Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-05

ham says that it is tho plan proposed by caucus /
of the democratic party. What sort Of a caucusi |
TIL ere never was. so far as know, a full arten- |
dance of the Democratic party. The party was
very much divided, aud many meetings were
held, until finally tho number who attended |
1windled down to a small minority, and the ma
jority could only be eked out by many proxies,
one gentleman holding, as an Informed, twelve |
or fifteen in his hands, Now sir, that plan was
proposed to the House of Delegates. And was
it adopted? No, sir 1t was changed, to suit
the views of those interested in the arrangement |
of some of the districts, by striking out one or
more of the counties and inserting others, and
thus transposing them. And in that form it was
adopted by the House and sent to the Senate
Here, sir, should like to inquire by what au-
thority this change was made! Was 1t by the
authority ofthe caucus! Certainly not! Sirit was
made by those who now insist on the mandatory
and controlling authority of a caucus. Why did
they make the change! Only because, for some
reason or other, they were not satisfied with the
caucus plan. They changed it to please them.
selves; and / should like tor know by what rule
it is that other gentleman who may not be sat
isfed with the caucus plan, have not the same
right to change it. to suit their views! What
| right have these gentlemen to change the caucus
plan to suit themselves ard then to say to others,
you shall take this plan as we have been pleased
to fashion it out of caucus and after the
Even here, sir upon this floor, the Senator from
Marshall, affecting to support the caucas plan,
makes proposition differing both from the plan
of the House, and from that Of the Caucus
And the Senator from Rockingham complains
| that by the previous question, he was prevented
from moving amendments to mis- darling caucus
plan, and at one time he moved to lay the bill
| upon the table to enable him to introduce his
amendments. Sir, deny that the House plan
was that of the caucus. deny that the amend
| nnent offered by the Senator from Marshall, pre-
| sented the caucus PLAN Sir. rut the Senator
| from Rockingham in this dilemma: The propo-
| sition of the Senator from Marshall contains the
caucus plan, it does not. If it does, then the
Senator from Rockingham, upon his own prn-
| ciples, is bound to vote for it without amend
ment. If it does not, then every gentleman is
| free to vote for it or not as he pleases Mr..
| President my action upon this subject has been
| this: When this bill came from the House, l
not satisfied with it, but concluded to vote for
it, it sent to US, to time and to avoid
| the confusion which expected would arise, and
which has arisen from its rejection by the SEN
ate. Accordingly, sir, voted. l believe, against
all the amendments. | voted against the motion
to strike cut the arrangement of counties 10 the
bill (the House plan,) but that motion prevailed.
and the bill was left blank. The Senator from
Louisa, (Mr AMBLER,) then moved to fill the
blank with the plan which the Senate finally
adopted and which is denounced as ti-Demo-
cratic.
Sir, undertake to say, that the plan proposed
by the Senator from Louisa concocted by as
good Democrats MS the Senator from Rockingham,
or any other gentleman this floor. 1t was pre-
pared by majority of the Democratic portion of
the Committee on Congressional Apportionmsnt
and met, | believe with no obi ection from Wes-
tern gentlemen, and was opposed only by Eastern
gentlemen. There were many individual nte
rests that were supposed to be connected with the
! public welfare, which affected the arrangement |
of the Districts aud hence, sir, the question was
more complicated than it otherwise would have
| been-not an easy one under any circumstances |
But this plan emanated from a Democratic
source, and was prepared and proposed by some
of the very Democrats who are now denouncing
it. Sir, so far as Democratic authority can make
it such, it is u Democratic seheme; aud essential
ly such, because in my opinion it is as just and
as equal scheme can be adopted. 1t was
such scheme this, concocted, and coming
from such source that was proposed, and voted
for it. The two houses are in conflict, nd
though | think the House of Delegates has
rushed to extreme resolution by voting to adj
hs,e to their view Of the subject, and have not
treated the Senate with customary courtesy, yet
! in spirit of Cancellation almost too LIBERAL shall
vote for committee of conference.
Mr.. AMBER said-That it was duty to those
with whom he acted as we'll as to himself, thus
publicly to say, that the proposition which he
had offered, was not as it had been Familiarity
and Improperly called his 'pian," but that it was
the result of conference. ard as he had thought,
agreement between Democrats appointed for that
purpose; that in framing it he had no part, save
in the position of single county; and it could by
no possibility affect him personally in auy way,
except in placing one OF the counties he repre-
sented (Goochand) in position he had anxious
ly endeavored to free her from. Yet endorsed
as it was by Democratic action. when he found |
| the House bill Objectionable, he could not |
hesitate, as a Democrat, truly to represent the |
wishes OF his constituency. He had proposed
this measure the history OF which was simply |
this: The Democratic members of the commit
tees appointed by the two Houses on the appor-
tionment, had met together, and latter many
meetings and consultations with Senators and |
delegates from all sections of the State) prepared
this plan as the result of these consultations, and
he had proposed it without ga cross to t or a
dot to an ~
He asked, were not the circumstances under
which the plan offered guarantee of the
purity of The motives of those who offered and
sustained it! Every one knew that opposition to
the house bill would be the signal for cracking the
party whip-for deppnciation here and by the
press For himself he echoed the appeal
which had been made to the country, for he felt
that no man who examined this question and the
position occupied by himself and those with
whom he acted, but would be compelled to be-.
lieve in the purity of the motives which gov
erned them. On the one hand was the easy
coast of administration the other misc construction
and denunciation, and the distant hope of tardy
justice.
Where the House bill had originated, he would
not undertake to say; but it had been endorsed
by what was called caucus, in what, as he was
informed was most informal manner; some
present representing by proxy, as many as ten or
fifteen votes, and passed against the protest of
large and respectable number of the democratic
party; and after that plan left the caucus it was
materially altered aud as it came to the Senate