made either in the laws of the State or in the amendments proposed to the Constitution by this committee. It is the limited vote; and that puts it in entire harmony with our whole action, so that we shall not have one principle as applied to the Supreme Court and another to the election of county boards. I hope, therefore, that it will be acceptable to those who desire the minority to be represented in county boards at all events. I could not myself vote for the proposition of the gentleman from Columbia; and yet I desire to put myself on record in favor of having a minority in every board of county commissioners in the Commonwealth to watch the majority, for I believe it will have a wholesome influence. In my own county, for years, the commissioners have been of the same politics with myself, and I have therefore no complaint to make; but I believe it would be better for the Republican party of the county in which I live if there was a minority there watching its proceedings. Mr. BROOMALL obtained the floor. Mr. BUCKALEW. If the gentleman will give way, as it is very evident that we shall not get through to-day, I will move that the committee rise. The CHAIRMAN. It is moved that the committee rise, report progress, and ask leave to sit again. The motion was agreed to. The committee accordingly rose, and the President having resumed the chair, the Chairman (Mr. J. W. F. White) reported that the committee of the whole had had under consideration the article reported by the Committee on County, Township and Borough Officers, and had instructed him to report progress and ask leave to sit again. Leave was granted the committee of the whole to sit again to morrow. Mr. ALRICKS. I move that the Convention adjourn. The motion was agreed to, and (at two o'clock and fifty-nine minutes P. M.) the Convention adjourned. ONE HUNDRED AND NINTH DAY. WEDNESDAY, May 28, 1873. The Convention met at half-past nine o'clock A. M., Hon. W. M. Meredith, President, in the chair. Prayer by Rev. J. W. Curry. The Journal of yesterday's proceedings was read and approved. LEAVES OF ABSENCE. Mr. HAY asked and obtained leave of absence for himself for a few days from to-morrow. Mr. CHURCH asked and obtained leave of absence for a few days for Mr. Parsons, who is called to Harrisburg to attend the Supreme Court. Mr. J. PRICE WETHERILL asked and obtained leave of absence for Mr. Cuyler for a few days from to-day. Mr. LILLY asked and obtained leave of absence for Mr. Fell for a few days from to-day. Mr. BRODHEAD asked and obtained leave of absence for himself from to-morrow until Tuesday next. DECORATION DAY. Mr. BROOMALL. I move to strike out all after the word "ceremonies." I ask the reading of the resolution as it will then stand. The CLERK read as follows: Resolved, That Friday, the thirtieth instant, being the anniversary upon which it is the custom to visit and decorate the graves of the soldiers of the Republic who gave their lives that our government might live, this Convention will not hold a session on that day, so that an opportunity will be afforded those of the members who desire to take part in the ceremonies. Mr. BAER. I ask for the reading of that portion of the resolution proposed to be stricken out. The CLERK read as follows: "And that the Convention will hold a session on Saturday, May thirty-first, commencing at nine and a half A. M. The PRESIDEnt. The question is on the amendment of the gentleman from Delaware. The amendment was agreed to, there being on a division, ayes fifty-one, noes Mr. CURTIN. Mr. President: I offer twenty-five. the following resolution: Resolved, That Friday, the thirtieth instant, being the anniversary upon which it is the custom to visit and decorate the graves of the soldiers of the Republic who gave their lives that our government might live, this Convention will not hold a session on that day, so that an opportunity will be afforded those of the members who desire to take part in the ceremonies; and that the Convention will hold a session on Saturday, May thirtyfirst, commencing at nine-thirty A. M. The resolution was ordered to a second reading, and was read the second time. The PRESIDENT. The question recurs on the resolution as amended. The yeas and nays were required by Mr. Boyd and Mr. Darlington, and were as follow, viz: YEAS. Messrs. Alricks, Andrews, Armstrong, Baer, Bailey, (Huntingdon,) Bartholomew, Bigler, Black, Charles A., Bowman, Brodhead, Buckalew, Calvin, Cochran, Curry, Curtin, De France, Dunning, Fulton, Funck, Gibson, Guthrie, Hall, Horton, Hunsicker, Lamberton, Landis, Lawrence, Lear, Mantor, Minor, Mitchell, Mott, Palmer, G. W., Patton, Pughe, Purman, Purviance, John N., Rooke, Runk, Sharpe, Smith, Henry W., Stanton, Temple, Van Reed, Wetherill, J. M., Wherry, White, David N., White, Harry, Wood Mr. DARLINGTON. I think there must be some misapprehension about this. Is not the thirty-first the day set apart for decorating the soldiers' graves? SEVERAL DELEGATES. No; the thir- ward, Wright and Meredith, President tieth. Mr. DARLINGTON. It is the thirty-first in our region. I know that is the day set apart by all the soldiers there. 51. NAYS. Messrs. Ainey, Baily, (Perry,) Barclay, Bardsley, Beebe, Boyd, Broomall, Brown, Carter, Church, Corbett, Corson, Dallas, Darlington, Edwards, Hay, Hemphill, Lilly, Long, MacConnell, M'Clean, M'Culloch, Mann, Purviance, Samuel A., Ross, Russell, Simpson, Smith, H. G., Smith, Wm. H., Stewart, Walker, Wetherill, John Price and White, J. W. F.33. So the resolution as agreed to. amended was ABSENT.-Messrs. Achenbach, Addicks, Baker, Bannan, Biddle, Black, J. S., Campbell, Carey, Cassidy Clark, Collins, Craig, Cronmiller, Cuyler, Davis, Dodd, Elliot, Ellis, Ewing, Fell, Finney, Gilpin, Gowen, Green, Hanna, Harvey, Hazzard, Heverin, Howard, Kaine, Knight, Littleton, MacVeagh, M'Camant, M'Murray, Metzger, Newlin, Niles, Palmer, H. W., Parsons, Patterson, D. W., Patterson, T. H. B., Porter, Read, John R., Reed, Andrew, Reynolds, Struthers, Turrell and Worrrell-48 So the resolution was not ordered to a second reading. Mr. BLOOMALL. I offer the following resolution: Resolved, That when the articles are put on second reading, the Convention shall adjourn to meet on the next, and that the articles be published in pamphlet form, and distributed for the information and criticism of the people of the State. On the question of proceeding to the second reading and consideration of the resolution, a division was called for, which resulted thirty-seven in the affirmative, forty-three in the negative. So the resolution was not ordered to be read the second time. LIMITATION OF DEBATE. On the question of proceeding to the second reading and consideration of the resolution, a division was called for, which resulted thirty-six in the affirmative, forty-six in the negative. So the resolution was not ordered to the second reading. EXPENSES OF CONVENTION. Mr. HAY submitted the following report, which was read: The Committee on Accounts and Expenditures of the Convention respect fully reports: That it has examined the account of the Chief Clerk for expenditures made by him from the 24th day of March to the 26th day of May, instant, showing the payment during that time of $4,060 32, and a balance in his hands on the 26th of May of $511 23, and that the same is correct, according to the vouchers exhibited to the committee. An abstract of the account is herewith submitted, marked "A." The following accounts have been presented to and examined by the committee. 5. George Bergner, stationery, inkstands, ink, &c... Mr. LILLY. I offer a resolution, which I ask to have read and laid on the table 6. J. P. Kidd, brooms, brushes, for future action. The resolution was read as follows: Resolved, That no delegate shall speak more than once on any question in Con $61 64 24.00 356 92 79.00 538 80 buckets, &c........ 16 82 7. William McCarter, painting front door-way, screens, and glazing..... 10.50 8. John Thornley, 150 feet India rubber hose, couplings and branch pipe... 9. James H. Orne, Son & Co., 15 yards carpeting, stair rods and pads for stairs...... a warrant be drawn upon the State Treasurer for said sum in favor of the Chief $36 00 Clerk for the payment thereof. 55 00 Together amounting to the sum of 1,178 68 The committee has carefully examined these accounts. The Chief Clerk and Mr. John A. Smull, who acted as one of the clerks of the Convention at Harrisburg, certify that the stationery and other articles included in the bill of George Bergner were purchased for and used in the business of the Convention. It seems to the committee that there should be some officer of the Convention actually accountable for tife care and safe keeping of all articles purchased for the use of the Convention. There is otherwise no sufficient check upon wastefulness in using as well as extravagance in purchasing. The accounts of J. P. Kidd for brooms, &c., William M'Carter for painting, John Thornly for india rubber hose, J. H. Orn, Son & Co., for carpet and stair rods, and of Whiteside & Madara for carpenter work, &c., are certified to be correct by the chairman of the Committee on House of the Convention. The Committee on Accounts does not deem it proper-nor perhaps is it within its appointed functions -to exercise any discretion or supervision over accounts so certified from a committee of this body, unless they should be in its opinion manifestly not for proper expenses of the Convention. In the settlement of the accounts of the Chief Clerk for expenses incurred during the recess of the Convention about the first of April, the committee has been guided by the communication of the Committee on House to the Chief Clerk, dated April 15th, 1873, informing him of the action taken by that committee under resolution of the Convention of March 28th, and which is hereto appended, marked B. The following resolution is accordingly reported for the action of the Convention: Resolved, That the afosesaid accounts of the Philadelphia Gas Works, Samuel Adams, Whiteside & Madara, Walbert & Brother, George Bergner, J. P. Kidd, William M'Carter, John Thornley, and James H. Orne, Son & Co., together amounting to the sum of $1,178 68, be and the same are hereby approved; and that The resolution was read twice and agreed to. COUNTY OFFICERS. Mr. MANN. I move that the House go into committee of the whole on the arti cle reported by the Committee on County, Township and Borough Officers. The motion was agreed to, and the House accordingly resolved itself into committee of the whole, Mr. J. W. White in the chair. The CHAIRMAN. The committee of the whole have again referred to them the article reported by the Committee on County, Township and Borough Officers. At the time the committee last rose the question was on the amendment in the nature of a substitute proposed by the delegate from Potter (Mr. Mann) to the section proposed by the delegate from Columbia (Mr. Buckalew.) The amendment and the amendment to the amendment will be read. The CLERK. The amendment of Mr. Buckalew is to insert as a new section the following: "In elections of county commissioners and county auditors each elector may cast all his votes for a smaller number of persons than the whole number to be chosen, and candidates highest in vote shall be declared elected. Three commissioners and three auditors shall be chosen in each county at the general election in 1875 and every third year thereafter, whose term shall commence on the first Monday of January next following their election. And the terms of commissioners and auditors hereafter elected prior to 1875 shall expire with that year. Casual vacancies in the offices of county commissioner and county auditor shall be filled by the courts of common pleas of the respective counties in which such vacancies shall occur by the appointment of an elector of the proper county who shall have voted for the commissioner or auditor whose place is to be filled." The amendment to the amendment is to substitute the following: "The board of county commissioners shall consist of five members who shall serve for three years, two of whom shall be elected in each two years out of three; and one member shall be elected every third year. Whenever two are to be chosen each elector shall vote for but one, and the two having the greatest number of votes shall be declared elected." Mr. HUNSICKER. I offer the following amendment to the amendment: Mr. LILLY. The delegate from Delaware had the floor on the amendment of the delegate from Potter. The CHAIRMAN. The Chair did not remember that the delegate (Mr. Broomall) had the floor. Mr. BROOMALL. I will yield for the purpose of letting the amendment of the delegate from Montgomery be offered. The CHAIRMAN. The amendment offered by the delegate from Montgomery is not in order now. The section offered by the delegate from Columbia was an amendment, and to that there is the amendment offered by the delegate from Potter. Mr. BROOMALL. Mr. Chairman: This proposition of the gentleman from Columbia, it was to be expected, would meet with some favor in the minds of those of us who are in minorities in our respective counties, but I would remind gentlemen who incline to favor the proposition from that cause that the condition of political parties just at this time is exceedingly evanescent, and that no man knows how to give a sensible political vote upon any question in this body. It is for that reason that I have not from the commencement indicated by word, vote or act, to which of the political parties of the country I belong; and I doubt whether any gentleman present knows to which I belong from anything that has occurred since I was entitled to seat in this body. That is one reason. Another reason why I have not done so is because I think a political vote and a political act exceedingly improper here. Those of us who are in minorities in our respective counties now, before two years go by may be in majorities; and let no man allow his mind to be biased by his present position when he reflects that that position may not last a year, in all human probability will not last two years. We are, therefore, in a condition to approach the question without regard to our political predilections and our political position, and to look at the effect of it as we may conceive it to be when it is put in operation. Now, it is proposed that we should depart from the old, time-honored practice of keeping up continuous bodies of commissioners and auditors by electing one each year, and resort to the expedient of It is argued here repeat it, that by electing three at once. with great force, and I doing so, we shall lose a very great advantage; we shall lose the advantage of a continuous experienced board, and will be thrown back once every three years upon entirely new men. Again, it has been argued here with force, and I repeat it, that all expedients of this kind incline to favor the government of the country by political caucuses instead of by the people. This has been explained to the Convention by several gentlemen who have spoken on the subject,and I will not enlarge upon it,only to say that if the people are to be deprived of all that is good in self-governinent by being turned over to self-constituted caucuses of aristocratic_politicians, we are just the body that ought to perpetrate that wrong, because we represent those self-constituted politicians and not the people. We are responsible, of course, to our constituents, but our constituents are the caucuses. The people had no choice in our election. To call us the representatives of the people is to talk mockery to them. They were bound to take those who were given to them by their leaders. They could do nothing else,and they pretended to do nothing else. A large proportion of us emanated at once from a committee of these gentlemen, and the rest of us were made by self-constituted committees of politicians in our respective counties and districts. So that if this deed is to be done, we are the proper parties to do it. We have already taken some steps towards depriving the people of the power of self-government when we require that they shall endorse their names upon their ballots, so that they cannot even secretly rebel against the decrees of these caucuses; and this step is an additional one in precisely the same direction. I doubt whether anybody elected by the people would have done as we did two or three days ago upon the salary question. After declaring that the Legislature has not virtue enough to be trusted to fix its own salary, we deliberately go to work and raise ours one hundred and fifty per cent. above what it was when we took the oath of office here, and decree it to those of us who work and those of us who stay away alike. However, I will say nothing more about that question at this time. It was a wrong that will meet with its proper rebuke at the proper time and place. I only say that if we had been |