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ports of all the presidents, were the difficulties which
were constantly occurring with the boatmen and miners.
There was no human being who could look with any de-
gree of complacency on this proposition to hand over to
these parties this entire work, without one particle of
security as to the condition in which it shall be returned,
except the bare, simple condition; that it must be in
the same state as now. It was not worth the paper it
was written on. But gentlemen say if things go wrong
we can come to the Legislature and get it back. But who
could expect to get it back with the active influences in
the Legislature that would be at work against them ? You
might as well attack Gibraltar with a pocket pistol as to
expect to get this canal back until these parties are paid.
To hand over this work to strangers—and he said strang-
ers after all that had been said—strangers to the work,
strangers to Maryland. If the Convention saw proper to
do it, let them do it, but never let any man who votes for
it ever after open his mouth at any encroachments on the
rights of others. Every man should hesitate before in-
troducing an element in the State which might be hostile
to the proper political interests of the people.
Mr. Stoddert said it was the duty of the State to foster
these great works, and after they were completed to
hand them over to private control. The canal had been a
living ulcer on the body politic, although it had developed
the mineral wealth of the State.
The committee then rose and reported progress, and
the Convention then took a recess until 8 P. M.
SEVENTY-FIRST DAY—EVENING SESSION.
Convention met at 8 o'clock, ninety-two members an-
swered to their names.
The Convention went into committee of the whole on
the report of the committee on public works and corpora-
tions, relative to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
Mr. Maulsby argued in support of his position, and
read statistics to prove that if the canal had been man-
aged after 1857 as in that year, it would at this time be
paying the interest on these bonds. Something could and
ought to be done to remedy the evil arising from misman-
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