A Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Secret Sessions of the Conference Convention: For Proposing Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, Held at Washington, D.C., in February, A.D. 1861Chittenden, L. E. (Lucius Eugene)
History
A Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Secret Sessions of the Conference Convention: For Proposing Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, Held at Washington, D.C., in February, A.D. 1861
Chittenden, L. E. (Lucius Eugene)
Conference Convention (1861 : Washington, D.C.); United States -- Politics and government -- 1857-1861
Mr. WICKLIFFE:--I move that the Secretary be authorized to employ one
or more assistants. I am advised that the Secretary cannot perform his
duties without assistance, and I see no objection to giving him this
authority.
The motion of Mr. WICKLIFFE was agreed to.
Mr. WICKLIFFE:--I now desire to call up the remaining portion of the
report of the Committee on Rules and Organization, and to move its
adoption at the present time. These Rules are substantially the same
as those which were adopted by the convention which proposed our
present Constitution. The rule which we have reported securing
secrecy, so far as our proceedings are concerned, has been made the
subject of much discussion in the committee; and it was at first
thought best to recommend a modification of it. But upon reflection
and consideration, and in view of the fact that, while the rule
reported requires that secrecy should be preserved in regard to all
that is said or done in this Conference, it does not prevent any
member from expressing his own hopes or predictions upon the final
result of our deliberations, we have thought best to let it remain as
it is.
Mr. SEDDON:--I desire to offer an amendment to this portion of the
report of the committee, which I will read for the information of the
Conference. It is as follows:
"_Resolved_, That no part of the Journal be published
without the order or leave of the Conference, and that no
copies of the whole or any part be furnished or allowed,
except to members, who shall be privileged to communicate
the same to the authorities or deliberative assemblies of
their respective States, when deemed judicious or
appropriate, under their instructions, and that nothing
spoken in the House be printed or otherwise published; but
private communications respecting the proceedings and
debates, while recommended to be with caution and reserve,
are allowed at the discretion of each member."
It may be thought, that in offering this resolution, I am seeking a
different end from the one I proposed yesterday, when I advocated the
proposition of excluding reporters from our sessions, and insisted
that our proceedings should be at all times under the seal of secrecy.
Such, however, is not my purpose. But some discretion must be allowed
us, in order that we may conform to and carry out the spirit of the
resolutions under which we respectively act. This is especially true
in relation to myself and my colleagues. The resolutions under which
we are acting, require that we should from time to time communicate to
the legislature of Virginia the proceedings of this body, and to
express our own opinions of the prospect which may exist of the
settlement of existing difficulties. The Commissioners from Virginia
would be placed in a delicate, not to say an awkward position, by the
adoption of a rule here which would absolutely prohibit such
communications. I hope my amendment may be adopted.
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