amendment should be adopted we would be able to do much before the period of the adjournment. His impression was, that a great deal might be done by the 14th inst. Perhaps we might get through the first reading of the Constitution by that time-when it could be laid before the people, so that they might have an opportunity of expressing their opinion as to the propriety or impropriety of what we had done. He thought we might easily arrange our business to adjourn on the 14th of July. The gentleman from the county of Philadelphia, (Mr. BROWN) had talked in a spirit of pride, about his not having been home but once since he came here, and of his not caring to go home until we should have got through our business. Mr. BROWN, here explained that he had merely stated the fact, and did not mean to cast any reflection on the course of any gentleman. Mr. PORTER: The gentleman has no wife or children. Mr. BROWN: Still I have a family, and have a business to attend to. } Mr. PORTER said, if the gentleman from the county did not want to go home to see his wife and children, he (Mr. P.) did. After what had been said by the venerable delegate from the city of Philadelphia, (Mr. HOPKINSON) he thought it must be manifest to every gentleman, that we should not be able to get through our labors at the present sitting of the Convention, and therefore it was better to adjourn on the 14th inst. He (Mr. P.) had no fear of members coming back here with a variety of speeches prepared to be delivered, and even if they should, it was doubtless better that they should be given, than that we should have more random speeches, such as had already been delivered, full of wild chimeras, spoken without a moment's reflection, elicited on the spur of the moment. Mr. DONNELL, of York, moved to amend the amendment by adding the following: "provided that all the articles of the Constitution have been passed through the committee of the whole". Mr. CLARKE, of Indiana, said, that he would vote against the original resolution, if this amendment should not be adopted. And, he would be very much mistaken if it should not be. The views of gentlemen with regard to the proposed adjournment were now tolerably well known. For himself, he would vote against the amendment to the amendment. Those who would vote for it consisted of three or four classes. The ultra conservatives had openly avowed their opposition to make any amendments to the Constitution. Their opposition, however, had been direct, open, and manly. He honoured them for the candid expression of their sentiments, although he did not approve of their course. There was another set of conservatives here, who had been carrying on this Fabian war, but who were not strong enough to successfully oppose the amendments which were offered, and consequently indulged themselves in throwing every obstacle in the way, which their ingenuity could devise. They had provoked discussion, when none was needed, and those favorable to amendments had fallen into the snare perhaps too readily. He trusted that a spirit of compromise would animate our proceedings, and that each man would surrender something in order to obtain unanimity, and promote the wishes of each as far as practicable. There were two classes of men who would vote for an adjournment, and who would go home to say that, by the exercise of a little ingenuity and concert between them, they had Convention, for the purpose of remodeling the Constitution of the State, they did not take into consideration the expense. In fact, they cared nothing about the expense, as compared with their desire to have the Constitution amended. Their creed was-millions for defence, but not a cent for tribute. They wished to get rid of those features in it which kept them in bondage, and were at war with free principles of Government, and opposed to the intelligence and integrity of the people. He felt sure, that the gentleman's appeal to them would be without effect. For himself, he would not dare to make such an appeal to his constituents, without expecting to receive a rebuke from them. Gentlemen were sent here to discuss and deliberate, in order to ascertain what are the opinions of the people of the whole State, and to act accordingly. The people had a right to be heard, and would be heard, no matter what might be the ex pense, which they would not at all regret. He had not seen a letter, or a newspaper, containing any complaint, either as to the time which had been consumed, or the expense that had been incured. He had only seen in a country paper, or two, an attempt to question whether the Convention had not wasted their time. From the time he came here, up to the present moment, he had been but three days away from Harrisburg, and not one hour had he been absent from the deliberations of the Convention, whilst in town. When he came here, he did so with a determination to leave all his private feelings and interests behind him, and to devote himself entirely to the perfermance of those duties which he had assumed in behalf of his constituents. Although he knew many gentlemen in favor of reform, who desired an adjournment, he would vote against it. If, however, the Convention should adjourn, he was willing to go wheresoever it might go-whether in a season of sickness or of health, in warm weather, or in cold. And, having done that, he would go back to his constituents, and inform them what the Convention had done, and then would deliver up his trust into their hands-having discharged his duty. Mr. PORTER, of Northampton, said, he presumed that when the people of Pennsylvania called this Convention, they did not enter into a calculation of dollars and cents-they wished us to take into consideration what amendments were necessary to be made to the Constitution, and did not think, or care about the expense of making them. That was a matter of secondary importance. It was, therefore, our duty to carry out their wishes. He did not think, with all due deference to gentlemen, who talked about the expense of this Convention, that they paid any compliment to the public, or added to the reputation of this body by indulging in remarks of that character. In matters, where principles were concerned, he considered money as naught. He was as much opposed to the extravagant expenditure of money as any man; but when the people desired a particular course of proceedings to be had, he never would attempt to come in competition with the will of the people. He confessed that he was as desirous of seeing the expenses of the Convention curtailed as much as possible for he was anxious that the public money should not be squandered. But, we must not, through fear, be driven from the performance of our duties. It was with a view to shorten the labors of the Convention that he had submited his amendment, which he thought might possibly meet the views of the majority. He was anxious that the Con amendment should be adopted we would be able to do much before the period of the adjournment. His impression was, that a great deal might be done by the 14th inst. Perhaps we might get through the first reading of the Constitution by that time when it could be laid before the people, so that they might have an opportunity of expressing their opinion as to the propriety or impropriety of what we had done. He thought we might easily arrange our business to adjourn on the 14th of July. The gentleman from the county of Philadelphia, (Mr. BROWN) had talked in a spirit of pride, about his not having been home but once since he came here, and of his not caring to go home until we should have got through our business. Mr. BROWN, here explained that he had merely stated the fact, and did not mean to cast any reflection on the course of any gentleman. Mr. PORTER: The gentleman has no wife or children. Mr. BROWN: Still I have a family, and have a business to attend to. } Mr. PORTER said, if the gentleman from the county did not want to go home to see his wife and children, he (Mr. P.) did. After what had been said by the venerable delegate from the city of Philadelphia, (Mr. HOPKINSON) he thought it must be manifest to every gentleman, that we should not be able to get through our labors at the present sitting of the Convention, and therefore it was better to adjourn on the 14th inst. He (Mr. P.) had no fear of members coming back here with a variety of speeches prepared to be delivered, and even if they should, it was doubtless better that they should be given, than that we should have more random speeches, such as had already been delivered, full of wild chimeras, spoken without a moment's reflection, elicited on the spur of the moment. Mr. DONNELL, of York, moved to amend the amendment by adding the following: "provided that all the articles of the Constitution have been passed through the committee of the whole". Mr. CLARKE, of Indiana, said, that he would vote against the original resolution, if this amendment should not be adopted. And, he would be very much mistaken if it should not be. The views of gentlemen with regard to the proposed adjournment were now tolerably well known. For himself, he would vote against the amendment to the amendment. Those who would vote for it consisted of three or four classes. The ultra conservatives had openly avowed their opposition to make any amendments to the Constitution. Their opposition, however, had been direct, open, and manly. He honoured them for the candid expression of their sentiments, although he did not approve of their course. There was another set of conservatives here, who had been carrying on this Fabian war, but who were not strong enough to successfully oppose the amendments which were offered, and consequently indulged themselves in throwing every obstacle in the way, which their ingenuity could devise. They had provoked discussion, when none was needed, and those favorable to amendments had fallen into the snare perhaps too readily. He trusted that a spirit of compromise would animate our proceedings, and that each man would surrender something in order to obtain unanimity, and promote the wishes of each as far as practicable. There were two classes of men who would vote for an adjournment, and who would go home to say that, by the exercise of a little ingenuity and concert between them, they had person shall be chosen for each office, and shall be commissioned by the Govornor. They shall hold their offices for three years, if they shall so long behave themselves well, and until a successor be duly qualified; but no person shall be twice chosen or appointed sheriff in any term of six years. Vacancies in either of the said offices shall be filled by a new appointment to be made by the Governor, to continue until the next general election, and until a successor shall be chosen and qualified as aforesaid. Prothonotaries and clerks of the several courts, (except the prothonotaries of the supreme court, who shall be appointed in the respective districts by the court, for the term of three years, if they shall so long behave themselves well, and are not removed by the court,) recorders of deeds and registers of wills, shall, at the times and places of election of representstives, be elected by the citizens of each county, or the districts over which the jurisdic. tion of said courts extends, and shall be commissioned by the Governor. They shall hold their offices for three years, if they shall so long behave themselves well, and until their successors shall be duly qualified. The Legislature shall designate by law, the number of persons in each county who shall hold said offices, and how many, and which of said offices shall be held by one person. Vacancies in any of the said offices shall be filled by an appointment to be made by the Governor, to continue until the next general election, and until a successor shall be elected and qualified as aforesaid. SECT. 3. To read as follows: The freemen of this Commonwealth shall be armed and organized for its defence, when, and in such manner, as the Legislature shall by law direct. The remaining sections of the existing article to be numbered 4, 5 and 6. ART. 7. SECT. 1. To read as follows: The Legislature shall, as soon as conveniently may be, provide by taw, for the establishment of schools throughout the State in such manner that all children may be taught at the public expense. SECT. 2. To read as follows: The arts and sciences shall be promoted in such institutions of learning as may be alike open to all the citizens of this Commonwealth. ART. 9. Add the following sections, to be called sections 26, 27, 28, and number the present section 26, number 29. SECT. 26. No perpetual charter of incorporation shall be granted, except for religious, charitable, or literary purposes, nor shall any charter for other purposes exceed the duration of one hundred years. SECT. 27. No charter of incorporation to be granted for banking purposes, or for dealing in money stocks, securities, or paper credits, shall exceed twenty years. SECT. 28. The Legislature shall have no power to combine or unite in any one bill two or more distinct subjects or objects of Legislation, or any two or more distinct appropriations, or appropriations to distinct or different objects, except appropriations to works exclusively belonging to, and carried on by the Commonwealth; and the object or subject matter of each bill or act, shall be distinctly stated in the title thereof. ART. X. Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in the Senate or Assembly, and if the same shall be agreed to, by a majority of the members elected to each of the two Houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth shall cause the same to be published as soon as practicable, in at least one newspaper in every county in which a newspaper shall be published; and if, in the Legislature next afterwards chosen, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed to by two thirds of all the members elected to each House, the Secretary of the Commonwealth shall cause the same again to be published in manner aforesaid, and such proposed amendment or amendments shall be submited to the people at such time and manner, at least three months distant, as the Legislature shall prescribe-and, if the people shall approve and ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the qualified voters of this State, who shall vote thereon, such amendment or amendments shall become a part of the Constitution. SCHEDULE. That no inconvenience may arise from the alterations and amendments in the Constitution of this Commonwealth, and in order to carry the same into complete 1. That all laws of this Commonwealth, in force at the time of making the said alterations and amendments in the said Constitution, and not inconsistent therewith; and all rights actions, prosecutions, claims, and contracts, as well of individuals as of bodies corpor,ate, shall continue as if the said alterations and amendments had not been made. 2. That the present Governor shall continue to exercise the Executive authority of this Commonwealth, as heretofore, until the first Tuesday of January, eighteen hundred and thirty-nine. 3. That all officers in the appointment of the Executive department, shall continue to be appointable, and shall exercise the duties of their respective offices, agreeably to the Constitution of one thousand seven hundred and ninety, until the officers directed to be elected or appointed under these amendments, shall be duly qualified, unless their commissions shall sooner expire by their own limitations, or the said offices become vacant by death or resignation, and no longer, unless re-appointed and commissioned by the Governor. Except that the Judges of the Supreme Court shall hold their offices for the terms in their commissions respectively expressed. 4. That justice shall be administered in the several counties of the State, until the period aforesaid, by the same Justices, in the same courts, and in the same manner as heretofore. 5. That no person now, in commission as Sheriff, shall be eligible at the next election for a longer term than will, with the time which he shall have served in the said office, complete the term of three years. 6. That until the first enumeration shall be made, as directed in the fourth section of the first article of the Constitution, established by this Convention, the city of Philadelphia and the several counties, shall be respectively entitled to elect the same number of Senators and Representatives, as is now prescribed by law. 7. The commissions of the President, and other Judges learned in the law, now in commission, who shall then have been ten years, or more, in office, shall expire on the first of July, one thousand eight hundred and forty, and of those who shall not then have been so long in commission, at the expiration of ten years from their respective appointments. 8. That the first election of Governor, Senators, and Representatives, under these amendments, shall take place on the third Tuesday of October, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. 9. That the first election of Prothonotaries, Clerks, Registers, Recorders, and Associate Judges, shall take place at the same time. 10. That, until otherwise directed by law, two Justices of the Peace shall be elected in each borough, ward, or township, on the day appointed by law for electing Constables, except in the city of Philadelphia. 11. Until otherwise directed by law, the county officers shall be as follows: In the city of Philadelphia, the Clerkship of the Mayor's Court, shall be filled by one person. In the city and county of Philadelphia, the respective offices of Prothonotary of the Common Pleas, the Prothonotary of the District Court, the Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions, the Clerk of the Orphans' Court, the Register of wills, the Recorder of deeds, shall each be filled by one person, and the Clerk of Quarter Sessions shall be exofficio Clerk of the Oyer and Terminer. [The remaining counties are left in blank in the resolution,] Mr. PORTER explained, that the amendments proposed, did not altogether meet his wishes, but it was very evident that nothing could be done, unless by mutual concessions of opinion. He had drawn up this proposition in that spirit-it contained no new matter, and he thought its adoption would have an effect in shortening our labors. Mr. STERIGERE thought there were some new matters introduced into the resolution; or, at least, some which were at variance with the decisions of the Convention. He thought the best course would be, instead of printing these propositions, to refer them to a select committee, without |
