Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-01-20
Iowa City Correspondence.
SENATE CHAMBER, Iowa Cry, ,
January III, 1859.

attention of the General Assembly; the
most important measure that has been
under consideration for the last week. is
the proposition to submit TO the people
law providing for vote to be taken in
August, 1854. blythe people, for, or
against convention 10 amend the Con-
sti'ulion. The bill passed the House by
very large majority, and came to the
Senate on yesterday morning. DR..
Hull, Senator from Polk, moved to post
pone. indefinitely, the Bill. Upon this
motion, quite warm and wide debate
ensued, in which many Senators partic-
ipa,ed, among whom were Sales. Hull,
Fletcher, LefIingwell and Johnson, for
indefinite postponement, and Messrs.
Preston, Needham, Harris and Love
against it, and Mr.. Lowe "sor: o. so and
sort o. not so." 1t was indeed amusing
to see the many, and the varied positions
occupied by honorable Senators on this
question. Whilst some took moderate
and reasonable ground, and met the
question like men and statesmen, others
with native and instructive lit.leness,
came out and boldly denounced the
measure as wing doctrine, and therefore
very dangerous indeed, and sufficiently
odious to call down the unqualified and
scorching ana,hemas of every good
democrat. r.,
1t was maintained by more than one
Senator, that the people, in adopting the
Constitution, had relinquished all right
to be heard or in any way to move in the
premises-because, indeed the Constitu.
ton says, 'If at any time the General
assembly shall think it necessary &c"
therefore no man in Iowa has right to
think on this subject, or if TO think, he
has no right to judge Of The "necessity"
referred to, or to have his opinions re
garded by the said General Assembly. -
Ii the monslrosi!y of such a doctrine
could be exceeded in radicalsm and alb,
surdity, il was exceeded by one Lycur-
gus who went so for as to say in his
place in the Senate, that if every one of
his constituents was in favor of the sub.
mission of the question to them 'he
would not vote for it,
Adjournment at IL o'clock came and
found the debate still unfinished. II
was interesting enough TO witness the
earnest manner of our political Soons
during the dinner recess. Whilst sur
rounding the dinner table, engaged in
masticating dismembercd portions of an
OK, and as they felt the power OF said
OK infusing itself into their ma,erialism,
you might have heard them, ever and
anon threatening and menacing, and
promising 10 renew the fight with more
energy and vigor than before. At l
o'clock, recess being over and dinner
ended, the honorable Senate again as
sembled, and our combatants being "brim
full of wrath and cabbage" were pre-
pared to renew the fight, and they Gid
renew it, and carry it on with energy
till night without coming to vote
This morning, the morning business
being over, the debate was continued
with considerable prolixity, till late
hour in the afternoon, when the vote
was taken on engrossing and reading a
third time tomorrow which was deter
mined affirmatively by vote of 10 to
IL, SO the bill will most certainly pass
tomorrow.
Bills are now in progress TO amend
the Road law and Revenue law, which
will perhaps be acceptable to the people
when perfected. There is bill before
the Senate providing for the election o.
the Commissioner and Register of the
Des Moines River Improvement, on the
first Monday of April, 1858. 1t also
makes provision to stop the salaries Of
the Commissioner and all Engineers ex
cept one on a given day, unless con
tract, as contemplated in the law now IL
force, shall be consummated. And j: il
provided further that if any propositions
are made as contemplated. that George
g. Wright, of Vanburen and U. Biggs
of Wapello, be associated with the Com
missioner and Register with equal pow
, err and authority, SO far as making salt
contract is concerned. II is believed The
bill will pass. More hereafter.
AGRICOLA.
PACIFIC RAILRoAD.-The Washing
ton correspondent of the Journal of Com