for ten years, and they are in most instances
made re-eligible to the same offices. If these
most important, and truly responsible offices, can
I be held in accordance with the spirit and genius
of the Government, for these respective terms.
If their terms of service are not in conflict with
this cardinal principle in the Bill of Rights, with
the doctrine of frequent elections, and frequent
accountability to the people, he would respectful-
ly, but earnestly inquire, where is the fearful, the
awful danger, to be apprehended from the elec-
tion of Delegates, to the General Assembly, for
the term of two years ? He must be permitted
to say, that these dangers existed alone in the
excited imaginations of gentlemen. Your Sena-
tors in Congress, as well as in your Slate, hold
their positions for six years, without exciting the
slightest apprehension of danger; without alarm-
ing the fears of any one. Yet, gentlemen are
startled, absolutely horrified, at the momentous
consequences, which will befal the State, be-
cause, members of the House of Delegates, are
not returned each and every year. They would
have us belief, that the safety and perpetuity of
our republican institutions were put in absolute
peril, by this amendment, and that our dearest
rights, and brightest hopes would be endangered
by its adoption, by this House. Mr. P. said for
his part, he bad no such apprehensions. He had
no doubt the morrow's sun would shine quite as
bright, and the sky would be quite as clear, if
this provision be incorporated upon the Constitu-
tion, as if rejected. Yea, sir, our political hori-
zon will be much brightened, by its adoption, and
this Convention, .in his opinion, elevated in pub-
lic estimation. The people not only expect it,
but they will demand it at our hands.
The great question at issue, Mr. President, and
the only one, entitled to the grave consideration
of this enlightened Assembly is, does the public
interest require annual sessions of the Legisla-
ture? Is the condition of the State such, as to
demand the presence of the General Assembly,
at the seat of Government once in twelve months ?
Will the prosperity, and happiness of the people
of Maryland be promoted, by the return to an-
nual sessions of the Legislature? These are
questions which this Convention is called upon to
decide, and it is to be hoped, their decision will
resalt in the good of the Commonwealth.
Mr. P. said he would now call upon honorable
gentlemen around him, to calmly and dispassion-
ately examine these propositions, and he called
upon them to show the necessity of this constant
and ever accumulating amount of legislation.
The great questions connected with the inter-
nal improvement policy of the State are now set-
tled, and he hoped once and forever. Your Chesapeake
and Ohio canal has already reached Cum-
berland. The Baltimore and Ohio rail road was
stretching rapidly acre's the Alleghanies, and
ere long is destined to tap the Ohio river. Your
Tidewater canal and your Susquehanna rail road
are already finished, to say nothing of your Wash-
ington and Annapolis and Elkridge rail roads.
These great internal improvement schemes which
for the time bad so paralyzed the energies of the
people of Maryland and so signally embarrassed

the public treasury, require no further 'legisla-
tion. But it is to be hoped they will soon be in
a condition to make at least partial returns for
the vast amount of the public treasure which they
have cost. These subjects were, therefore, he
hoped/not again to be agitated in these halls.
The financial condition of the State, at one
time, was such as to require annual sessions of
the Legislature. But a few years since there
was an' annual accumulation of interest upon the
public debt of from three to four hundred thou-
sand dollars. The public credit was dishonored.
The faith and honor of Maryland was a by-word
in other and distant lands, and repudiation even
in these halls stood unrebuked These dark and
damning clouds, Mr. President, have passed away
once and forever. A brighter and more glorious -
sun has dawned upon the people of Maryland.
Our public faith is fully redeemed, and we stand
at all times ready to meet our engagements. Not
only so, but we have some three or four hundred
thousand dollars surplus annually, to apply to the
extinguishment of the principal of the public
debt. From this truthful statement, it is evident
that the finances of the State do not require an
annual supervision by the Legislature.
Where then, is the necessity of returning to
annual sessions of the General Assembly ? What
is the nature and character of the great and al-
most entire amount of our legislation? Why
sir, mere local enactments for local and private
parposes, and in many instances, at least, are of
no public or even private utility.
It has been alleged mat at the last session of
the Legislature, it being the first under the biennial
bill, that more than five hundred bills and resolu-
tions had passed the General Assembly. Be it
so; and not unfrequently the number under an-
nual sessions had at least approximated this
amount of legislation.
Mr. P. said, he had carefully examined the na-
ture and character of those enactments about
which gentlemen talk so much, and he had as-
certained that out of this number, there was one
hundred and fifty-five acts of incorporation.
Nearly one third of the entire legislation of the
last year was taken up by enactments of this sort.
He had had some experience upon this branch
of the public service, having in the Senate of
Maryland, been a member of the committee on
corporations, and he could testify to the amount
of trouble and vexation occasioned by this spe-
cies of legislation. These bills were always ex-
ceedingly lengthy, requiring much time for their
consideration, both in committee and before the
legislature. There was a committee in this body
raised upon this subject, and he felt confident
that that committee would provide by a Consti-
tutional enactment, that the legislature hereafter
should part forever with the power of passing
these laws, and that the power should devolve
elsewhere. This could be done even by the pas-
sage of a general law, defining the manner and
conditions upon which companies could incorpo-
rate themselves.
Again, there was out of this number twenty-
one laws passed to dissolve that most holy and
solemn obligations of the) marriage agreement,