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Mr. MERRICK said, that if any postponement
was to take place, he should be glad, in view of
some private matters which required his atten-
tion, that the postponement should be to a less
distant day than had been moved.
Mr. BROWN suggested a postponement to
Thursday next.
Mr. PRESSTMAN submitted, as a question of
order to the chair, whether after the resolution
should have been taken up, it -would be in order
for gentlemen to submit plans for apportionment,
and whether these plans would then be before
the Convention for action, without the necessity
of referring them to the committee on represen-
tation.
If so, he was in favor of taking up the resolu-
tion. He was opposed to referring the matter
again to the committee in any form whatever.
The PRESIDENT said, it was his impression that
it would be in order for the Convention to engraft
any proposition it might think proper, on the
report of the committee, without referring that
proposition.
Mr. PRESSTMAN said, he was entirely opposed
to the action of the Committee. He agreed with
gentlemen who had expressed the opinion that
this was but an abstraction. Gentlemen had been
sent here for the most part with power to carry
out the direct wishes of their people, and they
knew as well now how they stood, as they ever
would know.
The question of representation according to
population, he considered as settled — settled be-
yond the power of resurrection. The election
had settled that point. He was not in favor of
discussing it; and he was opposed to all discus-
sion upon the subject, unless directed to some
practical plan. He should vote at all times for
the basis of representation according to popula-
tion, but he could not close his eyes to the fact,
that upon that question he was in a very small
minority. He preferred, therefsre, that the dis-
cussion should be confined to some liberal plan
of compromise, and he believed that there were
gentlemen in the Convention who had such plans
to offer, without the intervention of the commit-
tee. He hoped that the committee would never
again have charge of the subject. And he gave
notice that he should himself offer a plan, look-
ing to a compromise.
Mr. KILGOUR was in favor of the postponement.
The members of the Convention, he said, were
now in good humor with each other, and the
longer they remained so, the better it would be,
not only for themselves, but for the accomplish-
ment of the objects which had called them to-
gether. If there was any question which would
excite the minds of members and lead to irrita-
tion and ill-feeling, it was this. And if they
get mad, one with another, (laughter,) what sort
of a Constitution did gentlemen suppose they
would make ? He hoped the consideration of
the subject would be postponed until every other
had been disposed of.
Mr. DASHIELL. As we have already entered
upon the discussion, I hope that the motion to
postpone may be withdrawn,
Mr. DENT. I do not feel at liberty to with-
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draw the motion. I can see no practical good
that is to result from the discussion now; and I,
therefore, persist in the motion.
Mr. BROWN enquired whether it would not bo
competent for any gentleman to submit a plan
of representation, and then to move are-commit-
ment with instructions to report that plan.
The PRESIDENT. The Chair thinks it would
be in order.
Mr. BROWN. Then I move to postpone the
consideration of the subject to Thursday next.
Mr. BRENT, of Baltimore city, referred to the
fact, that at an early stage of the session, he had
been in favor of postponement; but the sense of
the Convention had been against it. This was
a most important question, and when the Con-
vention took it up, they should give their entire
and undivided attention to it. He thought the
Convention was not prepared to consider it now,
and he hoped that it might be postponed gener-
ally, and that the Convention would proceed to
the consideration of the Bill of Rights.
Mr. SPENCER hoped, he said, that the Conven-
tion would take up the resolution reported by the
chairman of the committee on representation,
that it might be determined whether it would, or
would not give these instructions to the commit-
tee. It was his intention, at the proper time, to
move that the report be referred back to the com-
mittee, with instructions to report a specific plan.
If the committee could not agree let majority
and minority reports be made. He was opposed
to all discussion on abstractions.
Mr. TUCK suggested that the Convention could
not shut out the discussion on abstractions. Jf
gentlemen were prepared to enter upon such
a discussion, it must unavoidably come; — it
might as well corne now as at any time, and,
when once over, gentlemen would be ready to
give their votes upon some substantive proposi-
tion. He thought time would be saved by refu-
sing to postpone the consideration of the ques-
tion. He should, therefore, vote against the
postponement, and in favor of all motions to take
up the subject at once.
Mr. GWINN said, it was immaterial to him
whether the question was referred back to the
committee or not. He knew very well that that
committee could not agree upon any thing, un-
less they should receive specific instructions from
the Convention. But he must say, in reply to
the remark of a gentleman who had preceded
him, that there had never been in the history of '
the country an instance in which this question of
representation had been taken up and acted upon
from beginning to end without interruption. In
support of this assertion, he cited the instance of
the Convention that framed the old Constitution
of the State of Virginia. It was not to be imagin-
ed that a question of this magnitude could be
disposed of in one day. Debate must take place,
and the result might be a compromise upon all
matters involved. As a mere individual,, he
considered himself instructed to insist upon the
principle of representation according to popula-
tion. The people whom he represented believ-
ed that to be the true and honest doctrine; and he
would never think of any plan of compromise,
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