Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-12-03

! know low i: wou!d haze been III Ner;harp-
ton nad gentlemen attempted TO exercise these
rights Of rcemcn guaranteed hy tie laws Of
the country.
: fou are told again that Fillmore, Pierce aud
Buchanan 4 did not expect .. this late day to
find the gentleman become tho epologist of
James Buchanan) removed olficeholde!s from
the Gosport Navy Yard because they were ab.
oiit;oa:sts Sir, say here again that tho in
formation upoE which tbs gentleman makes
the statement YES altogether fsl5e say
bore, rpon ny responsibility, that there VIA;
ncEsr % rc'aoTel IRON the Go6port Navy Yard
upon any sugh Gv0u1G know that indvG.
nAIs Of that community we're prescribed from
that Navy Yard and driven from cmcloYG,AHt
FOR voting tho American ticket: DO know
ta"t from tlme to tiEe ,n&u have EAep eIc,u-
ded from that lard because :iey entertain ed
; cerain pol!tiCai sentiments, and that ;adivid.
u.ls iroSa .he North and elsewhere have been
Invited :" repogo there ard been given om-
pioynsn: when native born citizens were de-
MED ann!oyment because they we're Wh;ss,
Americans or Democrats. | do know that tho
elective franchise has not been free in that com.
rnnnity, and what has happened there has 10
;3aubt happened elsewhere.
Cur forsfethers. it is true, msgnaniniousiy
determined that all voting should be rica coca,
ncTaT anticipating that dessneTacy IN their
posteri.y wkich would make the system noe
OF otyressiun, else question if they would
have adopted t. That What ststa has hec.
tine action OF parties, no gentleman is ig-
no7aht and the argument Of the gentleman
'ccm Northampton. Mr.. FlsnER goes 10 sao@
the necessity FOR tho charge to which | refer.
Il there we're three hundred republican voters
IN that town, why did they not vote The
gentleman says they desired to ro,e for Lin
coin, and Why did thny not do SO! Because
they were afraid 70 do 80; ard this demon
ssratcs the truth Of the argument which !
made.
! thank the Convention for the kind ;nlu!-
| gencc which they hare granted ma, and ! hope
II will ne their pleasure tc adonr the amend
T.ent.
Sir. TlsnsE.-I would ask the Convention
TO permit NE to ssS a few words in reply.
The qIcstion vas put, as to granting leave
to alr. s. &c address the Convention again, aud
it was decided IN the affirmative.
NT. F;sHRa.-Th. gentleman from Norfolk
COUNTY, it appears, docs admit th<t he
, hcsrd sucn 9 Tunor before as I have referred
! to, ard nut stated what reached Ec through
the sane channel.
DO not understand exactly The temper in
which tee gentleman las submitted his last
renia,k&. II this rutnor is slsndcr, and the
| gentleman assures US i. is, no msn vii! rejoice
more a, the fact than will. That such ru-
NOR did prevail, these s no doubt, for the
! sautiemaH himself admits that such rumor
mas sfoat. and had reschsd nis ears through
! private sources. Who're, ask. was .hc hs-m in
referring to tuSt runoT here. Il you'd seem 8s
If the gentleman setks to do acre what ne de-
! p-eca!es III respect 10 the people G( Ports
Uiou:H-res-rict the rgGt Of free speech and
asg the peoples representatives. He insists
that n3t even rumor 30 public al to nave
reached al, own ears frequently sha, be
referred ID here. This is going rather 100 fsr,
as It seers 10 tns. Now, sir, I dare 20 refer
to it. ! feel ths. il is my rij jht AID Ivy privi.
esc, in demonstrating my arguments upon
| any question 10 which | desire to speak, to
refer to outside rulnors.
As 10 M becoming the np9lcgist OF James
Buchanan, | can only say, tbs: no gentleman
csn ha.diy : b.se such IN assertion upcn nero
expression Of approval Of his cGurso in exciu
ding Aboli:onsts from cdice. l commend
that sct, not merely because il was done by
Jaua=s buchanan himself, but recacsu /. ws:s
.nrTi. i.orious in Itself would o,mmend such
an ACT # performed By any one Tie wors; o:
men msy hetimes do gooG acts, and it would
not ;oll5w that because these good acts wero
approved Of, the source from which they came
wss worthy Of uniform comuendat!on. Tke
general character Of such men may be otjeo
tionsbie,' and among that category would
certainly class James Buchanan, notwithstard.
ing my approval OF :hs nci Gf excluding aboli-
tionis:s from o:ucs Tho gentleman must no.
haze forgotten that tlere was an objectionable
pole sa's:nS il Portsmouth during the last Gag
yssa.
str. HoLLADAr.-Ih:: vas in 1856.
,Hr. Flsnsx--Wcll, stand corrected but
tGis difference ar - time does NOT eitcr the
fact.
II The gentlemsn understood nc as making
this charge against the people of Portsmouth,
OF my OWL Knowledge, be is misu,ken.--
| | had 10 personal knowledge upon the sub
jent. and could rot, therefore, have mentioned
i. in that connection. know very little CT
tha people o.. Portsmouth, Of nv oNl, personal
knowledgo. was informed Of one gentleman
in that town, whom ! always claimed as
friend, voting for Lincoln and az to the ru.
NOR upon which my Statement: wss made
which elected the excited remarks Of the gen.
tleman, il was current enough, for many be.
sides me heardit. 1t wss said that there were
Aboli!ionists in that town, VINO had not long
since removed from there, no doubt actuated
by mot"ss of policy. Whether this is true or
false cannot say.
| will say. in conclusion, that am utterly
opposed to tho secret ballot system, and trust
it 7ii ba the pleasure Of the Convention to
vote down tho amendment and preserve the
RIGA rOce system which has been handed down
to lis by our !orcfathers and which has ope
ted hitherto SO we'll and 50 satisfactorily.
| The question vas then put upon the adoP-
lion Of the amendment offered by Mr.. HoLtA-
DAY, and it was decided in the negative.
The Convention then proceeded to the con-
| sincration oi sle fourth article OF the Cocsttu.
tion.
Mr. TrGssE, O! Jsckson-I find that the
co:nmittu-, ;u re.sppoT:i0ning the counties:
have omitted several would move that tns
whole Of the fourth article be recomntt ed,
with view To enable the committee TO supply
these omissions
Mr. STuARr.-l would suggest that We &c OH
and dispose first Of the section which pro vides
for annual in placu Of biennial sessions of the
Legislature, and having, done that we can re-
turn to the consideration of this article.
Mr. HAraosD.-I am in favcr Of the motion
to cccnmmit- a,n informed by o member Of the
Senate, &r. John Brsnnon, that the re-appor-
iionment is defective as respects his own Sep
a,c7ls district and, no doubt, there ore other
defects which ths committee could best suppiy.
;rast, therefore. that the article will be re-
committed.
! Mr. TCnsEx, Of Jackson.-Ay objection to
this first clause in particular is that it goes on
to saY for and by the several countless &C.
The s.ction vii! be left incomplete if g vote is
: taken upon the question Of annual elections.
In addition to What the gentleman from Marion
has said, would remark that many counties
are altogether left out Of tho report, and no
provision is made for the manner in which Trey
arc TO be represented. According to that re-
port. as il now stands, they cannct be repre-