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 — John Shaqi
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)
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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. TUCK:--Would not the purpose of the gentleman from Virginia be
answered by giving any delegation leave to communicate any action
actually taken by the Conference, with their own opinions as to the
probable result of our deliberations?
Mr. SEDDON:--Those opinions would possess no value, unless the facts
and circumstances are communicated upon which they are founded. It is
very clear to me, that the best course will be to entrust to the
discretion of each member the privilege of making these
communications, trusting that he will not abuse the confidence thus
given.
Mr. WICKLIFFE:--I hope we have all come here with an earnest desire to
harmonize our conflicting opinions, and to unite upon some plan which
will settle our troubles and save the union of the States. The South
has spoken of the North in very severe terms, and the North has not
been slow in returning the compliment. If we come finally, to any
definite result satisfactory to either side, it must be by mutual
concessions, by confessing our sins to each other, and endeavoring to
live harmoniously together in future. In my judgment, secrecy is
absolutely indispensable to successful action here. I do not wish to
be precluded from abandoning a position to-morrow, if I see cause for
it, which I have taken to-day. If the proceedings, and especially the
debates of this Conference, are made public from day to day, they will
go into the newspapers and be made the subject of comment, favorable
or otherwise. The necessary result will be, that when a member is
understood to have committed himself to a particular proposition, or
any special course of policy, that pride of opinion, which we all
possess, will render any change of policy on his part difficult, if
not impossible. I should sincerely regret the adoption of the
resolution of the gentleman from Virginia.
Mr. RANDOLPH:--I move that the portion of the committee's report under
consideration, together with the resolution of Mr. SEDDON, be
recommitted to the Committee on Rules and Organization.
The motion of Mr. RANDOLPH was agreed to.
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