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
_Resolved_, That the Governor of this State forthwith
communicate the foregoing resolution to the President of the
United States, with the request that he immediately place
the same before Congress and the Executives of the several
States, with a request that they lay them before their
respective Legislatures.
_Resolved_, If the Convention be called in accordance with
the provisions of the foregoing resolutions, the Legislature
of the Commonwealth of Kentucky suggest for the
consideration of that Convention, as a basis for settling
existing difficulties, the adoption, by way of amendments to
the Constitution, of the resolutions offered in the Senate
of the United States by the Hon. JOHN J. CRITTENDEN.
DAVID MERIWETHER,
_Speaker of the House of Representatives._
THOMAS P. PORTER,
_Speaker of the Senate._
Approved January 25, 1861.
B. MAGOFFIN.
By the Governor:
THOMAS B. MONROE, JR.,
_Secretary of State._
Mr. BALDWIN continued:--Now, what are we asked to do by the majority
of the committee? It is not to unite with Kentucky or to accede to her
wishes for a convention of the States, under the Constitution, but to
thwart the wishes of Kentucky, and to induce Congress itself to
originate and propose amendments, or to propose those which we may
originate. Kentucky asks that the people of the States themselves
might elect delegates to a convention, who should carefully consider
the whole subject. The Kentucky resolutions were transmitted to the
President, who sent them to Congress, as he said, with great pleasure.
Kentucky stated that she was in favor of the so-called Crittenden
resolutions, but she did not request Congress to propose them as
amendments to the Constitution.
How is this body constituted? Do we, its members, represent the people
of the several States? Have they had an opportunity to elect
delegates, to select those in whom they had confidence and whom they
could trust? Not at all. Why should we assemble here and express our
wishes to Congress in reference to the Constitution without permitting
California, Oregon, or many other States not here represented, to
unite in our deliberations? I cannot assent to such an unfair
proceeding toward other States.
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