The Daily Dispatch: April 1, 1861., [Electronic resource]

Evening session.

Mr. Goode, of Mecklenburg, moved a call of the roll.

The Chairman said it would not be in order to make a call of the House in Committee of the Whole.

Mr. Amuler, of Louisa, said it was in order to call the attention of the Chair to the fact that there was not a quorum present.

After some further debate, a count was made, and eighty members were reported present, constituting a quorum.

Mr. Carlile desired to supply a slight omission in the language of his substitute, and leave was granted.

Mr. Wise being entitled to the floor, resumed his remarks, and proceeded to criticise the propositions emanating from the Peace Conference, commenting sharply upon the positions relatively occupied towards the same by Messrs. Carlile, Summers, and Baldwin.--He required that one thing should be done before he would consent to remain in the present position. Restore the glorious old Union as it was, if it could be done. Any proposition that did less than this, he would fight to the very death. He begged gentlemen to remember that there were now three Unions--one South, one North, and the old Union that was destroyed. Virginia was not now in the Union, for that was gone; and no proposition that did not restore it, would suit his views.

Mr. Leake, of Goochland, followed, in a speech denunciatory of the Peace Conference propositions. In the course of his remarks he alluded to a resolution introduced early in the session, and now on the table, censuring Senators Mason and Hunter for their course in respect to the propositions. He hoped, since the evidence that had been adduced to-day that they were not acceptable to the Convention, that the mover would withdraw it, and introduce another, complimenting the Senators upon their action. He contended that Virginia ought no longer to be making propositions to the North, which had already turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.

Mr. Carlile, of Harrison, said that years ago, in the National House of Representatives, he had the temerity to remark that those who voted in favor of the Kansas- Nebraska act would live to regret it. He would now say that those who voted against his substitute would live to regret it. He might, as in the former case, be subjected to years of obloquy, but would again trust to time to vindicate his position. He hoped gentlemen would make specifications. They had heaped abuse upon the propositions, but he had been unable to learn in what respect they were objectionable.

Mr. Wise reminded the gentleman that the Committee of Twenty-one had made a long series of specifications against the propositions.

Mr. Carlile continued his argument in fa- vor of his substitute. He believed no good could come of a Border Conference. He was anchored upon the Peace Conference propositions, and if we let them go, we would be all at sea again. He believed that eventually the people of the seceded States would reconstruct the Union for themselves, and the men in power knew it, for they had refused to let them give an expression of sentiment on the subject. Another objection to the majority report was that it allowed too much time for the proposed settlement. Before responses could be had, a collision of the tariffs, he apprehended, would lead to civil war, of which Virginia would become the first victim. He believed that the Peace Conference propositions would not only receive an immense majority in Western Virginia, but also in Eastern Virginia, if the people had an opportunity of pronouncing upon them. After the close of Mr. Carlile's remarks.

Mr Nelson, of Clark, moved that the Committee rise, which was not agreed to.

Mr. Brown, of Preston, commenced a speech, when Mr. Branch of Petersburg, renewed the motion that the Committee rise, but withdrew it, and the motion was again made by Mr. Speed, of Campbell. Negatived.

Mr. Brown then resumed his speech in favor of the majority report, but without concluding, gave way for a motion that the Committee rise, which was submitted by Mr. Staples, of Patrick. Negatived — ayes 44, nots 53. Renewed by Mr. McGrew, and the same result followed. A good deal of confusion prevailed in the hall, and order was with difficulty restored.

Mr. Brown at length resumed and explained the reasons which influenced him to sustain the report of the majority in preference to the Peace Conference propositions.

Mr. Wickham said that as there were but ninety-seven members present, he thought it would scarcely be proper to take the vote this evening. He therefore moved that the Committee rise. Negatived.

Mr. Stuart, of Doddridge, was in favor of the Peace Conference propositions, but would vote against them in Committee, since they made no protest against coercion, nor did they provide for a Border Conference. He desired, however, that the majority report should be subjected to some amendment, before he could vote for its final adoption.

Mr. Summers, of Kanawha, defined his position in regard to the Peace Conference propositions. While he was satisfied that they would receive a large majority of the popular vote, he believed that the report of the committee would receive a still larger majority. since it removed all the objections that had been urged against the former. He by no means repudiated the Peace Conference propositions. nor did he think less of them than heretofore.

Mr. Wise replied, arguing that the two propositions — that of the Peace Conference and that of the committee — were not the same, but that the former had undergone essential changes.

The question was then put on the motion to strike out the report of the Committee and insert the substitute offered by Mr. Carlile, and resulted as follows:

Yeas.--Messrs. Burley, Carlile, Hubbard, and Poiter--4.

Nays.--Messrs. Ambler, Armstrong. Aston, Baylor, Berlin, Blakey, Blow, Jr., Boggess, Boisseau, Borst, Boyd, Branch, Brent, Brown, Bruce, Burdett, Byrne, Cabell, Campbell, Caperton, Carter, Chambliss, Chapman, Clemens, Coffman, Conn, C. B. Conrad, R. Y. Conrad, J. H. Cox, R. H. Cox, Custis Deskins, Dulany, Early, Echols, Fisher, Forbes, French, Fugate, Garland, Gillespie, Graham, Gravely, Gray, Goggin, J. Goode, Jr., T F. Goode, Addison Hall, Cyrus Hall, E. B. Hall, L. S. Hall, Hammond, Harvie, Haymond, Hoge, Holcombe, Holladay, Hull, Isbell, Jackson, Marmaduke Johnson, Peter C. Johnston, Kilby, Kindred, Lawson, Leake, Lewis, McComas, McGrew, McNeil, Charles, K. Mallory, James B. Mallory, Marshall, Marye, Sr., Maslin, Masters, Miller, Moffett, Morris, Morton, Moore, Neblett, Nelson, Orrick, Osburn, Parks, Pendleton, Preston, Price, Pugh, Richardson, Robert E. Scott, Seawell, Sharp, Sheffey, Sitlington, Speed, Spurlock, Staples, A. H. H. Stuart, Chapman J. Stuart, Strange, Summers, Sutherlin, Taylor, Thornton, F. P. Turner, Tyler. Waller. White, Whitfield, Wickham, Willey, Williams, Wilson, Wise, and Woods--116.

[Mr. Baldwin had paired off with Mr. Randolph, and Mr. Hughes with Mr. Wysor.]

So the motion to strike out and insert was decided in the negative.

On motion of Mr. Nelson, of Clarke, the Committee rose and reported progress.

Mr. Carlile moved an adjournment sine die; pending which,

On motion of Mr. Nelson, the Convention adjourned to meet again Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock.