[December  9,  1846]

Madison,  December  4,  1846
J.  C.  BuNNER  Esq.  :  On  Friday  morning  last  the  first  business  of
any  importance  was  a  resolution  previously  offered  by  Mr.  Strong
of  your  county,  so  altering  the  standing  rules  as  to  allow  any  ten
members  to  call  for  a  vote  on  any  section  of  the  constitution  as
previously  adopted  in  the  several  articles,  and  then  if  a  majority
should  not  vote  for  it,  the  section  to  be  rejected  from  the  constitu-
tion. Mr.  Baker  offered  an  amendment  authorizing  any  twenty
niembers  to  offer  new  matter  in  a  similar  manner.  During  some  dis-
cussion of  this  resolution  and  amendment,  in  which  all  the  old  bank
and  antibank  feeling  became  once  again  reexcited,  Mr.  Strong  of
Iowa  raised  a  question  of  order  whether  it  would  not  require  a  vote
of  two-thirds  to  carry  this  resolution  altering  the  standing  rules,  the
rules  so  providing  in  express  terms.  Everyone  knew  it  could  never
get  such  a  vote,  and  Mr.  President  decided  that  a  majority  would
carry  it,  in  utter  disregard  of  the  rule  requiring  a  two-thirds*  vote
to  alter  the  standing  rules.  From  this  most  unjust  decision  Mr.
Strong  appealed,  pending  the  discussion  of  which  the  morning  hour
expired.  So  you  see  it  is  yet  to  be  determined  whether  the  conven-
tion has  again  to  travel  over  all  the  old  ground.  God  knows  the
time  or  character  of  the  result  if  such  should  be  the  decision  of  the
convention.
