Weekly Minnesotian and times., 1860-03-10
WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1860.
SENATE PRAYER by the Rev. J. D. Pope

WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1860.
SENATE. Prayer by the Rev J. D. Pope
PASSED.
The bill ior an act to provide for sessions
Of the Legislature, was read three times Mt
der suspension ofthe rules, ana passed. Ii
! provides that The members shall not receive
pay for session lasting over sixty days--or
/ sor al extra session for over thirty DAYS.
A bill for an act relating to prisoners in
County jails.
/. HOUSE. The House was opened at the
usual hour.
| NEGRO SUFFRAGE.
, Judge CLEl ElANl,, from MAJORITY OF the
/ Committee on Constitution and c0usttu tonai
| revision, submitted lengthy and elaborate
/ report in favor OF granting the prayer Of Ger
| tain petitioners from Hennepin county. who
wish the word white stricken out of the con-
| stitut,on. The report vas accompanied by a
bill submitting TIE araendment 70 popular
! Y,to.
TIE SPEAKER DEFENDS HIMSELF.
| Mr. COGGSW ELL replied He ,ooa :h-
sana grounds, ne said, and Fad the same
views on these subjects. as he had when q
member of the Constitutional Convention. re-
| gardlng the Submission Of this question to the
! people. lie did hot want the fate of the con
stitutio,. to depend on that clause. and differ
ed from the others, who wanted it to yo in,
and be adopted or rejected as totalitv.
He denied having voted for Establishing
Slavery as had been charged On him, in
Minnesota, by voting in favor of Mr.. Robert
sons resolutions, on Saturday. Immediately
after giving that vote, the Secretary Of State
/, me- him, md soemnly bid him Coed by.
! CoggsweIl !" thus taking leave Of him as
Rapublicanl IF it must be so, why let il be
50. He was as independent of the Republi-
can Party as ieHas OF him, (applause). If
! The charges made against him were true. he
! would abide by them, but if they were false.
! as ne asserted, he asked that his maligners
| oe branded with the charge Of falsifyng him.
| lie declared hat no concurrent resolutions
which could be passed by this House, could
establish Slavery in Minnesota, as had
! been talked about 50 much No--the design
/ % those AS far As he understood them. was
/ 10 grant 10 citizens Of the Southern States
@ho come here temporarily, their legal rights
under the Constitution. The resolutions, in
! fact. amounted TO nothing but gave assurance
10 !s.sster and slave that they should not tie
/ ntorfered With while sojourning here, but
that .oT a time this should be neutral ground"
Their rights were measured, rot bv the con.
current resolutions, but by the Constitution
/ Of the State.
The word slave does not appear in the
| resoiutions anywhere it merely says, ''ct.s.
tomary house servants" He did not know
whether they were bond or free, white or
black, and it was only by false construction
"A forced constrncton--that he could be
charged with seeking 3" to institute slavery in
Ainnesota "a construction not borne out by
tacts.
| What might have been the intention, of the
resolutions, he looked at the effect, in voting
as he did. What is the effect? Why, {
merely pledges to the southerners who come
here honorable hospitality" Do you CD.
pose doing tl,iss The rights" mentioned
are only those granted by the constitution
and laws of this State--our constitution Ib-
crates the slave when it touches our soil. The
! resolutions do not say that we will aid in
keeping them in Slavery while here. for that
would be impossible.