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Mr. Roman said the Governor of the State stood in the
same relation to this Convention as did the Treasurer
and Comptroller. These officers were elected only last
winter, they had done everything in their power to fa-
cilitate the calling of this Convention, and now the first
thing it proposed to do was to cut off their heads. As the
gentleman from Charles, (Mr. Mitchell, ) had stated, they
were most probably the most efficient officers the State
ever had.
In consequence of the numerous changes of votes, it
was found necessary to call the yeas and nays a second
time, when the bill was rejected by a vote of 49 yeas to
52 nays.
Mr. Watkins, of Montgomery, moved to reconsider the
vote passing the bill to a third reading.
Mr. McKaig said a reconsideration must take place or
the Convention would have to adjourn sine die, as there
could be no constitution.
The motion to reconsider was agreed to.
Mr. Roman then renewed his amendment. His object
in doing so was to prevent an invidious distinction be-
tween the chief officers of the State. It was true that
the judges and the clerks were to go by the board, for
there was a change of the system, but this was not the
case in regard to the jurisdiction of these officers.
Mr. Walsh doubted the propriety of the amendment.
The article had been thoroughly considered on its second
reading, and no proposition of this kind had been made,
and he saw no sufficient reason why it should be now
brought forward. He had been opposed to the article for
the reason that the treasurer was not made elective by
the people, but as the Convention had decided otherwise,
he felt it incumbent on him to vote for it. Upon what
principle were they now asked to support this amend-
ment ?
Mr. Merrick said if an exception was made in favor of
these two officers it would open a broad field of exception.
To carry out the principle, an exception would then have
to be made in favor of every clerk and register of wills in
the counties, and of all the judges of the Orphans' Courts.
It was alleged as a reason in favor of the retention of
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