Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-02-15
THE CONVENTION.
Night Session.
Feb. 10th, 1868.

After calling the roii, MI. Droohs moved the suspension of the rules to allow the committee on sbc oonsfitn- tioA, its arrangement and phrsseciogy.l to report Agreed to.
 MT. Hodges, ct Pulaski chairman of the committee, then submitted draft of the entire constitution, which was read, occupying three hours ia reading. Mir. Mallory.-Mr. President, move you, sir, that the constitution, it's sched- ue and ordinance be now adopted as 2. whole and without division; provisled. that any member may explain his vote on any point or points aud have such explanation entered on the journal; provided that no member shall occupy more than five minutes in such expla- nation, except by. consent ofthe house. IT move the previous question.
 Mir. Cvpert made the point of order that the resolution was out of order in that it conflicted with a previous reso- lution that every ordinance shall be read three times and the ayes and noes taken on it's passage.
 l The president overruled the point and directed the call of the roll to be proceeded with.
 MT. Cypert moved call ofthe house. ! When the call had been half finished, Mir. Montgomery moved that other proceedings under the call be dispens- ed with. Agreed to, ayes 43, noes ?. MT. Hinkle moved to adjourn.
 Mir, Can't called for the ayes and 1 noes.
 The president decided the motion to aJljourn out of order. Mir. Can't ap- pealed from the decision of the presi- l dent, and called for the ayes and noes. The decision of the president was sus- 1 tained ayes 46 noes l9.
 The call of the roll was proceeded with and the main question ordered by
 the following vote:
 1 Aycs.-iMcssrs. Beldin, Bell, Brash- ears, Brooks, Coates, Dale, Evans, Ex- on, Gray, of Jefferson, Gray, (negro) of Phillips Harrison, Hatfield, Hawkins, | (nerro,) Kinds, Hodges, of Pulaski 1; Houghton, Hutchinson, Johnson, tne- gro Kyle, Langley, Mallory, Mason, 1pegro, ! Misner, Millsaps, Montgome- ", Murphy (negro). McCown, Mcclure, l Nliver, Poole, Portis, Priddy, Kawl-
 ings, Rector (iegro), Sams, Samuels (nerrol. Sarber, Scott, Sims, Smith, | snyder. White (negro), Williams, Wy att, and Mir. President--45. 1 Noes.-Adams, Beasley, Bradley, :. .Corbell, Cypert, Duvalb Can't, Hicks, fUmkle, Uoge, Matthews. Moore, Nor man, Puntney, Reynolds, Townsville,
 Shoppach, Van Hook, Walker, Wilson
 and Wright-l.
 Mir. Can't moved to adjourn. The president declared it out of order, but
 said he thought a motion for recess was in order. MT. Can't moved a re- cess until 8 O clock tomorrow morn ing. The president said Ire was inclin- ed to believe all motions out of order
 until the main question was put. Mr.
 Can't then called for the reading of
 the constitution. The president ruled
 it o,lt of order to call for the reading
 of any paper before the vote was had.
 On motion of Mr. Hinds unanimous
 consent was given for debate.
 MT. Matthews then read . speech in opposition to the article relating to the
 elective franchise, taking the ground
 that it disfranchised such persons as
 the reconstruction acts did not contem- plate disfranchising. The people would
 be sure to vote down Q constitution which while it enfranchised negroes,
 disfranchised white meu for participa- ting in the rebellion.
 Mir. Norman read speech to show
 that the whole purpose of the recon I struction acts was to perpetuate the
 radical party and that the negro was
 merely enfranchised to elevate certain
 men to office. The policy of the radi-
 cal party was like that ofthe quack
 doctor, who always threw his patients T into fits because he was h--ll on fits Thad. Stevens Set omne i'd genus" were throwing the country into confusion I .lx. nuII fhot h. on reconstruction. The speaker in
 weighed severely against the proscrip- tive clause of the constitution. ? Murphy, (negro,) had not intended
 to have anything to say, but it was too much for his feelings to hear his colol called goat. Gentl'em were flingine
 fire brand at them, who had been en. riched by their sweat and labor, and were boast'en oftheir greatintelligence The gentle'em had looked for to se( where negroes had been allowed to vote, but they said they couldn't find , it. If they would search the supreme z law of God. they would find that his race had not only right to liberty but to all the privileges of American citizens. If people had faced the iron
 hail of battle in defense of the govern.
 ment, and now after the war is over
 those whom they have raised, whose
 shoes they have tied, and whose carri ages they have driven, tell them that : they have no privileges and call then a. goat.
 Nr. Moore did not think it was saft
 to disfranchisc the intelligence of tho
 state. The proposed constitution dis franchised persons without trial fol , crime. The speaker characterized the . constitution as an insult to honesty and to the rights of his people !; it's pro-
 duction was an evidence of want oi moral integrity on the part of it's fra : mers. Hell could not furnish moro abominablc combination than the mon. grel convention in which he was sorry 2 he had ever been admitted to scat. Mr. Hodges read the certificate oi Mir. Moore showing that he had certi. , fled to 40 miles being the distance from
 his home by the nearest route furnish
 ing public transportation. The men,
 Der proceeded to explain briefly the
 articles on franchise and apportion- ment.
 Mir. Kyle moved a recess and after
 wards withdrew his motion. Mir.
 Moore proceeded to say by way of a
 personal explanation, that he could
 substantiate by Mason, the member from Chicot, that his statement of the
 distance was correct, and he supposed the member who employed his time in
 whipping negroes to death in the peni- tentiary would believe such testimony.
 Mr. Montgomery moved recess un-
 til 9ls o'clock. Mir. McCown favored the recess and wanted to speak to the
 question, saying he wanted time to read the constitution before he voted on it.
 Mir. Can't insisted that the gentle
 man was out of order, but MT. Me- l Gown insisted on beino heard and said