The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-23
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
"reminiscences of the Prominent Men Who
Composed 1t and Notable Incidents.

rotary, approved by several surviving members,
of the constitutional convention of 1850, for
meeting of all the survivors of that body, on the
first Monday of October next the thirty fifth
anniversary of TIE first meeting will hardly fail
to make one of the most interesting events in the
history of the State. And the interest will not
be confined to the participants by any means.
There are many of the younger generation who
know of that body and its work only as they
know Of the convention of 1916 or the assembly
that made the national Constitution. 1t is all
historical, or traditional to them, and to make it
sort of living event. by bringing its members
together again, will be such vivifying of history
as has not often occurred in any land, and is
not likely to occur again here To the members
themselves it will hardly be less prominent
and probably more interesting than the
first meeting. There are some, no
doubt, who have never met any
considerable number of their associates since,
and some, possibly, who have never seen any of
them. They may meet for the first time in
thirty five years on the first Monday in October.
Some may have removed and lived for genera
ton in remote settlements, and learned but
casually and rarely of the welfare of those
at home. Some may have become
so absorbed in business as to have little oppor-
tunlty to continue or renew the acquaintance of
the convention And, possby-though very
improbably-there may have been personal
enmties that have kept separate some who will
be glad Of the chance to forgive what is already
almost forgotten, in the first meeting after the
efacing power of thirty five years has done
its work. But most in their graves
One who attended the sessions of the conven-
ton very frequently, and knew every member
by sight, and wrote number of sketches of
them and their ways and works, after a close
examination of the roll in Fowers official re-
port, concludes that not so many as one fourth
are living 1t is a striking coincidence that
the president and secretary should both be
living after So long a time, when three
fourths Of their associates are gone.
1t may not be uninteresting to note here the
candidates for the Offices of the body, and the
leading steps in the organization. Charles II.
Test, but recently deceased. was Secretary of
State, and called the convention to order, at 10
o'clock, Monday, Oct. 7, 1850, in the hall of the
House of the old State house. No opening cere-
monies, no prayer, no forms of any kind
were observed further than calling the roll
when it appeared that all the delegates were
present except Jones, Of Bartholomew, Conduit
johnson, Taylor of LaPorte, Hovey Of Posey,
and Blythe of Nanderburg. The oath was
administered by Judge Isaac Blackford,
of the Supreme Court The Secretary of State
announcing q41sm present and ready for
to elect president by viva voce vote John
Petit, Of Tippecanoe proposed that George w.
Carr, of Lawrence be chosen president, which,
after some debate was Withdrawn,
and MIR, Owens proposition accepted.
The triggers had all been set" so
far as the chief officers were concerned, for
Mr. Petit said that the election Of Mr.. Carr
would be the same result in any case, as it was.
The viva voce vote showed 1874 votes for Mr..
Tho Tod INV lido nuIo Of
Allen, proving the exclusion Of party considera-
tons from the case. Six members all Wings,
voted blanks" Clark and Albert Cole both of
Hamilton, the latter brother-in-law OF the late
Ovid Butler, Hawkins, of Randolph, Helm, Of
Rush, Howe, of Lagrange, and Todd, Of Hen
bricks
For principal secretary there were eight nom
nations. VIM H. English, OF Scott; Scion Tur-
S. Buckles of Delaware: Francis King, of
Marion; Andrew j. Boone John W. Spencer and
Ben f. Myers. Mr. English was elected on the
third ballot, by vote of rs in AS pretty close
shave. thurman had 66. Sites, Buckles and Boone
were Withdrawn after the second ballot. Suisse
quently Robert NJ. Evans, of Fountain, was
elected an assistant by 1874 votes James B. Ray,
probably the old ex Governor, getting four votes.
Herman G. Barkweli, Of Perry, and George L.
Sites, of Allen, were the other assistants-one
elected by 1884, the other by 100 votes. Samuel
Mckenzie was appointed sergeantatarms, and
Samuel l. johnson door-keeper Of the body by
| resolution.
Thus the body was organized. There was
| hardly any manifestation OF party feeling
either in these preliminary proceedings, later
| in the proper work of the convention The
Wing party was on the Decline and soon reached
its fall. In this State it had been out of power
for seven years-long enough to accustom it to
the position Of second fiddle in the pOlit-
ical orchestra. The death of General Taylor
and the "fnality of the compromise measures"
left it nothing to do in 1850 but entertain its
fate and die with decency," and it did. It's great
leaders had passed out of active life into hostility
or indifference, and internal discussions were
helping it to die. The constitutional convention
met in just this crisis. The consequence was
that the Democracy did as it pleased. The only
measure in the debate on which any party spirit
was shown, was the proposition to admit aliens
to the right of suffrage upon the declaration
Of Intention to become citizens and a residence
of one year in the United States and six months
in the State. This was trick Of par ty truck
ling to the foreign vote, which was then and on
until after the war broke out. almost wholly
Democratic. The Wings generally opposed the
proposition, but made very little fuss about It.
The most suggestive active, industrious and
effective member of the body was, beyond CUES
ton, Robert Dale Owen, then Democrat, who
gress from the Pocket" and had
long been noted for liberality of opinion and
scholarly attachments. One of the best remem-
bered episodes of the convention was the arraign-
ment of his marriage, in the debate on one of
his propositions touching woman's rights,
cause in which he had been leader since his
boyhood, when, with Fanny Wright, he had
edited a paper making speciality of it.
Rev. o. p. Badger, Of Putnam a Chris
tian Tor Campbellite) preacher, still living and
preaching had found somewhere copy of the
marriage contract which he proposed to read,
and not being allowed by the rules, he repeated
it from memory and it will be found there re-
corded i'll the official report There is little in it
that has not been made familiar by the preva-
lent agnosticism, and nothing that would offend
the general sense as it did thirty-ive years
ago
A personal collision between Alvin p Hovey,
then very young man. and Phineas NJ Kent,
of Floyd, now of White or Jasper, was another
marked deviation from the humdrum of ordinary
proceedings A third, of better beseeming
quality, was the speech of John B. Niles, of
LaPorte, on the exemption of homesteads from