Dennis, Dashiell, Eccleston, Chambers of Cecil,
McCullough, Grason, George, Dirickson, Mc-
Master, Hearn, Fooks, Shriver, Gaither, Biser,
Annan, Sappington, McHenry, Nelson, Carter,
Thawley, Gwinn, Ware, Fiery, Neill, jr., John
Newcomer, Harbine, Brewer, Weber, Slicer,
Fitzpatrick, Smith, Parke, Shower, Cockey and
Brown.—42.
So the amendment was rejected,
The question then recurred on the adoption of
the original resolution of Mr. BRENT.
Mr. DORSEY desired to be informed by the
chair, whether all debate was cut off.
The PRESIDENT replied, that it was, because
the previous question had not yet been exhaus-
ted.
The question was then taken, and by ayes 45,
and nays 36, the resolution was adopted,
Mr. HICKS desired to offer as an original pro-
position the substitute amendment of which he
had given notice, and which was as follows:
Ordered, That Committee No. 14, be reques-
ted to inquire into and report to this Convention
the expediency of holding three night sessions
in each week, until the close of this Convention
for the purpose of giving members an opportuni-
ty to make personal explanations and fancy
speeches, that time and expense may thereby be
saved.
The President had awarded the floor to Mr.
DORSEY.
Mr. HICKS gave notice that he would offer his
resolution to-morrow morning.
Mr. JENIFER (whilst Mr. DORSEY was reduc-
ing to writing the proposition he intended to of-
fer) laid on the table the following order, which
he intended to call up hereafter :
Ordered, That it be incorporated among the
standing rules of this body, that no member shall
speak at one time longer than one hour, nor more
than one hour on the same question.
Mr. DORSEY then moved the following order:
Ordered, That the rule adopted as to the at-
tendance of members of this Convention shall
not apply to members who will state that the
cause of their absence was their necessary atten-
dance to the business of this Convention.
Mr. DORSEY said it seemed to him that the
precipitation with which the Convention was
required to act in its proceedings here, was
not becoming such a body. They had been
brought here for the purpose of deliberating
calmly and acting intelligently upon every subject
which might be brought before them. It
was their duty to devote to every subject such
portion of time as might be requisite to enable
them faithfully to discharge their duty in regard
to it. It appeared to him, from the discussion
which had taken place, that members thought
that all they had to do was to attend the com-
mittees, to agree, or disagree, to what might
there be done—and that that was the scope and
limit of their duties. Such was not his view.
He considered it as much his duty, as a member
of this Convention, to satisfy his own mind by all
proper investigation, whether the Report of a
Committee ought, or ought not, to be adopted in |
the terms and manner which they proposed, as
it would be to form his own conclusions, as a
member, of every particular, why he should agree
or disagree to its report. Take, for example,
the Report of the Committee on the Elective
Franchise. If he had been called upon to vote
upon that subject without having paid any atten-
tion to it, he should have been perfectly blind-
fold He believed that a dozen amendments were
necessary to carry out the wishes of the people on
that subject, and what he supposed to be the
wishes of the Convention. He considered the
labors which members should perform in their
rooms, quite as important as any which they were
called upon to perform here. They ought not
to act without a minute examination of what is
contained in the reports, nor without weighing
every word of every section they contained.
Otherwise they might form a Constitution which
the people would reject, as indeed, under such
circumstances, they ought to reject it.
Mr, BRENT interposed and explained that his
resolution contemplated that the name of no ab-
sent member should be entered on the Journal,
if he should report himself during the day.
Mr. DORSEY, expressing his entire knowledge
of the import of the resolution, proceeded to
say, that he was as anxious as any member of
the Convention could be; that its labors should
be brought to a close; but it was due to them-
selves, to the body and to the State, that full and
perfect consideration should be given to every
subject. He referred to a conversation which
lie had held, when last coming to Annapolis,
with a gentleman who was either a member of
the Virginia Reform Convention, or had been at-
tending its sessions, in which Mr. Henry A.
Wise ( a member of the latter) was said to have
declared in the Convention, that he would not
give a fig for any Constitution which was framed
in less than twelve months; and that if he had
been a member of the Legislature by which the
Convention was called, he would have offered a
provision declaring the Convention incompetent
to adjourn, or adopt a Constitution, in less than
six months. He (Mr. D.) did not mean to
say that this opinion accorded with his own
views. But he was willing to labor as long as
any man in the Convention to mature and make
the best Constitution which they could. He de-
sired to gratify each portion of the State so far
as it could be done consistently with the rights
of every other portion. But he thought that to
meet at the hour of ten, allowing no time for
exercise, and to act precipitately and without
due consideration on the subjects before them,
were unreasonable requirements.
Mr. MCLANE suggested to the gentleman from
Anne Arundel (Mr. DORSEY), so to modify his
proposition as to give it a retrospective action,
and to call upon every member to come up and
declare on his honor and conscience how long he
was absent and for what purpose. And he made
some remarks in support of the suggestion.
Mr. DORSEY said he would accept the modifi-
cation.
Mr. BRENT, of the city, replied to some of the |
