ificed our principles, but we would have
agreed--have brought our minds together as far as we could; we would
have left open as few questions as possible. These we would have
arranged by mutual concessions.

Mr. PRESIDENT, I speak as a merchant; I have a deep and abiding
interest in my country and its Government. I love my country; my heart
is filled with sorrow as I witness the dangers by which it is
surrounded. But I came here for _peace_. The country longs for peace;
and if these proposals of amendment will give us peace, the prayer of
my heart is, that they may be adopted. Believing such will be their
effect, I will vote for them. I would like to say much more, but I
will not occupy time that is now so valuable. Let us approach these
questions in a spirit of conciliation. Above all, let us agree upon
something. Let us do the best we can, and then let us go home and ask
the people to approve our action. The people will approve it, and
their approval will give us _peace_!

Mr. SMITH, of New York:--I did not propose to take any part in this
debate. The Conference is made up of men, many of whose names are
historical, and are intimately connected with the history of the
country. I preferred to leave the whole discussion to them.

But as we are all seeking a common end, there are some views which
have occurred to me that I thought should be presented, inasmuch as
they appear not to have engaged the attention of others. New York, I
am aware, has occupied considerable time, and I owe an apology on her
part for trespassing farther upon your time.

We are here in a family meeting. On one side Virginia thought the
parent was so ill that the family ought to be called together. I
thought yesterday that we were undergoing some family discipline--that
New York had in some way disgraced herself, and needed correction. I
did not know what she had done; but I supposed the reproof was
administered to her in a kindly spirit, though it was uncalled for.

The work proposed to us is, to be sure, a work of conciliation. But
call it by whatever name you may, nothing less is proposed than an
alteration of the Constitution. When we are asked to alter a
Constitution that was made by WASHINGTON and MADISON, under which the
country has grown to wealth and happiness, we certainly ought to
approach the subject with the utmost deliberation. If we were settling
family differences only, we would deliberate. How much more should we
do so when w