The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-12-15

ther contended that the Legislature was moi
the Conservative party Of the State; that
this question had been up often before. and
the Conservatives had always taken in the
Independents-as they are called. Now,
when the majority had become so. large as
to be cumbersome, it was proposed to ex-
clude gentlemen who represented thirty or
forty thousand Conservatives. He for one
4 would not submit t0ie BE had come here
! simply as spectator, and he thanked the
4 gentlemen for the attention given him. .,
+ Mr.. Fiekienimade lengthy speech, in
which iheSlairned that this whole matter bad
been setfledb by the action OF the House eau.
leus.Ga iyiGf,GI It@Y II" :"G=f@. III ,@
1sTMr. Lady said there was no Radical party
3jwortt speaking of IL! Rockbridge; that the
| contest there wns not between Radicals and
Conservatives, but between Conservatives
divided on the debt question.
= t PARTY ORGANIZATION. -
| Mr.. Wallace said that II Mr.. Lady an
swered the roll-calf he would, he thought,
be permitted to participate. He was sur
| prised to hear the question OF dollars and
cents thrust In here. 1t was not his pur-
pose to settle the public debt here. he
didn't desire to entrap any one. The great
question was whether we would maintain
VIC pdtIy SatIiZullOu Va hNG1 buu uC uOpCu
the matter Of dollars and cents would not
be again alluded to here. BE would recog-
nize any gentleman as in full fellowship
who would respond to the roll-call.
Mr.. Hiner offered the following,
Resolved, That the secretary of this con-
ference be directed TO procure the roll Of
each bracnh OF the General Assembly and at
once proceed to call the same, and determine
by the reponse given by each member who
Of these two bodies should be enrolled in
the ranks Of the Conservative party.
GREAT SPEECH. .t.. ..
Major J. w. Daniel believed that the call
had been signed with honest intent II
there was to be discrimination it,was not to
be personal, but a political discrimination.
In the late canvass the Conservative NOM
inees in his county were gentlemen who bad
no special claim upon. his personal sympa-
thies, while their opponents had. Hetook
the stump for the former. He was ready
to repeat that conduct here. Major Daniel
did not believe TINT the Conservative party
| was yet dead. He contended that those
who had put themselves against the nomi-
nees had done so knowingly and in viola
ton OF the party @precepts and in antago-
nism to the Conservative party. he re-
ferred to the former admission of the Inde-
pendents as an erEor-as a bad precedent
He stood here as a party man to consult with
brother Conservatives. This is not q cau-
Gus Of the House Of Delegates That eau
Gus could not dictate to the Senate. For
the first time the members Of the two houses
tonight meet in caucus. The action Of the
House was not a precedent for this body.
Mr.. Fulkerson had said that the people of
the Southwest had saved the Southside.
He might as well say that the Southside
saved the Southwest. The latter fought the
enemy at long range. The former met the
enemy, as Longstreet said Of the Confede-
rates at Gettysburg, face to face and belly
to belly. They had not heard the inspiring
voice OF their leader, and, without outside
help, had fought the fight through.
Major Daniels speech was in his very
best style. 1t was a grand and eloquent ap-
peal in behalf Of the party, and the tenor Of
it was we'll illustrated in quotation Of his
"that the brains OF party is very often in
its backbone" Major Daniel commanded
the profound attention Of the members and
of the crowd of spectators in the galleries
and aisles. ="
Mr.. Johnston OF Giles offered the follow
ing: ,.' g., -
Resolved, That the convention do now
adjourn, to meet in this hall Tuesday eve
ming next at u O'Clock, and that all Con-
servative mem bers Of the General Assem-
bly, be invited to be present and participate
in said meeting. .- IL. | ~.
ADJOURNMENT DISCUSSED. ...,., 4.
Mr.. Popham spoke in fayer Of the reso-
luton Of Mr.. Johnston, and trusted that the
meeting would not be carried away by the
clarion voice OF the gentleman from Lynch
burg. Never before had he known o CAUCUS
to be called by,a minority OF. the party.
He wanted, ample, exact and equal Justice
done to all as far as possible, and he thought
that the resolution Of Mr.. Johnston was the
proper one at this stage Of the proceedings.
Mr.. Johnston urged the adoption OF his
resolution. He argued that the gentlemen
who signed the call could not determine
who were entitled to enter the caucus. The
caucus might do it, but the signers OF the
call couldn't. The Conservative ,Conven-
ton invited the people in selecting their
representatives to make the issue on the
debt question and they had done SO, espe-
cialIy in the Southwest.
Major Daniel didn't suppose that the con-
ference was going to act on the public-debt
question. That was matter Of principle
which he (Maior DanieD would not consent
to submit to the caucus. -
Senator Bland moved that the rules OF the
House be adopted for the guidance of the
body. Agreed to. ! .rnst =
Mr.. McCaull urged that action as to who
belonged in the caucus should be deferred
until next Tuesday night. =s.a
The vote on the substitute of Mr.. John
ston resulted on a diyision-ayes, 80; noes,
Sc. ..-''. ...a 7 ,s'iJ$I z ...- ~. t
WHAT IS QUORUM. = "'@
Mr.. McCaull called the ayes and noes.
The call was not sustained.
Mr.. McCaulI made the point that sixty
six members were not quorum OF the
Conservative members. .G.tt 80.
The Chairman overruled the point on the
ground; that there had been no call OF the
House to ascertain the whole number OF
members constituting it,. 'hI >..sir5rr't
Mr.. Harrison claimed that seventy-one
was required for a quorum Of the Conser-
vative members. 49,
Mr.. Coghil said that this caucus had no
such rule. >' an, ~. ~,
Mr.. Harrison said that that was the rule
OF the House. ......--.-
Mr.. Coghil answered that Mr.. Harrison's
friends had ignored the rule in nominatin
Ia Speaker, and that the House rules could
not determine who belonged in 4 Conserva-
tive caucus. - .-..... ..... -.s
THE REAL QUESTION.
The substitute of h1r. Hiner was rejected.
The question then required upon Mr..
Bohannon's resolution.
On motion Of General Anderson it was
resolved that when the caucus adjourn il
adjourn to meet at the call OF the chairman.
The resolution of MIR. Bohannon was
adopted. >a7-
II IL