New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-19
CLOSING HOURS OF THE CONVENTION


CLOSING HOURS OF THE CONVENTION.
LECoMPToN, X T., Nov. Q, 1857.
The intense effort and anxiety of protraoted
struggle had thrown lassitude over the Conven.
ton and its members. The subject at issue once
determined, it was difficult TO keep the delegates
together, or to keep them at work. Oay few,
whose acute perceptions their suitableness for
the tack kept them at work, toiled at thu flag end
Of what Father AtcGee, the Chaplain would have
styled their "u,eful aud graceful labOrs."
The night outside of the hall, was dark, Ia
vending ny way up for the closing night session,
% Upper etrabls was the gloom that nothing short
of the luminous body was approaching could have
enabled me to reach the place in safety. The
twinkling lights Of the gog shops were only beacons
70 mark the rocks and shoals where many mortal
craft had fOundered. AS passed some thirty yards
from one of these, heard the noise of a regular
battle-oatbs, threats, blows and finally crash,
which subsequently ascertAined was the demolition
If chair over the head of Ope of the belserents.
Not deemiug it my particular province to inquire
whether the damage had been inflicted on the Occpi-
bs bregmatis, or the lambdoidal suture, went by,
hike the Pbarisee on the other side, hearing some
body yell before got out OF ear shot:
"Im Southern Rights man, by Cd" "rn
stand up for the rights of the South "
Whenever met a group it was q group Of
drunken or partially intoxicated men, and the sound
of profanity was the only indication that humanity
was in the darkness.
The baIl was not very brilliantly lit up. 1t is a
plain room of some twenty-five by forty feet, par
TALLY filled with tables covered with black cotton
velyet-n mourning, 1 suppose, for the demise Of
popular representative government. The half
dozen candles in the room gave dim light, like the
scene of badly managed magic lantern. Some of
the honorable members sat, and some of them stood,
and come marched about Most of the sitters had
their feet projected up, some OF them at an angle OF
forty.fve degrees, while, from NJ inconslerable
number, wreaths of tObaccO-smoke were sent grace
fully up.
Asst night wore on, several members stretched
themselves on the tops Of the tables, like bills that
had not found favor 1t became clearly evident
that the majority Of those present had facle ac ,ess
to 4" something to drink" and not few, by their
rather eccentric "walk and conversation" indi-
Gated that they must have been the recent
participants in spiritual circle. At one time, a
resolution was offered to increase the pay OF their
official reporter, and on motion to lay it on the
table, the President announced the question thus:
"The question is TO lay the reporter on the table.
The poor reporter vas accordingly thus dealt with,
but, as they had already voted him 81 200 with
out atixing condition Of ful6iog the task for
which he had been EMPLOYED he could lie there
coppacently. The Committee to string the Con-
stitution together made few very radical amend.
ments, such as making the School Township Fund a
consolidated one for the State On the final passage
Of the whole Of tins imposing instrument only p
Affirmative votes could be obtained. And thus il
Was the Constitution Of the minority OF Convention
while the speakers of that Convention, in their own
debates admitted that the delegates we're elected by
one-hfth or one-seventh Of the people.
Among the closing scenes, were the usual compl.
nentsry resoluti' Ms and speeches. Among these
the reniaIlsof the President were a, significant OF
the character Of this Convention as they were
amusing He said:
"Ths Convention met under the most etnbarrassino
circuu stances Elected by but small vote and the
authority TO act called in question by laxless set
men who had got into this Territory struggling 90
scarcely abe 10 get quoi up, and for some time with
cut one; their very existence threatened, aud
tain what moment lawless set Of people would tax,
their lives; necess'sted 20 get the military for ths
projections yet under all these circumstances they hsC
gone ard reither turned to the right hand nor TO tn
left, but bad framed a Constitution for the State o
Kansas"
No wonder the President e0mpimented them foi
their eoolness in perseverng under circumstances
embarrassing" The Vice President, or Pres
dent pro tenn, did not rise ~ compliment them oil
himself, but to give assurances in the most soelnu
tones, "tefore his God, for the purity of hts mo-
HVes' ana that ne had not been bought nor cor.
uptsd.
At length the FIRE Of partisan duty had burned
down in it's socket, and several of the candles had
wioked out when this august bogus body CON pleted
its abors and the gavel OF the ustrious President
now the ifluetri0Is PRICE Regent of Kansas-nro-
chained the termination Of its legal existence. 81
That moment one characteristic feature exhibited il.
self One prominent member eIclsimed with A loud
voice, snow, boys, let's come and take drink ~
The Convention having thus "gons to take a
drink" let us turn 10 the People of Ksnsas, and see
low they are to meet this new struggle which ruf.