The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-07-25
Suihning Up.i

convention. We have tried to give the naked
facts as they transp'red, and are not respon-
slhle for their inevitable Implications. ~ 3
Two organized representative bodies sit
to-day at the capitol each assuming to exer-
else the functions of that constitution con-
vention, which, by the Congress oft United
States and the People OF Minnesota, were
charged with the solemn responsibility of ad-
| jusling the fundamental laws of the new
State. Since both cannot be, which is that
convention? ~ N'
The doctrine, now for the first time stated,
that the Secretary of the Territory is the only
person competent to call constitutional
convention to order, is tooTidiculous to merit
one moments consideration. This, we ven
tu.e 10 say, is the most extraordinary propo-
siton that cgen the exigtncies Of party logic
ever gave rise 70. THAI the Secretary may
exercise this privilege, is itself the very doubt
| ful proposition which nothing iiut an array of
prccedcuts which do not exist. could warrant
IN this Case and nothing less than universal
| ty OF precedent, when there is, perhaps. sim
| gle instance on record, could establish 1t As a
rule. 1t is on the other hand the indubtab!e
and seit-cvident proposition that any member
o. an inchoate deljbctative boiy may call it
to order and pat The questions preliminary to
its organization. 1t does not depend on the
oycaSO oral OF exceptional precedent. Bnt it
is the UNIVERSAL rule, and is Inherent in the
nature and results from the necessity Of the
case. Ii any one, therefore, doubts that Mr.
Chase, acting by virtue Of his Secretar, Ship,
was competent to call the convention to Or
der, no one can doubt that Mr.. North, men,
Der of the convention, was fully competent to
perform that Office. We take it for granted
that Mr.. Chase was competent person to do
this but Mr.. North was equally %. Both
these gentlemen acting concurren'ly, put
questions in the usual parliamentary form, to
an assemblage of persons within the bar of
the convention. One was for an adjourn
ment. the other for an organization. Both
motions were declared carried. We have
here in one assembly, !wO separate and dis
iinct proceedings at the same time. If we
could NOW ascertain that majority of the
assembly participated in the proceedings I'M
tiated by Mr.. Chase and acted upon the mo-
ton put b. him, we are not sure that any of
the consequences would follow which the
| Pi0neer dc iuces from its assertion of that
fact But it is impossible to ascertain any
thing. and it is to say the least, highly i'm
probable that such was the case. 1st. Be
cause majority hal consented to recognize
Mr.. North beforehand, and had requested him
in writing TO Gull the meeting to order. End
Because TIE majority of Republicans had
every motive for ignoring the proceedings Of
Mr.. Chase. 81. They were acting at the
same time np,n motion of their own agreed
npon beforehand, and consented to before
hand unanimously.
| Bat it must have struck every one, that
all this baldarciash about the competency of
this Or that officer, has nothing 10 do with
| the question. 1t is not OF the least cOnse-
| quence who puts the question preliminary to
! prganizai n or how they are put. 1t is only
| necessary that by some means Or other the
will of the minority be a,certained. the mode
If proct dnre does not enter into the essence
+ the act The will Of the ma rity, how
ever expressed, Is the act OF all the parties
participating III the proceeding. The single
circumstance that hut forty five Democrats
| withdrew from the Hall, in accordance with
the resolution to adjourn, while ffty-siX Re-
publcans remained, and organized in accor-
dance with the motion so TO do. put Concur
rently with the other, would seem to express
in the clearest and most cnrhlntic manner
possible, the will oil tie majority in this case.
Ii is ouhli, if lnsiority If ti:ose present,
recognized the authority of Mr.. Chase. 1t
is beyond iI>!slte that maj ority recognize!
the authority o. Nh North. Their: is no evil
denc,, at al! IF the onc. ard there is tie most
absolute cvi,,ence Of the Other
On t!a nest day, the Democrats, now IT,
creased ,o;,,rty-siy, met parsu8nt 70 io'rn-
mlnt. AS THE CONSTITUTIONAL C,SyFNTIoS-
Is IN adjournei meeting OF the convention,
and came in 4 body t, the Hall occupied by
o majority of the members, WHO lid already |
ORGANIZED n the convention, and demanded |
the surrender ef the Hall to them, as the cor
vcntion. Being refused, they adjourned !
again to the Coancil am. though Il majority, |
and therefore not Il quocon, organized as
the convention
We are the advocates of no party. We |
have too high respect for tie prominent
members OF the recu;ant delegation, to be
lieve that they would lend themselves. with
out good reasons, to the ain itiOus schemes
Of denagorues for party domination, OBJ
tanned by wicked and unjust means but We
confess we are at loss to understand how,
even admitting for the moment, that the al
iuurn,nent upon which their action was pre-
Dictated, was the sense of the meeting at the
Capitol on Monday noon. we are at a loss to
understand how it could be considered in
any sense as the adjournment of the Conven-
ton. There is no evidence that Of all those
who participated in the proceeding, any one
was a. member of the Convention. 1t is
knoxn that several persons were present who
were not members, There had been no Or
ganization-no credentials had been present.
ed. The Convention did not exist as de-
Lucrative or parliamentary body when that
meeting adjourned, if it were an adjourn
ment 1t can only be considered in its most
favorable light, as the act Of an informal and
tumultuous assemblage Of men, speaking
without organization, and therefore wit hout
authority And there is not the least doubt
that if every member in the Hall had voted
on the motion to adjourn, prior to organiza-
ton, that majority Of all the members of
tie convention, this being a quorum, would
still, as such quorum, be competent to re-
ma and organize.
Ye we thoroughly appreciate the difficult
ties of the position in which the Democrats
were placed. The Republican majority was
made up / y the admission of six men with
or. dentlalS in their pockets, and therefore
legally in possession Of their seats during the
preliminary organization, who are not entl-
tied to seats in equity. The assistance of
tucse illeH curing Tue preliminary pToCeeu-
ings, would enable the Republicans to control
the organization the Convention-and
though their seats were contested, they would
probably be thrown out to maintain an APP
pearance If juStice-there was no reason to
expect they would be disposed of till they
had been used for all the purposes for which
they were required.
1t is easy to imagine how an honest man
who had received a minority Of votes, could
retain scat his cleim to which rests upon
mere ecAicality. But if these men offer
their credentials the Convention it is without
doubt bound to admit them till their seats
are contested. We hope that the difficulties
WHICH divide the convention will he settled.
aud that the interest of the Territory will
nOt'be sacrificed to the avarce of politicians.
The Convention can iil-sigofd to spare the
noble ond intelligent men who are foremost
among the democratic recusants. It will he
a scrassy convention enough without their
assistance. Let them have seats in the body
which all he circuns stances point out as the
only Organization which can claim to be re-
garded as the Convention. Let the mem
bers eject from st. Anthony appear before
the bar Of the Convention, and demand
their rightful places there. Ii they are re-
fnSnJ &c an ,,nfa;r A. o.