
sion that all future appointments OF representation In
That was the first proposition submitted by The East
ern committee, and how does it compare with the one
that we are called upon here to adopt and to say is
preferable far the Eas; is concerned Look at it
in the first place regards the question of principle
What are the propositions upon which have been
standing here in debate Tor weeks and months On the
Que side you have been invoked to look population
alone the sole element to be consulted in respect TO