years next preceding his election a resident
of the State."
Mr. ABBOTT. I would like to know whether
the committee intend that a foreigner shall be-
come the governor of this State, after having
been here five years ?
Mr. MILLER, After being five years a natu-
ralized citizen, certainly. That has always
been the provision of the constitution, and he
mast be here five years before he can be natu-
ralized.
Mr. THURSTON. The fifth section requires
amendment, unless there is some part of the
article which requires a person to be a citizen
of this State in order to be eligible. He can
be a resident without being a citizen. He
may be a citizen of the United States, and for
five years a resident of this State, and not be
a citizen of this State. A great many people
come here and reside and do not become citi-
zens. It would relieve the section from all
ambiguity to say that a person to be eligible
for governor shall be for five years a citizen
of the United States and of this State, and a
resident of this State for five years next pre-
ceding the election. However, I merely make
the suggestion, and do not propose any amend-
ment.
Mr. ABBOTT. I move to strike out the words
"and been for five years a," and insert the
words "be a native born," and insert the
words "have been," before the words "five
years," where those words last occur. The
tion will then read :
"A person to be eligible to the office of gov-
ernor, must have attained the age of thirty
years, be a native born citizen of the United
States, and have been for five years next pre-
ceding his election a resident of the State."
Mr. VALLIANT, I move to amend that which
is proposed to be stricken out, by striking out
the word " five" and insert the word " ten,"
so as to require a person to be ten years a cit-
izen of the United States, to be eligible for
governor.
The PRESIDENT stated the first question to
be upon the amendment of Mr. VALLIANT,
Mr. SANDS, I do hope that amendment will
not prevail at this time, when so many men
from other lands are perilling life and limb
upon the battle-fields of our common country
I would be very loth to see those with whom
I have the pleasure of acting adopt any amend-
ment to this section which looks like making
discrimination against a man on account of
the place of his birth. In past times, under
former circumstances, when we could not be-
lieve that American citizens would ever raise a
hand against their own government, it was
wise and well, I believed, that the places of
trust should be held by native-born citizens
But experience has shown that some who love
our country best were not born on its soil
And I never will again, so long as I live, by
word or deed, countenance any discrimination |
against them. We owe them too much at this
day to do that.
Mr. VALLIANT, The gentleman is willing to
vote for the section as it stands. The word
"five" is some little discrimination; the word
" ten " is only a little more.
Mr. ABBOTT. I probably have as much sym-
pathy for people in other parts of the world,
as my friend across the way (Mr, Sands.)—
But I have never seen that man whom I
thought fit to be governor of this State, who
was not born in America, who was not edu-
cated in this country from his youth up to
the age of thirty or forty years. I have no
belief that any other man is capable of gov-
erning a people like those of our State, or of
any other State in this Union. I would as
soon see one of them President of the United
States, as to see one governor of this State.
I think it is sufficient for them to come here
and enjoy the benefits of our free government,
without coming here to rule us.
The question was then taken upon the mo-
tion of Mr. VALLIANT to strike out the word
"five" and insert the word "ten, " and it
was rejected.
The question then recurred upon the mo-
tion of Mr. ABBOTT to so amend the section
as to require a person to be a native born
citizen of the United States to be eligible to
the office of governor.
Mr. SANDS called the yeas and nays on this
question, and they were ordered.
The question was then taken, by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 3, nays 51—as fol-
lows :
Yeas—Messrs. Abbott, Bond, King—3.
Nays—Messrs. Goldsborough, President ;
Annan, Audoun, Berry, of Prince George's,
Billingsley, Brooks, Brown, Carter, Clarke,
Crawford, Cunningham, Cushing, Daniel,
Davis, of Charles, Davis, of Washington,
Dellinger, Earle, Ecker, Edelen, Galloway,
Hopkins, Hopper, Jones, of Somerset, Keefer,
Kennard, Lee, Mayhugh, McComas, Mitchell,
Miller, Mullikin, Murray, Nyman, Parker,
Pugh, Purnell, Robinette, Russell, Sands,
Schlosser, Scott, Smith, of Carroll, Smith, of
Dorchester, Smith, of Worcester, Stirling,
Stockbridge, Swope, Thomas, Thruston,
Todd, Valliant, Wickard— 51.
The amendment was accordingly rejected.
No further amendment was offered to the
fifth section.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
The sixth section was then read as follows:
"Sec. 6. A lieutenant governor shall be
chosen, at every regular election for govern-
or, in the same manner to continue in office
for the same time and possess the same quali-
fications as the governor. In voting for gov-
ernor and lieutenant governor the electors
shall state for whom they vote as governor,
and for whom as lieutenant governor."
Mr, SCOTT. This is a novel provision in |
