Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-12-06

move to recommit the remaining portion Of tht
article.
The PEEs,pEsr.-ThcC Chair is Of opinion tia
! it would be 10 order.
| Mr.. YoUSa-I would suggest that we vote
upon the lst clause Of the ID section, leaving
out tho words zone hundred and fifty.
members. move TO leave the number blank
Mr. HALL, of Nrlzel.-1 would suggest &c
the Convention wha. seems TO be in confOrni
ty with the purpose oi the body, IN regard tc
the question CT Tie ,liminuticn Of the humber
| OF elections, that ttu word "bicnnia'ly" may
be substituted ior the word annually" in the
| 81 line OF this secoDd section. ! an In favor Of
annual sessions Of tue Legislature, hut i:
strikes me that the better course would be tc
| hold the elections bcnnlally.
was struck with the force OF the renicl Ks
| made BY the gentleman from CuIpepcr (Mr.
BAREorgj and Intend, as far az can, to con
form my action to The principle which be
enunciaed While am in favor Of allowing
every man 10 vote, without imposing any fur
ther restrictions thar now exist, | am equally
in favor OF dimir;s'iaS his evil OF frequent
! elections, and establishing .his government
upon true representative principles. ] would
prefer to have man elected to the Legislature
| for i've or ten years, rather than two years.
There is no necessity for these annual cleo
Lions, which tend only to Inconvenience anc
expense without producing any better result:
50 fer as the efficiency Of cur representatives
may be concerned. An interval Of t~o year:
| might well elapse before the representative is
called upon TO give al account OF bis steward
ship.
Tho PREslDENT.-The gentleman can attain
bis object after we dispose OF the amendmcn
Of the gentleman from Pulaski
Mr.. SrUART-I would state for the inlorna
tion OF gentlemen that it was the purpose O
| the committee to have complete Constitution
| TO De reported and voted upon es competing
| proposition with the old Constitution. Hence
we embodied in the report Of the committee al
! those provisions in the old Constitution which
we did not intend to interfere with The gen
tleman will attain his object exactly BY sup
porting the report OF the committee. If the
proposition of the gentleman from Pulaski pre-
walls We will have mutiated Constitution tc
submit, and will haze TO make the Constitu-
ton refer to the old one, and ultimately to e1-
sting laws scattered through the law-books o.
the land
hope the gentleman will withdraw his pro-
position for he will hnd that it is substantially
| incorporated n the Constitution.
Mr.. WYsoR.-I submitted my amendment
because, in my judgment, that apportionmcnl
ought not to be in the present Constitution
| I do not believe it has any business there.
The gentleman says that he wants Con
stituton complete in itself say, sir, it will
be complete in itself without this detail OF ap'
portionmcnt That apportionment is by the
very terms Of the Constitution itself, and by
the terms Of this amendment, made to be ten.
porurY. II is not to be permanent part OF o
| perfect Constitution, because in the very next
article you provide that the Legislature shall
| overturn this superintendent that they shall
not only overturn It in detail but thst they
shall establish the principle upon which the
| apportonment is to be made.
Then, sir maintain that it is the object ot
4 Constitution, and the only object Of Con,
stitution, to declare the principles upon which
the government shall be founded, and to i'm.
pose restrictions upon its powers. When ycu
have done that, you have made q perfec. Con
stitution. When you depart from that you
are entering upon The discharge Of legislative
functions that belong only TO legislative body
acting under toe Constitution.
Mr. pmcE-Will the gentleman permit me
10 ask hin question
lwould like 10 know now he would first
organize the General Assembly unless the
counties are named in the Constitution
Mr.. WysoR-We have nothing in the Horld
20 do but 70 propose that the government
should 60 on as has been prc7ided by law Until
the General Assembly created by the Constl-
lution should make en superintendent
considered, in the Convention Of 1851, Ct
which body was mem Der, this annortiontment
altogether unnecessary and out Of place. We
accom- pished then what we propose TO accom-
plish now. Let this matter Of eapportionment 90
the Legislature where it properly be;o,gs.
While uD, will answer the views of the
gentleman on my right, (Mr. BYRSE) lie
complains of the hardship that come Of the
Western counties should be subjected to delay
in the pportionment.
We know that appnrtioEnent had not been
provided for by the Constitution Of 1851, until
1865, and would ask, is it any hardship that
we shall hold him to the terms Of the Consti'
tuition of waiting unit! that period when the
General Assembly will redress any grievance
of which these counties had cause to complain.
Any proposition to go into an apportioRmen;
now 10 redress these grievances seems to me
to be monstrous ono. Why the gentleman
himself is representing perhaps dozen rcfu
gees.
Mr. ByRSE.-No, sir.
Mr.. WTsoR.-He tells US be represents . sec
votes; but then, sir, he cannot reach his con.
stituency and ascertain what their grievances
arc. They are under the control Of the enemy.
and we are now fersooth, to undertake to look
to this territory, and TO the relations OF new
counties to them, and to 90 into general ap
po,tionment Of the representation ofthis State,
when we are in q condition not to DO able to
reach or receive information from the portion
Of the country where these complaints come.
think that my amendment will relieve this
body Of the whole question Of contest over
the re-apportionment Of representation, and
trust it will be the pleasure Of the Convention
to adopt it.
The question was then taken on the amend
ment, and it was adopted-ayes 81, noes 46.
Mr.. PRIcg.-I did not desire to make 9
point OF order when that amendment was
submitted; but it seems to MT ;!at we ought
first TO act upon the changes pr"posed by the
committee. DO not desire roT 10 inquire
into the regularity Of that point; but would
suggest now the propriety OF going on first
with the notifications rec E::ncaded by the
committee, and then any new propositions that
may be presented may lie ac.cd on.
The question now recurred upon the adop'
ton OF the clause as amended.
Mr. HALL, OF Wetzel-1 now move to strike
out the word annually" III the third limo OF
this clause, and insert tie w"rd "bienninlly,
SO that the clause will read:
Zone of these shall be called the House oi
Delegates, and shall consist OF one hundred and
fhy-two members, to be chosen biennially."
N1r. TURxER-I understood the gentleman
from Henrico (Mr. YoUSe,) 10 have offered an
amendment to the amendment Of the gentle
man from Pulaski.
Mr.. YouSG.-I offered an amendment bu!
did net press it Ay object was to get vote
upon the question whether there shall be an
nual or biennial sessions Of the Legislature
u