417]           The Maryland Constitution of 1864.              71

after a certain period of good behavior, or consequent
upon legislative action.¹²⁸ The provision which required
the General Assembly to provide by law for taking the
votes of soldiers in the. army of the United States serving
in the field¹²⁹ will be considered later, as the main oppo-
sition centered around this entirely new provision when it
was applied to the vote on the ratification of the Consti-
tution.¹³⁰

The new instrument showed a number of changes in
regard to state officials, and the positions they occupied.
In the Executive Department the old "Gubernatorial Dis-
tricts," from each of which the Governor was chosen in
turn,¹³¹ were abolished, thus doing away with a useless and
cumbersome institution. The salary of the chief executive
was raised from $3600 to $4ooo.¹³² A proposal to give him
the veto power was speedily tabled by the Convention,
which considered this an unnecessary departure from the
custom of the past¹³³ As the judiciary and most of the
other state officers were to be elected his appointing power
was small.

The office of Lieutenant-Governor was created—an en-
tirely new departure for the State of Maryland. The same
qualifications and same manner and time of election were
prescribed as in the case of the Governor. This new
officer was to preside over the Senate with the right of a
casting vote in case of a tie, and was also to succeed to the
office of the Executive, in case of the "death, resignation,
removal from the state, or other disqualification" of the
latter. He was to receive no salary but the same compensa-
tion as that allowed the Speaker of the House of Delegates
during the sessions of the General Assembly.¹³⁴ The creation
of this office was an idea which originated in the Conven-

¹²⁸ Proc., 474-5.           ¹²⁹ Art. 1, sec. 2.           ¹³⁰ See pages 88-90.

¹³¹ There were three districts—Eastern Shore, Western Shore,
and western part of the state. See Cons. 1850-1, Art. ii, sec. 5.
¹³² Article ii, section 22. ¹³³ Deb., ii, 898. ¹³⁴ Art. ii, sec. 6-10.