TUESDAY, MAY 16, 1837.

Mr. BROWN, of Philadelphia, rose for the purpose of making a correction, not of the journals, but with a view to rectify any error in the debates. When the gentleman from Somerset (Mr. Cox) charged Mr. BUCHANAN, on Friday, with the utterance of certain language, he stated that he did not know that Mr. BUCHANAN was in the House, and partially retracted his expression. Yesterday, the gentleman reiterated the charge, and said that the truth of it would be sustained by a gentleman from Lancaster (Mr. REIGART.) That gentleman was now in his seat, and he (Mr. B.) desired to hear him on the subject. He wished now

to ask that gentleman if the charge was true or false?

The CHAIR said it was not in order to take up the subject at this time, unless with the consent of the Convention.

Mr. REIGART said, he hoped the Convention would give him leave to make a statement. Pending the former discussion, he had made several efforts to obtain the floor. He moved to dispense with the rule.

Mr. DICKEY, of Beaver, asked for the ayes and noes.

Mr. REIGART then withdrew his motion.

Mr. LONG, of Lancaster, submitted the following resolutions, which were ordered to be laid on the table and printed.

Resolved, That the second section of the first article of the Constitution be so amended, that the annual election of state and county officers be held on the first Tuesday of September, in each year.

Resolved, That the tenth section of the fifth article of the Constitution be so modified, that the Legislature shall limit the number of Justices to be appointed for each district.

Resolved, That the first section of the third article be so amended, that any person convicted of an infamous crime, shall be disqualified from exercising the right of an elector, and that the same be further amended, so that young men, between the age of twenty-one and twenty-two, whose fathers are dead, but who, at the time of their death, were qualified voters, shall be entitled to vote without having been assessed or paid a tax. Mr. BEDFORD, of Luzerne, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved, That the committee on the third article of the Constitution be instructed to enquire into the expediency of so amending the said article, that every white male citizen, who shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, and shall have resided in this State, and for six months next preceding the election, in the county where he may offer his vote, shall be entitled to vote in the township or ward where he actually resides, and not elsewhere, for all officers that now are, or hereafter may be, made elective by the people.

Mr. MAGEE, of Perry, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to enquire into the expediency of so amending the Constitution of Pennsylvania, as to prohibit the future emigration into the State of free persons of color, and fugitive slaves from other states or territories.

Mr. KONIGMACHER, of Lancaster, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved, That the following amendments to the Constitution be made :

1. No member of the Legislature shall receive any civil appointment from the Governor and Senate, or from the Legislature, during the term for which he shall have been elected.

2. Any elector, who shall receive any gift or reward for his vote, in meat, drink, money or otherwise, shall suffer such punishment as the law shall direct, and any person who shall, directly or indirectly, give, promise, or bestow any such reward to be elected, shall thereby be rendered incapable, for two years, to serve in the office for which he was elected, and be subject to such other punishment as shall be directed by law.

3. And whereas, the ministers of the Gospel are, by their profession, dedicated to the service of God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their functions; therefore, no minister of the Gospel or priest of any denomination whatsoever, shall, at any time hereafter, under any pretence or description whatever, be eligible to or capable of holding any civil or military office or place within this State.

Mr. COCHRAN, of Lancaster, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved. That the Constitution ought to be so amended, in the tenth section of the fifth article, as follows, viz: "That the Justices of the Peace in the several counties of this Commonwealth, the number to be apportioned by law, shall be appointed for a term of five years, by the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, in the county in which they shall respectively reside".

Mr. M'CALL, of Washington, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved, That the committee on the first article of the Constitution be instructed to enquire whether any, and if any, what restrictions may be proper or necessary on the powers of the Legislature, in authorizing the issuing licenses for the sale of ardent spirits.

Mr. CURLL, of Armstrong, submitted the following resolution, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed.

Resolved, That a special committee be appointed to enquire into the expediency of a provision in the Constitution, on the subject of erecting new counties.

Mr. STEVENS, from the committee to whom was referred the subjects of the Public Improvements, Public Loans, and the State Debt, made the following report, which was ordered to be laid on the table, and printed. That they recommend the following amendment to the Constitution : ARTICLE The public debt of this Commonwealth shall never exceed the sum of thirty millions of dollars.

Mr. PURVIANCE, of Butler, said he had, a few days ago, submitted a resolution, which had given rise to a very protracted discussion, not very dissimilar to the case of the celebrated resolution of Mr. FooTE, in the Senate of the United States. He had no idea, when he offered the resolution, that it would lead to such an extensive discussion. The object he had in view was to submit something for the consideration of the Convention, while the standing committees were engaged on the various subjects before them. Considering the arduous nature of their duties, he did not expect the reports from those committees in less time than two weeks, and lest the Convention should remain idle during that time, he had submitted the resolution. Yesterday, he had offered another motion, that the Convention would go into committee of the whole, on the report of the committee on the first article of the Constitution. He was anxious that the Convention should proceed to the consideration of that report, and, therefore, he would now withdraw his resolution, for the purpose of asking for the consideration of the report of the committee on the first article.

The PRESIDENT. It will require the consent of the seconder before the resolution can be withdrawn.

Mr. BROWN, of Philadelphia, who had soconded the resolution, rose to give his assent, if, previous to the withdrawal, Mr. REIGART might be permitted to answer the question concerning the charge against Mr. BUCHANAN.

While this subject was pending,

Mr. BELL, of Chester, asked leave to call up the following resolution offered by him a few days since.

Resolved, That the Secretaries cause to be printed 200 copies of a tabular abstract of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States, and the several states, on the plan of the table published in the third volume of the Encyclopedia Americana.

Mr. BELL stated, that the preparation of this statement would be attended with very little difficulty, because there was a similar table in the volume, which would require only a trifling amendment, by adding two or three states, and the two new states just admitted into the Union. He hoped the resolution would pass, because the abstract could be prepared by the Secretaries, with little trouble, and it would enable gentlemen to compare the Constitutions, and to see in what points they differ, and in what they concur. The possession of such a key would greatly facili

tate the labors of the Convention.

Leave was then given, and the resolution was read a second time and agreed to.

Mr. REIGART then rose, and stated that he had desired to make an explanation on Friday, after the gentleman from Northampton (Mr. PORTER) had spoken, and had endeavored, without effect, to get the floor. During his absence yesterday, the subject had been again referred to. On the 4th of July, 1815, when he was quite a boy, Mr. BUCHANAN delivered an oration in Lancaster, before the Washington Association. In that oration there was nothing of the kind imputed to him, such as, if he thought he had a drop of democratic blood in his veins he would let it out. This was all he knew on the subject of that oration.

Mr. Cox, of Somerset, wished the gentleman to go further, as he (Mr. C.) would call on the other members of the Lancaster delegation. He should be able to prove, by living witnesses, that the language attributed to Mr. BUCHANAN, was used by him. He did not assert, and so he stated to the Convention yesterday, that the expression was used in the oration which had been named. He asked as to the fact.

Mr. REIGART would state all he knew. Every gentleman had seen the newspaper statements, charging Mr. BUCHANAN with having used the language imputed to him, but that gentleman had always denied it. He (Mr. R.) had seen anonymous newspaper paragraphs charging Mr. BUCHANAN with it, but it was denied by him. It was the common report, at Lancaster, that he had used the expression.

Mr. DUNLOP, of Franklin, called on the gentleman to state what Mr. BUCHANAN did say-if he did not abuse Mr. JEFFERSON, and the other leaders of the democratic party.

The PRESIDENT: Is the motion withdrawn?

Mr. BROWN: Yes.

Mr. Cox: I hope it is not withdrawn.

PRESIDENT: Is the motion withdrawn?

Mr. PURVIANCE: I cannot now retract. I have made the motion, and the gentleman from Philadelphia has concurred.

Y

Mr. Cox: I rise to a question of order.

PRESIDENT: The motion is withdrawn.

Mr. Cox hoped the CHAIR Would not decide without previously examining the rule. There had been the action of the body on this resolution, and after the action of the Convention on it, the mover had no further control.

The PRESIDENT stated the rule to be, that a motion might be withdrawn

before there had been any amendment, or any decision upon it. It may

therefore be withdrawn.

Mr. Cox urged, that there had been a decision on the resolution, as it had gone over from day to day. By a vote of the Convention, it had been suspended from day to day, and this continuance involves a decision. He called on the late Speaker of the House to say, what has been the practice.

Mr. CUNNINGHAM, of Mercer, said, that the usual construction of the rule by him had been, that a motion, in circumstances similar to the present, could not be withdrawn. And the reason was, although, during the day after he had made his motion, it was in the power of the mover to with draw it, yet if any motion had been made upon it, or an adjournment had taken place, the motion then became the property of the body, and was no longer subject to the control of the mover. His opinion now was, that this resolution could not be withdrawn.

Mr. STEVENS suggested as the proper mode, that the mover ask leave to withdraw the resolution.

Mr. MEREDITH, of Philadelphia, suggested, that as the rule went on to say, that if a motion were withdrawn before adjournment, it shall not appear on the journal; the inference was, that it might be withdrawn after an adjournment. The rule itself, therefore, expressly proves what may be done in that case.

The PRESIDENT said, he felt no doubt in his own mind as to the construction which ought to be given to the rule. It was clear that the mover might withdraw a motion before decision or amendment upon it. It was out of the power of the CHAIR to add any thing to the rule, as it had been established by the Convention, or to take any thing out of it. He, therefore, decided that the motion was withdrawn.

Mr. BROWN explained, that the only reason of his hesitation to give his immediate assent to the withdrawal, was his wish to give Mr. REIGART an opportunity to make his explanation.

Mr. Cox: It will be seen that his explanation does not sustain the gentleman from the county of Philadelphia.

The resolution was then withdrawn.

Mr. PURVIANCE then moved that the Convention proceed to the consideration of the report of the committee on the first article of the Consti

tution.

Mr. FULLER, of Fayette, asked if the committee had made a full report. Mr. PURVIANCE replied that it was not full, but on various sections of the article.

Mr. DUNLOP, of Franklin, said he should be glad if, instead of considering this report, some one could be taken up, on which there had been no dissent in the committee. For instance, the report on the 8th article might be taken up. The first article was very important, and the commit

tee has it still under consideration. The 8th article had been reported without dissension or amendment. If the Covention did not agree to take up the first, he would move to take up the 8th article.

Mr. PURVIANCE replied, that there had been no difference of opinion on the report made by the committee on the first article. It comprised 11 or 12 sections. He moved to proceed to the consideration of this report, because it was the first in order. There existed no difference of opinion in the committee concerning this report.

The question was then taken on the motion of Mr. PURVIANCE, and decided in the negative-ayes 39, noes 53.

Mr. DUNLOP moved that the Convention proceed to consider the report on the eighth article of the Constitution, which motion was agreed toayes 69.

[A short conversation took place as to the mode of proceeding, the result of which was an understanding, that the Convention should go into committee of the whole on the several reports, after the first reading, and that after a report was taken up for consideration in the Convention, no formal motion should be necessary to go into committee of the whole.]

EIGHTH ARTICLE.

The Convention then resolved itself into committee of the whole, on the report of the committee on the eighth article; Mr. CUNNINGHam in the Chair.

The report of the committee is as follows:

ARTICLE VIII.-OF THE OATH OF OFFICE.

Members of the General Assembly, and all officers, Executive and Judicial, shall be bound, by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution of the Commonwealth, and to perform the duties of their respective offices with fidelity.

Mr. M'SHERRY, of Adams, stated that he wished to inquire of the Chairman of the committee who reported this article, why they had not amended the article by directing that in the oath of office they should be sworn or affirmed, to support the Constitution of the United States as well as of this Commonwealth. He said by the 3d section of the 6th article of the Constitution of the United States it is provided "that the members of the several State Legislations, and all Executive and Judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support the Constitution". He stated he would not now make a motion to amend, he only required information from the committee as to their views on the subject.

Mr. DICKEY, of Beaver, said that the committee on the 8th article of the Constitution, had unanimously agreed to report the article precisely in the words and terms of the Constitution of Pennsylvania. The Constitution, as read by the gentleman from Adams, required, that in addition to the oath to support the Constitution of the State, every member of a Legislature, when called on to swear that he will discharge his duties with fidelity, is also sworn to support the Constitution of the United States as well as that of his own State, this to be done under the authority of the Constitution of the United States. Now, that being the case, it had been deemed unnecessary, that any clause should be inserted wtth a view to render the clause more imperative. He regarded such an amendment to be totally unnecessary.