son assigned by certain gentlemen in his county,
for advocating the Convention was, that it would
be a means of getting rid of biennial sessions of
the Legislature, and returning to annual session).
Mr. T. read from the election returns of 1846,
to show the vote upon the biennial bill. Allega-
ny county gave a majority against the bill of 73;
Carroll 704; Baltimore county 133; Baltimore
city 694—while the majority for it in Washing-
ton was 751, and in Frederick only 8; the West-
ern Shore gave a majority against the bill of up-
wards of 1200 votes; the large majorities for the
bill were on the Eastern Shore. The majorities
in Prince Georges and Charles were 140 and
159—while the vote in Calvert and St. Mary's
shows a majority against the bill of 354. It was
a mistake, therefore, to assume that this biennial
bill had passed by such large majorities as to
leave no room to doubt what the vote of the
people would be at this time. On the Eastern
Shore it was passed as an anti-reform measure—
a device to keep off this Convention. The de-
sign having been frustrated, it might be reason-
able to say that even there, it was still an open
question.
Mr. BROWN said that a question had been put
to him by the gentleman from Worcester; and
the use which that gentleman had made of the
answer, rendered it his, (Mr. B's. ) duty, to make
Mine reply. The gentleman from Worcester
did not appear to him to understand the Constitu-
tion. The session of the Legislature is limited to
the tenth of March, and the Governor has the
power to call an extra session. The question
was agitated in the Legislature and obtained only
a few votes. It was said that the Governor
would have no objection to call the Legislature
together, as much business of importance was
laid over, which was proper and necessary to
carry on the operations of the Government. Such
was the fact in relation to that matter. The
particular part of the State from which these
biennial sessions are urged, made him somewhat
suspicious as to the object in view. The effort
comes from the Eastern Shore. And he would
ask those gentlemen if they intended to vote for
the Constitution if these biennial sessions were
provided for in it?
Mr. PHELPS said, if the gentleman asked him,
he would say "yes."
Mr. BROWN resumed. If the population basis
had prevailed, the gentleman would not. An-
other project has been agitated in this Hall.
Yesterday, he began, from what he had beard,
to think that we were to have no sessions of the
Legislature at all, but that it would be merely
necessary to send a joint committee here annually
to transact all the Legislative business. We
lay we have too much legislation, the people do
not think so; he supposed therefore it was inten-
ded by way of compromise, to have none at all,
except what could be done by a committee.
Never, until now, had he heard it laid down as
Democratic doctrine, that elections might be too
frequent. All the Constitutions which have been
framed from the time of Jefferson, contain the
clause in favor of frequent elections. He re-

peated what he had before stated as to the industry
of the last Legislature, and particularly of the
Baltimore delegation; and concluded with stating
that he intended to sustain the Democratic prin-
ciple of frequent elections and representation by
members.
Mr. DIRICKSON said:
He did not desire to detain the Convention but
a single minute, in reply to the remarks which
had just fallen. He was always gratified to
receive information from any source, though in
this particular instance, it was certainly unne-
cessary for the distinguished gentleman from
Carroll, to have given evidence of the possession
of inch profound Constitutional lore. Wonderful
and mysterious as the erudition might seem, be
had long been aware of the fact, that the present
Constitution contained no provision giving to the
legislature the right to call an extra session.
Nor did he (believe any other gentleman upon
the floor, had for an instant, understood him as
expressing any opinion or idea inconsistent with
that fact.
He was discussing the amendment which had
been presented by the gentleman from Queen
Anne's, (Mr. Spencer,) proposing to give this
power to the legislature, and was arguing as to
what might have been the consequences, had a
similar clause have been inserted in our present
Constitution. After the information which had
been as to the feeling of many of the body that
last occupied these halls, it was not difficult to
imagine that had there have been no organic or
constitutional barrier—an extra session might
this moment be holding its sittings and additional
thousands flowing from the Treasury.
In regard to what he had said in reference to
the confusion of our statutes produced mainly by
too frequent legislation, he begged leave to ad-
here to his original opinion. The most eminent
jurists of that body had sustained him by the ex-
pression of similar sentiments; and however tri-
fling and unimportant that objection might seem
to the powerful intellect of the gentleman over
the way, he should not be turned aside from his
course in seeking to eradicate the difficulty. He
could not refrain from congratulating the country
and the Convention, that genius had at length
been found, before which, that mystery and obscurity
of the laws, hitherto baffling so many,
would vanish away; and it was possible it might
be the evidence, that the age of perfection—the
very millennium—was well-nigh upon us.
Mr. BROWN said, he did not mean to say that
the gentleman from Worcester, did not under-
stand the Constitution, but only that he over-
looked some of its provisions.
Mr. RIDGELY said he had but a few words to
urge against the amendment of the gentleman
from Queen Anne's, (Mr. Spencer.) He should
confine his remarks to that subject, and not fol-
low the discussion, which bad wandered into a
consideration of the merits of annual or biennial
sessions; a question which he had supposed was
determined by the vote of yesterday. Before,
however, he proceeded, he would put a single
question to the gentleman from Queen Anne's.