AFTERNOON SESSION.
Senate bills 106, (p. 127;) 107, 109, (p. 128;) 110, (p. 129;) 112 to 118 inclusive, (p. 146;) 119, (introduced yesterday;) and joint resolutions 11, (p. 135;) and 12, (146;) were read the second time and appropriately referred.
House bills 17 and 23 (p. 46;) 48, (p. 57;) 57, 58. (p. 57;) 62, (p. 68;) 78, 82, 83. (p. 82;) 87, (p. 85;) 97, (p. 94;) 107, 110, 114, (p. 109;) 117, 119, (p. 110;) 128, 129, 133, (p. 112;) 139, (p. 119;) and 145, (p. 121;) were read the first time.
Mr. RAY presented the following:
MR. PRESIDENT :
During the present session of the Senate, the undersigned has witnessed, with regret, the action of the Senate in granting leave of absence to members to leave the Capital, and their eats in this Hall, to return to their homes to attend to their private business, leaving the Senate for many days without a quorum to do legislative business.
He has likewise witnessed with regret the repeated adjournments, extending from Saturday forenoon to Monday afternoon. He has also witnessed with regret the liberty that members of this body take in absenting themselves from their seats for days without leave of the Senate--all of which has been done contrary to his conviction of public duty and against his opposition expressed by votes and otherwise.
And inasmuch as the session is more than half expired without adequate fruits of legislative industry; and inasmuch as the Democratic party will be held measurably responsible for the aforesaid grievances; and inasmuch as the Senate on this day has granted leave of absence for several days to the Senators from Miami, from Clinton and from Bartholomew, against the vote of the undersigned; therefore he protested, and does now protest, against all and several the above enumerated grievances, against any repetition or continuance of the same, as impeding legislation by an abandonment of public duty, as injustice to those that remain, by throwing upon them the responsibilities of all legislation,as a reproach to the Democracy, by leaving them to vindicate in the future a line o policy which no one can approve or defend in the present.
He asks this protest to be spread on the journal of the Senate.
M. M. RAY,
The protest was also signed by
PARIS C. DUNNING, S. K. WOLFE, A. J. DOUGLASS, P. HOAGLAND.