has been known to have bargained for the disposition of offices to secure his nomination. I doubt the correctness of his information. Such a thing never did occur. I admit that incompetent men have been appointed, and I believe incompetent men may be elected, and I should like to guard against it. I think the Executive patronage should be reduced; but the difficulty has been to find where the power can be more securely placed. I do not expect to attain to perfection in any scheme that may be adopted: such an expectation would be folly. If the guard that I propose be adopt. ed, I think the mode by election by the people will answer very well.

A great deal has been said, and is always said by those out of power, who have been displaced, about the impropriety of turning men out of office for their political opinions. We recollect very well how much fault the National Republicans found with Governor MARCY for the expression, "that to the victors belong the spoils of victory". I told them then that if they had the power, they would do the same thing. Shortly afterwards, they came into power in the cities of Philadelphia and New York, and they swept the board of all the officers who were politically opposed to them, down to the very watchman. The same party who thus found fault with Governor MARCY, have since obtained the power and patronage of Pennsylvania, and they cleared all the offices in the State of their political opponents, down even to the lock keepers on your canals. The thing is wrong in principle, I admit; but it is and has been practised by all parties, except under the administration of Mr. JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, who probably lost his re-election for not practising it himself. I believe a majority of this Convention are for electing the county officers, and I certainly shall not object to it for its political operation on the county which I in part represent. But before we adopt the system, as these things are practised now, it may be well for our friends to enquire as to its effects on the democratic party throughout this Commonwealth. They have held the power of the State for thirty out of thirty-nine years past, and if we do not cut up the existing Constitution by the roots, the probability is that they will have an equal proportion of the next thirty-nine years. Is it not suicidal, then, in the party thus to part with their power? The offices in the city and county of Philadelphia, and the counties of Lancaster and Chester, are worth almost as much as in all the rest of the State; and to make them elective is at once to surrender the power and patronage in that city and those counties to our political opponents. If, however, the party determine to do this, I shall not object; but I suggest the matter for their consideration.

But, if gentlemen wish the county officers elected, the system ought to be carried out. There are many other offices in the city and county of Philadelphia-the inspectorship of flour, bark, whiskey, and other things for instance. Are not these to be elective also? Gentlemen should be consistent, and carry out their system, and elect all such local officers, if they elect part.

All offices should be filled with a regard to the public interest, and not for the benefit of the individuals who may fill them; and, therefore, politics ought not, in principle, however it may be in practise, to be introduced in their selections. The great object with the public should be, to get honest and capable men, and I will go for any measure best calculated to

pect, by any mode that may be adopted. I think we should get the best Prothonotaries and Clerks, if the court appointed them; but this project does not seem to find favor in this body. I confess I do not see why it should not. Our County Commissioners appoint their own clerk, and we hear no complaints of that. Our courts are as much interested in the safe and correct keeping of their records as the commissioners, and, the public are vastly interested in this thing being ably and faithfully done. To attain this end, I trust that it will be required, that no man shall be a candidate for the Prothonotary's or Clerk's office, who has not been examined and found qualified. I fear no exercise of arbitrary power in excluding competent men. Were any judges to practise partiality, or exercise the power oppressively, it would be more than their commissions would be worth. I should have more fears that there would be scarcely strictness enough observed. But I am altogether unwilling to adopt a provision which will oblige the people to turn a man out of office against their own wishes, and when there is no reason or occasion for it. There may be reason in restricting the Executive to a given number of years, as he has the Executive power of the State or Union in his hands. He might, otherwise, so strengthen himself as to become, in fact, a monarch. The restriction might well be applied to a Sheriff, who ought to settle up the affairs of his office, and who might, by oppression or partiality, use the power and influence of his office for his own re-election, and to the prejudice of suitors and parties. But in a mere ininisterial office, there can be no reason for preventing the people from exercising their own pleasure.

Mr. CLARKE, of Indiana, said he would make a few remarks. He was afraid that the proposition of the gentleman from Susquehanna, (Mr. READ) was not going to get fair play at all, and his apprehension was founded on the course the argument had assumed. He thought the proposition before the committee a very simple one, though it was not the less good, and whilst the gentleman from Union (Mr. MERRILL) had expressed himself as bitterly opposed to it, the gentleman from Mifflin (Mr. BANKS) had not the less ably supported it. The gentleman from Union professed his astonishment, as to whether what had been said in relation to the two terms, was said in earnest. Now, as we received not unfrequently our opinions from those with whom we conversed, he might say, that he had gathered those of his constituents who had talked about amending the Constitution, and they were in favor of the abolition of life offices, and of limiting the tenure of office. In conformity with these opinions, he intended, at the proper time, to vote to take away life offices, shorten the term of office, and limit the eligibility to office. His constituents, generally, wished the patronage of the Governor to be limited, because they conceived that he possessed more power than ought to be exercised by any man, and was too far removed from the people. It was to be borne in mind, that if we did not limit the eligibility of the officers elected by the people, we could not get rid of the evil of which they complained. These officers still formed the outposts and the rallying points of party organization, whether re-appointed by the people or the Executive. He had no doubt that great advantage would result from limiting the eligibility to office. By making men re-eligible to office, an opportunity was afforded those who wished to be re-elected, of using their exertions in various ways, to get themselves

of living in a county town, which they might avail themselves of in order to obtain their re-election. These, then, would give them an advantage over other citizens. Their friends would be punctual in their attendance at their own meeting, for the purpose of choosing delegates. And, in the county towns, they would act together so as to operate on the county.Now, he (Mr. C.) would take away this temptation of re-eligibility. The fact was, that men who are in office long, imagine that it was made for them, and they are never willing to return to a more industrious calling. It was thought as hard to leave an old office as it was to pay old debts, even after a very long credit. So long as men were re-eligible to office, their minds would be continually running on it, and employed in contriving how they should secure their re-election. He thought, then, that six years was long enough for a man to fill an office. The longer a man was in office, the slacker he became in the discharge of his duties. If fat, he grew lazy; if lean, he grew roguish; and if cross, he grew more so. It was better that a man should go out of office at the end of his term, and that another should be elected in his place. He (Mr. C.) believed in the truth of the old proverb, that "new brooms sweep clean". But, a gentleman had asked the question: "What, would you deprive the people of the right to select their own officers? Why place restrictions on the people"? No, he (Mr. C.) would not. We only proposed a rule for their adoption in reference to the Sheriff and Governor. He maintained that the doctrine, that, because a man fulfilled his duties honestly and faithfully, he should always be continued in office, was the doctrine of monarchy and aristocracy, and all the ocracy that was opposed to popular rights. A man, when new in office, performs his duties faithfully and wel!. But, on the contrary, when long in office, he was apt to be idle and negligent. He (Mr. C.) would conclude his remarks by saying, that he felt satisfied that the proposed change would be decidedly advantageous and beneficial to the people. He would, therefore, vote for the amendment of the gentleman from Susquehanna.

Mr. DICKEY, of Beaver, believed it to be the wish of the people that the Executive patronage should be curtailed. And, one of their principal reasons for this was on account of the appointing power. He believed, that as capable and efficient officers could be elected by the people as appointed by the Governor, if not better. The Governor was subject to be imposed upon, if not influenced, in regard to the appointment of the Prothonotaries, Recorders, &c., as recommendations were gotten up in their favor, of a character more political than otherwise. The people of a county soon learnt who was competent to discharge any of these offices, and as they were created for their benefit, they would take care to have competent men to discharge the duties of them. He objected to the provision for the election of the county officers, on the same day with the general election, and he hoped that it would be so modified as to disconnect the county officers from the others. He would prefer, that the time or holding the election should be fixed by the Governor, for then it would be less liable to be influenced by party.

In regard to the restriction of two terms, he did not think the people had required that. The people would elect men, (as he had already observed) who were honest and responsible, and who would see that the duties were

of JEFFERSONIAN democracy-required. The gentleman from Northampton (Mr. PORTER) would call these offices sinecures but they were such as Mr. JEFFERSON approved of and sanctioned. When Mr. JEFFERSON Came into office, he appointed a very aged man, a Mr. WAYNE, as the Collector of New Haven. In reply to the remonstrar.ce of the merchants of that city, against the appointment, Mr. JEFFERSON said that the individual was honest and responsible, and that this was a sufficient qualification for the office. So, in many parts of Pennsylvania. where a man might be elected to office, who knew nothing of the English language, he could get a man to perform his duties for him, he being honest and responsible. Now, that would be carrying out the JEFFERSONIAN democracy.

Mr. EARLE, of Philadelphia, remarked, that it was not more strange than true, that gentlemen who had argued against rotation in office, and the danger to be apprehended from giving the election of officers to the people, had not mixed enough with the people, and therefore could not sufficiently comprehend what democracy was. Now, these gentlemen ought to go to school again, and read, carefully, the political history of nations. They would discover, that the doctrin of once in office always in office, was a doctrine entertained by monarchists and aristocrats. Gentlemen, however, would live and learn.

They will find the pure democracy of which they speak, is quitting our side and going over to the other side. He would ask the gentleman from Luzerne, if he did not see, that the democracy which gentlemen exhibited was sustained by the conservatives-that they went shoulder to shoulder with our democrats. Gentlemen have discovered that the conservatives are the only true democrats, and that the radicals are the true aristocrats. He called on the gentleman from Northampton to carry out his declarations, by taking the appointment of all the officers from the Governor, and giving them to the people. Consistency required that he should carry out the principle which he was elected to sustain. The gentleman from Chester (Mr. BELL) was not in favor of the limitation of the terms of the office of Governor and Sheriff, if it was not in the present Constitution.Was that a good reason? He had not supposed that such a genuine democrat would have assigned that as a sufficient reason, but would rather have lifted up his eloquent voice against it. Instead of limiting the terms of the Governor to six years out of nine, his eloquent voice was not heard in behalf of the restriction.

Here Mr. E. gave way to a motion to rise.

The committee then rose, reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again, and

The Convention adjourned.

FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 1837.

Mr. SELLERS, of Montgomery, presented a memorial from citizens of Montgomery county, praying for restrictions on Banks, which was laid on

the table.

Mr. HIESTER, of Lancaster, submited the following resolution, which was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed :

Resolved, That the rules of the Convention be altered by the adoption of the following

rule:

"When any question is proposed for consideration, or 13 under debate, it shall, at any time, be in order to move to lay the same on the table, which, if agreed to, shall preclude further action thereon, until the same shall be again taken up by order of the Convention, and such motion shall be decided without debate".

Mr. MARTIN, of Philadelphia, moved that the Convention proceed to consider the resolution offered by him on the subject of adjournment, from July ist to July 27th, and the motion was decided in the negativeyeas 32.

Mr. STEVENS, of Adams, submited the following resolution, which was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed:

Resolved, That the following amendments to the Constitution shall be submited to the people of this Commonwealth, for their confirmation or rejection, at the next general election, in the following manner: The amendments shall be submited all together-the several inspecto:s, appointed or chosen to conduct the next general election, shall, at the times and places of holding said election, receive written or printed tickets from the electors qualified to vote at said election, labelled on the outside" amendments". and containing on the inside" for the amendments" or "against the amendments", and the votes thus given shall be counted, and returned in the same manner as is now provided for in the case of votes for representatives, which said votes shall be opened and counted, and declared by the next General Assembly, in joint Convention, on the third Wednesday of December next, and if a majority of all the votes thus given shall be "for the amendments", then these amendments sha'l become and be a part of the Constitution of this Commonwealth, otherwise they shall be void, the Secretary of the Commonwealth shall cause the amendments to be published in at least two newspapers in each county, (if containing so many) for at least two months before the election.

AMENDMENTS.

ARTICLE I.

Alter the sections second and tenth, so as to read as follows:

SECTION 2. The representatives shall be chosen annually by the citizens of Philadel phia, and of each county respectively, on the third Tuesday of October.

SECTION 10. The General Assembly shall meet on the first Tuesday of January in each year, unless sooner convened by the Governor.

ARTICLE III.-OF THE CONSTITUTION.

Alter section I, so as to read as follows:

SECTION 1. In elections by the citizens, every freeman of the age of twenty-one years, having resided in the State one year, or if he had previously been a qualified elec tor six months before the election, and within two years next before the election paid a State or county tax, which shall have been assessed at least ten days next before the election, shall enjoy the rights of an elector: Provided, That freemen, citizens of the United States, having resided in the State as aforesaid, being between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-two years, shall be entitled to vote, although they shall not have paid taxes.

ARTICLE VI.-OF THE CONSTITUTION.

Alter it to read as follows: