The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-03-12

DOr SHALL NC uuTlnS uls tern vi eeIfICe
or within one year thereafter be eligible
10 any other office"
To-day the following additional sec.
ton referring to all county officers, but,
in-Dost OF the counties, affecting the
Sheriff more than any other officer
provided for, was offered by Mr.. Pen
dleton, Of Brooke.
"The Legislature may provide by
general law for fixing the compensation
of all county officers who shall be paid
in whole or in part by fees, in counties
having a population Of over ten thou
sand, and requiring that all lees and
allowances received by such officers
shall be paid into the county treasury,
provided that the compensation shall
in no case exceed the fees of the office.
This amendment was supported by
Mr.. Pendleton and Mr. Davenport in
veiy forcible speeches, urging the pro-
position az a measure of economy to
the people Of the several counties Of
the State and showing the evils that
spring from the present system. Par
tcular reference was made to Onio
county and a strong point was pressed
by alIuding to the low rate Of salaries
adopted for the chief executive officers
of the State, in comparison with the
fees ard allowances enjoyed by many Of
the Sheriffs aud other county officers.
The Convention would doubtless reject
at once a specific proposition to give
any officer in the State an annual salary
OF ten thousand dollars year, but the
present system OF fees and allowances
permits the Sberitfs Of several counties
in the State 10 enjoy an income equal
ing or exceeding that sum.
The amendment was opposed by
Colonel Hoge, of Berkeley, and after
the adoption OF a stragetie amendment,
offered by Mr.. Raymond, of Marion,
was voted down, thus leaving the
matter in the shape it already has under
the present Constitution and laws.
Some Of the friends of Mr.. Pendleton 8
amendment were inclined TO attribute
their defeat TO a superstition that among
the seventy.eight members Of the Con-
venlion there are perhaps forty who
hug the sweet hope that at some time
they may be Sherf's Of their respective
counties-but such a supposition does
not give due weight to Colonel Hoge's
argument, which was really the best
and most plausible that could have been
made in support of so weak cause.
While considering in Convention
this afternoon the report Of the Com
mittee OF the Whole 10 relation to the
legislative department, nearly all OF
the amendments and alterations made
by the committee in the article under
review were agreed 10. The most i'm
portant change was the striking OF
Prosecuting Attorney from the list Of
officers who were made Ineligible to
seats in the Legislature, and these
gentlemen may now, if they get enough
votes for that purpose, enjoy the honors
and emoluments of both positions at
the same time. An effort was made to
reimpose upon ministers Of the gospel
the disability under which they were
placed by the original report of the
Committee on Legislative Department,
and from which they were relieved by
Committee Of the Whole, but it failed
in the Convention by about the same
vote as that which had made the
change before. The yeas and nays
were recorded and thirty-eight voted
or admitting clergymen to the Legisla-
lature 1.-THE people choose to elect them,
while twenty five didn't want any
preachers in theirn.
The routine OF work IN the Conven-
ton will he about this: The various re-
ports OF the Committee Of the Whole
will be examined and the amendments
made in that committee a-reed to or
non-concurred in. The article will
then be read by sections the second
time, and afterwards given third read
ing after the manner OF legislative bills,
when it will be referred to "revision
for verbal adjustment and
then finally passed by the Convention.
At any stage prior to its reference TO the
revsory committee it may be amended
and ence none Of the reports yet
printed can he regarded as containing
the exact provisions that may ultimate
" receive the sanction Of the Conven-
ton. The advocates Of any pet theory
or the opponents of any particular idea
do not despair because an adverse ex-
preston has already been had, but are
watching and waiting, lying
in the ambush OF apparent but unreal
discontinue, ready at any time to renew
their former effort when the omens
seem more propitious. Every member
of the Convention is thus kept continu-
ally on the alert, and no one who has
been absent two hours can positively
assert what any particular provision OF
the new Constitution will be.
The Convention is really an indus
trious, careful and conscientious body
OF men. They are working hard and
are putting forth an amount Of honest
labor that is scarce " understood or ap.
precia,ed by the people OF tie State,
but for which they are entitled to much
credit. OF course, among seventy
eight men assembled in a body Of this
kind there are some drones, some who
are in fact Of no earthly account, Of no
credit to themselves or their consttu-
ents, but these are very few indeed COM
pared with the really useful and active
of the Convention, and it
wonld be scarcely possible for
the people of the State, even
after dozen trials, to pick
out a better qualified set Of citizens
to make new Constitution than those
now assembled in Charleston. II the
new Constitution does not meet the
wishes of the people it cannot justly be
laid to the blame Of the members of
the Convention, for they have bronght
to their work an earnes,ness, industry,
hnpasty onI ahili,v that uill not ba