Year: 1861

cato on the second luesuay III o"ue' We
orIS onnend portions of the debate upon the
upp 'ipqo.ure. to show the positions OF members;


A.. Smith. of Tulare, said this was pro-


:.;,o easily understood. The object was
l'o"noLle The congressman elect to leave here
10 ,ha steamer of the lth of June, in order
w on raocb Washington at the commencement
% VC the session. 1t was probable that the most
.ortant Acts of the session, those bearing
irnp ast directly upon the -perpetuity OF our
moyernment, Iroy would pass during the first ten
efteen DAYS, and California would not be
o.lrescnted y. in that time unless the election
I.p as brought on at very early day. Cen
T"Toen might talk about the people under
stondinc the issue, but there was only one
s'in;u issue before the people OF this nation
al,bough it was true there were two side' TO
aI'no" 's,,e On one side would be found all
chose in favor Of sustaining the Government
lno;o D;ost those who would destroy it, and on
,E~ other all who would sustain those who
Wv warning against the Government. He
s"as ". in favor of sustaining the Government 10y
ali constitutional means and all the force lett
in 5nr Government; and he believed the peo-
ME of California were as well prepared to act
rnon that issue to-day as they would be
months hence. lie believed they could go
into an election more coolly and dispassion-
ately next month than they could a month
or six weeks later The freemen of Califor-
ria did not want time to deliberate upon
onestion like this of upholding our Govern
ment-a question which appealed to every
natriots heart He would not hesitate to say
Of his own constituents, that they were pre-
nnred to act upon 1t at once. An itinerant
lecturer, stranger in his county, had taken
Il mon himself to say that n large propor-
tion of the people were Secessionists and as
TINT statement had been published he would
take this opportunity of denying it, and did
not hesitate to say that the election would
show that four-ffths of his people are in fa-
yor of sustaining the Government lie gave
tbe lie TO this slander here on the floor and
claimed to know his constituents better than
any stranger who undertook to msrepresent
them in lecture room. Tulare would show
a record at the election Of which the State
would be proud.


[Mr. Gregory in the chair.


Mr. Showalter said he was not surprised or
astonished at the course taken by the gentle
man from Ell Dorado and those who co opera
ted with him in this movement, to bring on
an election twenty days from this time, nor
would he have been if the amendment offered
had been to 60 into an election next Tuesday
or Wednesday. The people would be about
as well prepared then as twenty days hence.
How would the people Of distant counties
even learn that an election was to be held at
the time specified 1t was an attempt to
iorestall their action in such n way as to
leave the people of the popuous counties of
Sacramento and San Francisco, and few
others in the vicinity of the Capital to choose
the members of Congress The bill could not
1 Il 4 Il n
signature early enough to give five days
time before holding the election. Where
would his own county stand The gentle
man front Tulare boasted that his people
were true to the Union, but under this bill
hc would disfrauchise them.


Mr. Smith of Tuare said he denied it.


Mr.. Showalter said that would be the effect
Of the bill. lie protested against the mea-
sure as unprecedented and uncaled for, and
outrageous. More time than this would be
allowed for a simple county or township
election. The bill proposed to disfranchise
one-haN Of the people of this State in favor
Of those entertaining peculiar political views
who resided in the Vicinity of the Capital.
His people demanded the right of having an
equal voice in this election If this bil was
referred to Select Committee, they could
no. report to-day.


Mr.. Conness said that was mistake.


Mr. Showater said lie held that they
could not.


Mr. Connesa said that they would see about
shat


Mr. Showalter said after the bill should
have passed the House, the Senate would
probably consider it not less than five days
and the Governor would be likely to want
as much longer to consider it before giving it
his approval There would then be only ten
days left between the issuance of the Gov
ernor's proclamation and the election, and in
that time the people of this great State were
to prepare to meet at the polls to select their
representatives, in Congress for the next two
years 1t was thing uuheard of in free
country, and he looked upon it as an outrage.
His people would demand to be heard upon
that question, as well as those of San Fran
cisco and Sacramento, and be trusted there
was too much honesty in this body to perpe-
trate such lasting wrong as this bill would
entail. Let gentlemen consider the conse
quences. They might 60 too far, and take
step which it would be impossible to retrace.


llr. Avery said he had been rejecting upon
tins matter since it was introduced. and was
now satisfied to vote TO recommit the bill for
the purpose of this amendment, and let the
discussion come up when the bill should be
reported back He had 10 doubt that some
gentlemen here would prefer TO have no
election at all, but vast ma jority of the
people of California were in favor of the
Union aud the laws, and heartily indorsed
the sentiments Just expressed by the gentle
man from Tulare.


Mr.. Conness amended his motion by adding
that the Committee be instructed to report
back Immediately.


Mr.. Smith. of Tulare, said his county was
only three days distant from the Capital and
rs he believed the Senate woule act upon the
Lill promptly, he had no doubt there would
be time enough If more time should be re-
guired, the Senate would amend the BILL and
he had too mach confidence in the loyalty
and integrity of the Governor to doubt for a
moment that he would give the bill immedi-
ate consideration so that in two days from
this time the bill might become a law.


Mr. Showalter inquired if there were no
settlements in Tulare where the people were
alot in the habit of receiving their newspa-
pers when they were ten or fifteen days old.


Mr. Smith replied that there was no point
which the mail by the usual conveyance
would not reach in five days, and he blieved
Manposa county was only two days distant
from this city.


Mr. Buell. opposed the motion to amend.
At was evident to him that it would be i'm
possible for the Governors proclamation to
reach his section in time to give notice to the
county lie was in favor, however. of bring
'ng on the election at as early day as pos
e'oie and would vote for the bill as first in
''TwIuced, to elect on the llth of June.


MY Conness said this amendment would
IT'u'piy indicate to the Senate that the third
1utsIHY Nav l,o Ia, I.,