The daily union., 1852-08-14

convention. il any he made, and copy Of them be at
tainabe,
Very respectfully, your obedeat servant. .-,,,
JNO. L. ROBINSON.
Hon NJ G. UpHAm Hon Cyrus BARToE, Concord
New Hampshire.
CoscoRp, IN. H.,) August o. 1852
DrAK SIR: In reply 10 your line OF July So 'he ua.
dersigned would state that they were members " .e
convention holden al Concord. November o. lo'o ,o '
revision ~ ,bs constitution of the State Of New Hamp
shire of which convention General Pierce was presid
officer.
The general objects assigned for this revision In the
preyous discussions the subject were, TO slrke Out
The religious and the property qualifications Tor OIL
hce 10 limit The tenure Of judicial officers TO Term oil
wears 10 render most OF the officers now appointed by
The governor and council elective by the peoples TO di-
minsh the numbers OF the legislature, and TO increase
The relative numbers OF The senate as compared with
The house OF representatives,
Previous TO the assembling of the convention the ed.
tors OF the New Hampshire Patriot announced that they
should publish Daily Patriot during the session oil the
convention, containing full report OF lis debates and
proceedings and the second day Of the session
oIuon was passed, "tha the secretary be directed 10
procure and 10 be distributed to each member OF
the convention, copy OF the Daily Patriot e3nainag
report Of the proceedings Of the eOnrsntoa during lis
session"
This paper was issued, and distributed to the mem
the debates and proceedings OF the previous day. The
Rev. Harvey Newcomb was employed as reporter. He
had been long well known IN various sections OF
the country for his ability and fahfuIness that capacl
~, and Immediately afterwards employed sim
liar duty reporter OF the debates in the convention for
the revision of the constitution OF Virginia.
The bill of rights, forming portion OF the constitution
up first in order for the action Of the convention
The sixth article empowers the legislature 'lo authorize
towns, parishes, and religious societies to make adequate
provision, at their expense, for the support and
maintenance of public Protestant teachers of pety
lgion and morality" Judge Woodbury. moved 10 strike
out the word protestant" and remarked that import
ant principle involved in the section but that the
discussion had better be deferred until The convention
came to act on the religious lest and property quaica-
hons involving the same question, and moved that
ton on the article be deferred until those sections came
up for consideration This objected TO out OF or
der; but The section informally passed over, be
called up again before the final disposition of the bill oil
rights. On the article being again called it appears BY
the reported proceedings of the convention that General
Pierce proposed to Judge Woodbury. rene his motion
10 strike out the toord Protestant y which motion was
made by him, and the word Protestant was stricken oul
leaving the provision authority, the part of the
legislature, ito empower towns parishes, and religious
societies 10 make adequate provision for the maintenance
OF teachers of religion and pety merely without refer
ence to any religious denomination.
Alter this amendment, further motion 10 amend was
made by striking out the remainder OF the provision
then left; but General Pierce and others objected 10 this
on the ground that recognition in the constitution of the
importance OF public instruction in pety and religion was
desirable, regulated by the proviso in the section stha
all religious societies should have the right of eecins
their own public teachers, and that no person should
ever be compelled to pay towards the support OF The
teacher or teachers Of another persuasion sect or de-
nomination" The provision thus left was voted 10 be
retained.
The assertion recently made in a speech published in
New York, that General Pierce advocated retaining the
sixth secton with provision in il for the support OF
" Protestant" teachers, is entire fasehood.
On the ensuing day the committee appointed on the
religious Test and property qualifications reported that il
was expedient to strike out OF the constitution all The
provisions that require religious test, and similar
resolution as to property qualification for office The
convention subsequently resolved itself into committee
OF the whole TO consider this report Judge Woodbury.
addressed the committee 10 favor Of ahe the re
g'ous est and II being remarked by Mr. Parker that he
presumed the committee prepared to act upon il
with entire unanimity" the resolution passed without
dissent Ihe resolution was then taken up relative To
property qualifications when Judge Woodbury. addressed
the committee upon 1t and was followed by Genera,
Pierce who expressed with great power and eloquence
his views on both the requisites as a Qualification for
offce, and denounced them both "as blot upon the
constitution and stigma TO the Sa,e-with regard 10
which not shadow OF doubt could be had as 10 The
acton oil the committee The reso utioD passed
mously. The committee then rose and reported their
proceedings TO the convention and the resolutions were
taken up and passed in convenion-bu seven persons
voting in the negative.
Judge Woodbury. furnished Eotes in full OF his speech
for publication, which, together with the remarks Of
General Pierce, briefly taken down by the reporter
were Published in the Daily Patriot OF November l4th
lS5o-a copy OF which enclose TO you-and were
distributed to the members OF the convention the next
morning
No suggestion then made or has since been made
IN New Hampshire, that these debates were not accu.
Taiey reported and fact is better known 10 our citi-
than the active efforts and cons sency OF General
Pierce in his attempts to abolish these qualifications for
Office. which, in the emphatic words used BY him in the
convenuon, he had always regarded as stigma 10 the
State
Bat little division Of opinion occurred throughout the
proceedings OF the convention until they came to the
consideration OF the reduction OF the number of repre-.
senatves. The constitution had been established in
1922. The number OF representatives was then one
hundred. II had increased, during the lapse OF
nearly sixty years, TO two hundred and nnetya nun.
Der conceded BY all parties be ioconyenien and uI-
necessary. Various propositions were presented for its
reduction and proiracled debate arose on The subject
in which much party feeling was elected Efforts were
made for compromise The subject, but none could
be effected and amendment finally earned after
much opposition. that all towns having IT'S legal polls
should be entitled TO representatives. 500 additional
polls required for the second representative and
900 additional polls for the third and so ON for each
additional representative. BY this provision nearly all