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
The PRESIDENT then put the motion upon printing the address, and it
was carried upon a division.
Mr. GUTHRIE offered the following resolution, which was adopted
unanimously:
_Resolved_, That if the President shall choose to speak on
any question, he may, for the occasion, call any member to
preside.
Mr. MEREDITH:--I wish to offer a proposition, and hope for the present
it may lie on the table, and be considered hereafter. I do not desire
to move it as an amendment to the report of the committee, but think
it better to present it as a direct and independent proposition. I
present it now only for the purpose of having it before the
Convention. It is as follows:
ARTICLE.--That Congress shall divide all the territory of
the United States into convenient portions, each containing
not less than sixty thousand square miles, and shall
establish in each a territorial government; the several
territorial legislatures, whether heretofore constituted, or
hereafter to be constituted, shall have all the legislative
powers now vested in the respective States of this Union;
and whenever any territory having a population sufficient,
according to the ratio existing at the time, to entitle it
to one member of Congress, shall form a republican
constitution, and apply to Congress for admission as a
State, Congress shall admit the same as a State accordingly.
The proposition of Mr. MEREDITH was laid on the table without
objection.
Mr. WICKLIFFE:--There appears to be a misunderstanding between the
Secretary and myself upon the question of printing the Journal. To
avoid question, I move that the Journal be printed up to and including
to-day.
Mr. GOODRICH:--I move to amend by adding "and from day to day during
the session."
The amendment and the motion were adopted without objection.
Mr. ALEXANDER, of New Jersey, took the chair.
The PRESIDENT:--The Convention will now proceed to the order of the
day--the consideration of the report of the committee.
Mr. REID, of North Carolina:--I wish to move an amendment to the
amendment offered by Mr. JOHNSON. It is to add to his the words "and
future." If adopted, the language will be "present and future
territory."
Mr. EWING:--This will render a division of the question necessary. The
gentleman had better withdraw his amendment for the time.
Mr. REID:--I am instructed by the Legislature of North Carolina to
offer it, and I think best to do so in this regular manner.
Mr. CLEVELAND:--I think the motion of Mr. REID is out of order. I
suggest that if adopted, with Mr. JOHNSON'S amendment, the sense of
the proposition as it now stands will not be changed.
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