Letter of Transmission. xxi
George of Cecil, Buchanan of Baltimore, Hooper and Sulivane of Dorchester,
Tilghman of Queen Anne's, and Wootton and Addison of Prince George's.
On June 27, there were four divisions. First, the House fixed the duty on
tobacco per hogshead exported, to provide a fund for the purchase of arms,
at three pence, not four pence, by a vote of 23 to 14. (The attendance for the
remainder of the Session never passed 40.) Those who voted for the higher
amount were the Anne Arundel delegates, Wilson of Kent, Smith of Calvert,
Harrison of Charles, Nicholas Goldsborough, Buchanan and Paca of Balti-
more, Tilghman and Hopper of Queen Anne's, Wootton and Stoddert of
Prince George's. When the question arose as to whether the proceeds of the
duty should be paid the treasurers of the Province or the Speaker, Smallwood
of Charles, Hyland of Cecil, Sheredine and Hall of Baltimore, Lecompte of
Dorchester, and Addison of Prince George's joined the opposition. The vote
was a tie, 20 to 20, and the Speaker decided it by voting for himself. Another
tie—19 to 19—arose on the question of passing the bill and was again broken
by the Speaker, who voted for the bill. Nicholas Goldsborough, Hopper, and
Wootton changed their votes.
Finally, by 20 to 15, the House voted to lay a duty to pay the Governor's
salary; the negative votes came from Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince
George's, from Nicholas Goldsborough, Hyland, Tilghman, and the Balti-
moreans (except Hall).
The yeas and nays were seven times called on June 30. By 26 to 12, the
House voted to agree to a change in the appointment of tobacco inspectors.
Wilson, the Anne Arundel delegation, Smith, Nicholas Goldsborough,
Buchanan, Hopper, Wootton, Stoddert, and Scarborough held out against it.
The next division, by 22 to 15, decided that the vestries should nominate, not
3 but 4, inspectors, the anti-Proprietarians voting for the less number. Thirdly,
the House voted, 24 to 13, to have the warehouses built at the expense of the
Provinces and not of the various counties, the anti-Proprietary party casting
the minority votes. Fourthly, the conferees were instructed to propose an
alteration in the fees mentioned in the bill. The affirmative votes were 25,
the negatives 13, all men who opposed the Proprietary interest. A deduction
of one fifth from the Commissary General's fees was voted, 21 to 18, the
majority again being a Proprietary one.
By the close vote of 20 to 19, the House voted that the inferior officers
might rate their tobacco at one fourth deduction. The Proprietary party won
here again; as they did, 23 to 16, on the question as to whether the Examiner
General's fees be rated in the same manner.
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