I AM now to approach a period in the political history of this state when an event occurred, in a measure unprecedented in any other part of the world, but which, highly to the honor of this country, and fortunately for its inhabitants, is not unusual in the United States. The event to which I allude, is a change, by the will of a majority of the people, peaceably and constitutionally expressed, of some of the important and fundamental principles of the government-I say important and fundamental principles, because the sovereign power of creating the executive and one branch of the legislative department of the government was, in a measure, transferred from one class of men to another, and because the power of disposing of nearly the whole patronage of the state was actually changed; and, I may add, that one branch of the law making power was abolished, and the functions held and exercised by that department, transferred to an individual. In past ages, in every other country, such a change could only have been effected by physical force, here it was brought about by moral power.

1

The bill to amend and revise the constitution of the state of New-York, became a law on the 13th of March. By this law, which had been sanctioned by an immense majority of the people, delegates to propose alterations and amendments to the constitution, were to be elected on the third Tuesday of June, 1821. The people of the state, in pursuance of this recommendation, which by their vote they had virtually sanctioned at the annual election in April, elected delegates from the several counties of the state.

In most of the counties the selection of the delegates was made a party question, and a very large majority of those who were chosen belonged to the democratic party. The county of Oneida, however, furnished an exception to this rule of action. From that county Nathan Williams, Jonas Platt, Henry Huntington and Ezekiel Bacon, were elected. Mr. Williams was a democrat, Judge Platt had been a uniform federalist ever since the election of John Jay as governor, and Mr. Huntington and Mr. Bacon were republican Clintonians.

The members of this grand convention assembled at Albany, on the 28th of August. When convened, they presented an array of talent, political experience, and moral worth, perhaps never surpassed by any assemblage of men elected from a single state.

The following gentlemen were among the most distinguished of those who were elected by the democratic party: From New-York, Nathan Sanford, Jacob Radcliff, William Paulding, Henry Wheaton, Ogden Edwards and Peter Sharpe; from Oneida, Nathan Williams; from Orange, John Duer; from Cortland, Samuel Nelson, who was then a young man, and, for the first time, made his appearance in public life, but who is now chief justice of the state; from Otsego, Martin Van Buren, who, though not a resident of the county, was elected by the people

of that county, under an impression that the public good required that he should participate in the proceedings of the convention; from the county of Richmond, Daniel D. Tompkins, vice-president of the United States; from Saratoga, Samuel Young; from Schoharie, Jacob Sutherland, who also, then for the first time, made his appearance in public life, but who was afterwards a judge of the supreme court; from Delaware county, Erastus Root; and from Queens county, Rufus King, of whom, as a man eminent for his talents and standing, I need not speak, except to state, that, although from the organization of the government down to 1820, when Clinton was reelected governor, he was a consistent and uniform federalist, but, at that election, his sons, and it is presumed, that he also, preferred the election of Tompkins to that of Clinton; and from that circumstance, connected with his election as United States senator in the fall session of 1820, by the New-York legislature, he was claimed as a democrat, and elected as such, a delegate to the state convention, by the democrats of the county of Queens.

Among the distinguished men who were chosen members of this body, belonging to the other party, may be numbered Stephen Van Rensselaer, James Kent, Ambrose Spencer and Abraham Van Vechten, from Albany county; William W. Van Ness, Elisha Williams and J. Rutsen Van Rensselaer, from the county of Columbia; Peter A. Jay, of Westchester county, who, even if he had not been the son of the great and good John Jay, would notwithstanding have been regarded as one of the first order of men; and Judge Platt and Ezekiel Bacon, of the county of Oneida.

Gen. James Tallmadge, heretofore a very zealous Clintonian, had been elected from the county of Dutchess, on the same ticket with Peter R. Livingston. These gentlemen, for a long time previously, had been strenuously opposed to each other. Their election must have been

produced by an union of political parties in Dutchess, for the purpose of the election of delegates to the convention. Such an union, if formed solely with the view of selecting the most competent men to re-model and revise the constitution, was certainly laudable, and this may have induced the people of Dutchess county to elect Mr. Livingston and Mr. Tallmadge; at the same time the veracity of history requires me to state, that in no part of NewYork were political bargains more common than among some of the politicians of Dutchess county, and that Mr. Livingston and Mr. Tallmadge were prominent party leaders in that county.

When the delegates assembled they were called to order by Gen. Root, who, in a brief but very appropriate speech, pointed out the objects of the assemblage. It would seem that one hundred and ten delegates were present; for Daniel D. Tompkins received ninety-four votes for the office of president, and there were sixteen scattering votes.

John F. Bacon and Samuel L. Gardner were appointed clerks of the convention, and Wm. L. Stone, Nathaniel H. Carter, M. T. C. Gould, Levi H. Clarke and Moses I. Cantine, were admitted within the bar as stenographers.

Mr. Carter and Col. Stone published an account of the proceedings of the convention, and the history hereafter given of what occurred in that body is mainly collected from the work published by them.*

On the morning of the 30th of August the convention again assembled, when Mr. Rufus King, after some preliminary remarks, made a motion for the appointment of a committee to consist of thirteen members, whose duty it

* Since this chapter was written I have ascertained, from unquestionable au thority, that the labor of reporting and preparing for the press the proceedings of the convention, was performed almost solely by Col. Stone. The accuracy with which the speeches of members is given has never, I believe, been questioned.

The ability and impartiality evinced by the reporter entitle him to the respect and gratitude of the public.

should be to consider and report the manner in which it would be convenient to take up the business of the convention. The motion was agreed to, and Mr. King of the county of Queens, Mr. Sanford of the county of NewYork, Mr. Tallmadge of the county of Dutchess, Mr. Root of the county of Delaware, Mr. Kent of the county of Albany, Mr. Pitcher of the counties of Washington and Warren, Mr. Sheldon of the county of Montgomery, Mr. N. Williams of the county of Oneida, Mr. Yates of the county of Schenectady, Mr. Birdseye of the county of Onondaga, Mr. Nelson of the county of Cortland, Mr. Swift of the county of Ontario, and Mr. Russell of the county of Niagara, were appointed members of the committee.

This committee, on the same day, reported:

1st. That so much of the constitution as related to the legislative department, be referred to a committee to take into consideration the expediency of making any, and if any, what alterations therein, and to report such amendments as they may deem expedient; and on this committee Messrs. King, Kent, Paulding, Sage, Rose, Ten Eyck and Lawrence, were appointed.

2nd. The same resolution with respect to the executive department; and Messrs. Sheldon, Wendover, Huntington, Yates, Stagg, Pitcher and Hogeboom were appointed on this committee.

3d. The same with respect to the judiciary department; and the committee appointed consisted of Messrs. Munro, N. Williams, J. Sutherland, Sylvester, Wheaton, Duer and Wheeler.

4th. The same in relation to the council of revision; and Messrs. Tallmadge, Platt, Ward, Nelson, Brooks, Russell and Van Horne, were appointed members of this committee.

5th. The same with respect to the power of appointment to office; and this committee was composed of