The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-11


his people during the war, and made q
stronc appeal in behalf of the bill.
Mr.. BRaxroN moved that the bill! be dis
missed: which motion was rejected-ayes,
%; noes, 50. &C
the bill, It was reiected-ayes, rs; noes' d.
THE CONVENTION BILL.
The Committee of Resolutions, oy .nen
chairman, Mr.. WILSON, made arepoft upon
the subject Of the convention :"
the Constitution, as follows;
| ur,o Committee on Resolutions, to
referred the Senate bill to pro-
"a cor clecting members Of q convention,
nS 20 convene the same, having maturely
considered said bill and other propositions
submitted to them, report the said bill to
| the House with recommendation that it
do not pass, and as substitute for SAID
bill, and to effect in more appropriate
manner the chief object Of the same, they
submit to the House the joint resolution
accompanying this report, with a recon-
mendation that, after being printed LOT Tue
nse of the House, il be adopted, ana SEM
20 tho Senate for their concurrence. ;,
| mDANIEL A. WILSON, Chairman.
Tho Joint resolution alluded to IN TINS
communication is as follows:
wbereas the Thirty-ninth Congress Q,
10 Irnited States at its late session paSseu
ON act designed, among other OBJECTS, ~
alter materially the qualification OF 'o,ers
cd of nersops heretofore eliglDie 10 oi'ice
in this State under the State Oons!i.u'ioh,
which act was vetoed by the Presldeht Oh
Tho United States, and subsequently passed
over his veto by the requisite constltu-
t;onal majority, and it is anticipated that
the President will deem it to be his duty
TO enforce said act unless it may be pro-
nounced unconstitutional and void by the
Supreme Court ofthe United States) and
whereas there is great reason to appre-
bend that confusion, disorder, and perhaps
even bloodshed, may occur at the time of
holding elections unless the people and the
officers conducting such elections are dis
tinctly informed whether the same are to
be conducted under and according to the
provisions of the State Constitution, or
under and according to the provisions OF
said act of Congress, which information 1t
is the duty Of the Legislature to give; and
whereas the said act of Congress contains
also a distinct invitation that convention
should be called to frame constitution for
this State as a measure to lead ultimately
to the recognition by Congress of this
State as a legal State of the United States,
and the admission of its senator's and repre-
sentatives to membership in the Congress
of the United States, and by established
usage, based on grounds Of eXpediency
amounting almost to necessity, the Legis-
lature of this State has always exercised
the function of calling conventions by APP
pointing the time and place at which cleo
tons to them are to be held, and the Off
GERS to conduct the same therefore be II
resolved by the General Assembly,
/. That under the circumstances set
forth in the above preamble, an overriding
necessity requires the people Of this State
to submit to have the elections to offices
coming within the purview of said act OF
Congress, and to any convention called IN
pursuance of the invitation above referred
to, conducted in strict conformity with the
provisions of said act, unless the same be
pronounced unconstitutional and void by a
decision of the Supreme Court Of the Uni
ted States.
2. That in the opinion Of the General
Assembly it is expedent, under existing
circumstances, that a convention should be
assembled in pursuance of the invitation
above mentioned, and that it is the appro-
pirate function of the General Assembly
to take the usual initiative steps to con-
vene such convention, and for this purpose
the officers conducting the elections lor
State Offices on the fourth Thursday IN
Nav are hereby directed to open pohs LOT
the election of members to state con-
yention, at which every one entitled 10
vote for State officers shall be entitled to
vote for members of the convention.
2. The officers conducting the aforesaid
elections shall cause the names of all re-
iected voters to be entered on the back OF
| the poll-bookS, with a statement OF the
causes of rejection, and when vote is
challenged and accepted, the cause of said
challenge shall also be stated on the poll
books. :,
4. The elections for members of the
convention shall be held on the fourth
Thursday in May, 1867, and polls snail DC
opened at all the election precincts now
allowed by law, and the poll-DooRs snail
be returned and certificates Oh elecvloI
given in the time and manner prescripeu
for the election Of members OF the uene
raj Assembly of Virginia, except thaI ,ns
certificates Of election shall DC ior"afoeu
TO the Governor. ;, - :, =
The convention shall consist OF the
same number Of members as the present
House of Delegates of the General AS
sambly. and the several counties, cities,
md election districts shall be entitled to
the same number Of delegates to which
thew are entitled in the present House OF
delegates. The pay of the members OF
said convention shall be six dollars per
day during the session Of the convention,
| and twenty cents per mile for all necessary
travel in going to and returning from the
same.
| G. ANY person may be elected member
of the convention who at the time Of the
election has attained the age Of twenty
one wears and is citizen of the Common
wealth qualified to vote for members of
the convention.
7. The said election shall in all respects
be conducted in the mode prescribed by
law, and the officers conducting the same
shall be vested with the powers and per-
form the duties, and receive the same COM
peGsation, and be liable to the penalties
prescribed by law for general elections,
except as herein provided.
8. The members of the Convention
herein authorized shall assemble at the
capitol in the city of Richmond on the
- day Of, 1867, and proceed to or
ganize and form a State Constitution.
.. In the case of contested elections,
proceedings shall be had in all respects, as
provided for By existing laws in regard TO
contested elections in the House OF Dele