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FRIDAY, July 15th, 1853.

The Convention assembled pursuant to adjournment, and was called to order by the President at nine o'clock.

Prayer by the Chaplain.

The Journal of yesterday's proceedings was read.

Orders of the Day.

On motion of Mr. BUTLER, of Lowell, the Convention proceeded to the consideration of the Orders of the Day.

Limitation of Speeches.

The PRESIDENT stated the first business in order to be the consideration of an order presented yesterday by the gentleman from Bernardston, (Mr. Cushman,) to limit the time allowed to each member to speak upon any question, to half an hour.

Mr. BUTLER observed, that he did not mean to oppose the adoption of the rule; but, he would remark, that we had for sometime had a rule of the Convention, limiting the speeches of members to an hour each, yet that rule had never been enforced in one single instance. Whenever a gentleman had consumed his hour without concluding his remarks, members would cry, "go on," "go on," and he would go on so long as he pleased. Under such circumstances, of course, it would be a personal matter for any gentleman to get up and object. He was in favor of limiting the debate, but he saw no benefit in adopting a rule you

[July 15th.

could not enforce, and gentlemen had better carry out their hour rule before they undertook to make any new ones upon the subject. Unless there could be an amendment to the order now before the Convention, which should limit gentlemen to half an hour, and then make general consent for them to go on, go for nothing, he thought the rule would be of little avail. He saw, very much, the need of curtailing the debate. He could say all he had to say, and more too, in the course of half an hour. And if any gentleman thought any good could be effected by the adoption of the order, it should have his vote.

Mr. CUSHMAN, of Bernardston, thought there was a great necessity for something of this kind to be adopted. The Convention were now in the eleventh week of their session. They had already consumed much more time than was expected when they commenced, and some measure should be adopted to bring their labors to a close. He appealed to gentlemen to say if, at this period of the session, half an hour was not long enough for any member to speak? The Convention would not listen patiently to them for a longer time. If they desired their speeches to produce an effect upon the Convention itself, they would certainly fail to accomplish the object by continuing them beyond that limit; and if they desired that their speeches should go upon the record for the perusal of posterity, they would be much more likely to be read by making them short.

In regard to the suggestion of the gentleman from Lowell, (Mr. Butler,) he thought it would

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