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Mr. Gill hoped the Convention would give him time to
state his views on this subject. This was a subject of
great magnitude, and the interests of the city of Balti-
more were properly in the keeping of the Convention,
and he proposed to bring in a new article to the consti-
tution relating entirely to the city of Baltimore. His
friend from Baltimore county, (Mr. Wethered, ) had been
brought to his feet by the reference to the Union Railway.
He (Mr. G. ) did not profess to know all the facts about
this railroad, but he did know that in the present condi-
tion of the finances of Baltimore the endorsement of its
bonds was a most unwise thing. He proposed in this new-
article that the city of Baltimore should no longer have
the power to loan its credit to internal improvements.
The State of Maryland was no longer allowed to do so,
and neither should Baltimore be. He also proposed to
insert in this new article a provision that no new debt
should be created without the prior consent of the people
of the city and of the Legislature. Why did he do this?
To save the city from ruin, from being burnt up, as it
were. All his interest, all his property was in the city of
Baltimore, and he did not want it to be completely swal-
lowed up. There was a new city hall to be built, and to
whom were the contracts to be given? He would not
now go into this matter. The city council of Baltimore
met every year and sat nearly every day, while the Leg-
islature of Maryland met only once in two years, and
then was restricted to a limited session. He intended to
provide that the council should only sit for a certain num-
ber of days, that the mayor should be elected for four
years and be ineligible. There was no matter in which
the people of Baltimore, the taxpayers, were more deeply
interested than this subject, and they looked to this Con-
vention to afford them relief.
Mr. Wethered wished it to be perfectly understood that
there was no man in the State of Maryland who would be
less apt than he to defend the mayor and city council of
Baltimore. He had only desired to repel the charges made
against the Union Railroad.
The order was then adopted.
Mr. Dobbin presented a petition, numerously signed by
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