ized. I do not wish, however, to be understood
as advocating a profuse expenditure of public
money for any of those objects—far from it. At
a proper time I shall vote for a limit upon the
powers of the Legislature over State credit. But
I do advocate by the Legislature a recognition of
any and every interest which contributes to make
up the whole body politic, and to sustain and sup-
port the Government. Nay, farther; I advocate such
an employment of the means of the State, as in the
judgment of the Legislature may be necescary to
aid useful associations whose object and tendency
is to make us more intelligent more virtuous, more
useful and happier, and better citizens. That
some of the objects enumerated in the article
proposed have been well patronized by the State,
is abundantly proved by an examination of the
past acts of Assembly. Literature, for example,
including law and medicine, has received a very
large share of patronage from the State, while
associations for the general diffusion of know-
ledge and virtue among the people have been
neglected. It may perhaps be new to some to
learn, that the State has endowed a professorship
of law to the tune of $14,200.
And here, Mr. President, permit me to re-
mark, that if I could believe, that human nature
were as weak as has been argued upon this floor,
I possibly might be induced to vote to exclude a
much larger class, from all future Conventions,
than has been proposed. But I believe no such
thing. And while I admit the weakness and
frailty of human nature, unaided by reason, by
judgment, and by conscience. I must know that
these faculties are given to us to check and con-
trol the waywardness of our nature. I can then
well understand, where reason and judgment are
directed by sound principles, how man can act
superior to his nature; and from a sense of jus-
tice, and lofty motives of patriotism, rise supe-
rior even to his own personal interest or partizan
feeling.
But to return from this digression.
For a professorship of law, - -$14,200
Of medicine, for chemical apparatus - 6,500
For arts and sciences, - - - 2,000
For infirmary, ----- 3,800
Besides this the State has granted to the same
University, located in the city of Baltimore, a
lottery for - - - - - $100,000
And a loan of State bonds to the amount
of------- 30,000
And at a period of her heaviest financial de-
pression, relinquished an annual interest of about
$1500 upon this loan; which is equivalent to an
annual donation of that amount.
Why the law school has never gone into ope-
ration, I leave the gentlemen of the bar from the
city to answer—it is certainly no fault of the leg-
islature.
Besides this, State bonds to the amount of $97-
947 30, have been issued for the Penitentiary,
also located in Baltimore, and I apprehend chief-
ly for the accommodation of her citizens. In ad-
dition to this, $3,000 have been appropriated by
the State to build the greatest ornament to your
city—the lofty column raised to perpetuate the
memory of the father of his country.

Against all this, I utter not one word of complaint,

Again, sir; the inspection laws. For whose ben-
efit are they? For the farmers or for the mer-
chant; and who pays the cost? If I buy and sell
in the country, as farmers and millers sometimes
do, I have to depend upon my own judgment;
but if I take a load of flour to Baltimore before I
can sell it, I must pay for its inspection; and when
I buy plaster or guano in return I find inspection
charged upon my bill. So all this handsome rev-
enue from the city of Baltimore, which entitles
her to so much credit for patriotism and distinc-
tion upon the books of the Treasury, ashad been
claimed, will be found to have been wrung from
the hard earnings ofthe farmer, to save your cit-
izens the trouble of exercising a little judg-
ment for themselves.
From an examination of the Treasurer's re-
port, it appears that the State received—
For wood hucksters, paid by the sel-
ler, . . . . 873 00
Hay scales, paid by the seller, 854 95
Livestock scales, paid by the seller, 15,018 58
And from the tobacco inspection,
clear nett revenue, . .30,217 00
This latter fund is exclusively devoted to
building up large warehouses to adorn and add
to the wealth of your city. The inspection of
one dollar per hogshead has been removed to
gull the planters, but the outage of $1.25 from
which this fund is derived, is retained and constitutes
a charge against the price of the article,
when the planter goes to sell.
Against the injustice and practical working of
these inspection laws I do object. Again, sir.
We come to commerce: Commerce, is (leaned by
lexicographers, to be the exchange of commodi-
ties or the connection of one section of country
with another. And how shall I begin to count the
State's patronage and encouragement to this
branch of my article? Neither by hundreds or by
thousands, or by tens of thousands or hundreds
of thousands—but by millions.
For the encouragement of commerce the little
State of Maryland has gone in debt $15, 424 -
381 46.
For the encouragement of agriculture $1,-
000,000.
Except an appropriation of $500, ($6,000 00
less than was given to the Medical University as
has been shown,) to purchase an apparatus for
the State Chemist, and his salary since his ap-
pointment, only three years ago up to last year of
but $1,500.
What a miserable, pitiful, niggardly exhibit is
here presented against agriculture—the great lead-
ing interest of the State—the interest which has
built up your city, freighted your ships, and sus-
tains your lines of internal commerce. And how
soon is this pitiful encouragement to agriculture
swallowed up for the benefit of commerce? Let
the tax bills from Worcester to Allegany answer.
They furnish an array of living witnesses, a
mountain of certificates, which all the eloquence
and ingenuity of her bar, distinguished as it is,
cannot weaken or obliterate.