be back on Monday or Tuesday morning.
This house will find itself in the condition of
staying here a whole day with no quorum to
do business, sending despatches and writing
to members asking them for God's sake to
come down that the convention may do its
work. We passed an order to adjourn on
the 31st of August. That time is already
now passed two days. Going over to Mon-
day morning, that will be the 5th of Septem-
ber; and the convention will not adjourn
until Tuesday morning, the 6th; and possi-
bly it will then be without a quorum, and
the end of next week may find the conven-
tion still in session.
The committee on revision sits throughout
the whole session of this house. Admitting
that the judiciary report would take them
half a day, that will take more time than all
the rest of the work they have to do. There
is not the slightest objection to their calling
in extra aid. If they request of this house
that their committee be enlarged to twice its
numbers, I have no doubt that request would
be acceded to. We have provided in our
schedule that after the adoption of this con-
stitution by the convention the governor shall
have five days before he shall be required to
issue his proclamation; and if we remain
here five days more, we shall hardly have the
customary twenty days notice before the elec-
tion of State officers; and we desire, in addi-
tion, as much time as we can possibly have
for the dissemination of the printed copies of
the constitution throughout the State, and
in the army, that the soldiers and the people
at home may knowingly vote upon its provi-
sions. Every day of time that we allow our-
selves here, is diminishing our time for the
accomplishment of these objects just one day.
We propose to lose the whole of to-morrow.
In reference to the engrossment of the reports,
I have been informed that the clerks of this
house have been and are now engaged in en-
grossing as many of the reports as the com-
mittee on revision have acted upon; and, in
all probability, if the committee on revision
should conclude its labor to-night, by the ex-
penditure of a small sum for additional cle-
rical force, the whole constitution could be
presented to this body to-morrow morning.
Or, admitting that the committee on revision
do not get through, or we do not get through
acting upon their reports, all their reports
which may have been acted upon will be en-
grossed by the clerks; and during the morn-
ing, as fast as they are passed upon, they will
be engrossed by the clerks; and at the after-
noon session to-morrow, or at the furthest by
the night session, we can act upon the whole
constitution, engrossed by the clerks. And
when we adjourn to-morrow, we may ad-
journ having finished our work.
But if we break the continuity of exertion,
by which the convention has for the last week
kept up three sessions a day, and if the rnern- |
bers go to their respective homes, they will
find claiming their attention so many private
interests, that it is very doubtful whether
they will be able to return from Washington
and other distant counties in season to pro-
ceed on Monday or Tuesday. The gentleman
from Washington (Mr. Negley) asks what
does it matter, after a session of four months,
if we take a week or two weeks. I have no
personal objection to adjourning. I should
much desire it for my own sake. But I think
it is for the interest of the constitution to
allow as much time as possible after its
passage; and for that reason I think the
convention should finish its work before it
adjourns.
I have presented my views as they have
suggested themselves to me; and if they have
made the impression upon our friends that
the work can be completed by extra exertion
by to-morrow night, I hope they will vote
against the adjournment. I would rather
sit here the whole of the night than go away
and have to come back again to finish our
work.
Mr. PUGH. I am satisfied that the mem-
bers of the convention have made up their
minds with regard to the matter that it is
only the question whether the committee on
revision will be prepared to furnish the con-
vention with work to-morrow, or whether we
shall stay here all day to-morrow and make
speeches. I am well satisfied that the com-
mittee cannot get through to-night.
Mr. CUSHING. Not if the committee is en-
larged to three times its present number?
Mr. PUGH. That is not the proposition
before the house. I have been informed by
the chairman of the committee on revision
that they cannot get through to night unless
they work all night. They worked a large
portion of last night, and have worked all
day, and are at work to-night. For one, 1
am not disposed, if the committee cannot
furnish us work to do, to stay here to-morrow
and listen to speeches.
Mr. KING (a member of the committee)
said: I am pretty certain that we will not be
able to get through our work to-morrow.
We have worked all day yesterday and to-
day, and, as we are going on, to do it cor-
rectly, if the house want it brought in as it
ought to be, it will be impossible for us to
finish it to-morrow.
Mr. NEGLEY. To show the necessity for
care in this, I will state that I have been in-
formed that it has been discovered that no
provision has been made for contested elec-
tions in the judiciary. This shows the ne-
cessity for care and deliberation on the part
of the committee on revision. We know
further that a whole new section has been
referred to that committee in regard to the
judiciary report. I hope the convention will
not hurry through things at the last mo- '
ment, |
