ayes and noes on the motion to lay the motion to
reconsider on the table, and
They were ordered.
The question was then taken,
And decided as follows:
Affirmative.—Messrs. Lee, Chambers of Kent,
Donaldson, Dorsey, Randall, Sellman, Buchan-
an, Welch, McLane, Fooks, Shriver, Biser, Mc-
Henry, Nelson, Schley, Fiery, Neill, John New-
comer, Harbine, Brewer, Weber, Slicer, Smith,
Parke, Shower, Cockey and Brown—37.
Negative—Messrs. Blakistone, President, pro-
tent., Dent, Hopewell. Wells, Dalrymple, Jenifer,
Ridgely, Dickinson, Sherwood, of Talbot, Cris-
field, Dashiell, Williams, Hicks, Hodson, Ec-
cleston Phelps. Bowie, Tuck, Sprigg, Bow-
ling, Grason, Wright, Dirickson, McMaster
Gwinn, Brent, of Baltimore city, Sherwood of
Baltimore city, Presstman, Ware, Davis and
Waters—31.
So the Convention refused to lay the motion
to reconsider on the table.
The question then recurring on the motion to
reconsider,
Mr. TUCK said lie had yesterday moved to lay
this subject on the table. He thought, there was
an impropriety in discharging officers without
notice. He would not go so far as to call it in-
justice; but he thought that when, out of the six
gentlemen who have been employed by us, a por-
tion is about to be dispensed with, the whole of
them ought to have an opportunity of being
heard. He could not be supposed to know what
had passed in the committee on this subject; but
he presumed that it was because they happened
just now to be absent from the city, that the
three whose names had been reputed as those to
be discharged, had been selected. If the other
three clerks had happened to be absent, they
perhaps would have been the three selected for
removal.
So far as he knew, these clerks had been gen-
erally here, and ready to do whatever gentlemen
asked of them. They have only been absent
when leave has been given them by the Presi-
dent. He did not see how the selection of three
out of the six clerks to be discharged, could be
made, without leaving something like an impu-
tation on them. Every one would naturally
come to the conclusion that we have retained the
three clerks who are the most competent. And,
as the fact had doubtless been published this
morning in the Baltimore Sun, the injurious im-
pression will spread over the State, and the ac-
tion of this Convention will be every where un-
derstood to be a reflection on the gentlemen who
are discharged. He thought it would have been
the must proper mode to let these six gentlemen
have arranged between themselves, by lot, or in
any other way, which of them should go out, and
which should remain.
If any charge were substantiated against the
three selected, he would go for their instant re-
moval. We employed them for the whole ses-
sion, and it has been our fault, not theirs, that
they have not had much to do. We have done
very little ourselves.
63 |
Mr. JENIFER had listened to the gentleman
from Prince George's, but he could not agree
with that gentleman, that all clerks had been al-
ways attentive to their duties He had voted
against the resolution yesterday, and he had also
voted against laying the motion to reconsider on
the table to-day, because he did not think it right
to discharge officers without some notice. He
was astonished, however, to hear the gentleman
from Prince George's say, that all the clerks had
discharged their duties with entire satisfaction—
for he, (Mr. J.,) had heard frequent complaints,
yet he had none to make himself, although he
had to perform much of the duties of the com-
mittee of which he was chairman, nor had he ex-
pressed any dissatisfaction as regards that com-
mittee clerk. He thought the proper course
would be to notify the absent ones that hereaf-
ter, that they should not leave without permis-
sion.
Mr. BROWN stated that he had voted for the
resolution yesterday, and he should vote for it
again to-day; for these reasons, first, that there is
nothing for these clerks to do. When the Con-
stitution comes to be engrossed, it ought to be
done in the very best style, because it will have
to be deposited among the public archieves; and
he believed there could not be found in Annapo-
lis, a dozen person who were capable of doing it
as it should be done. It will most probably be
the case, that we shall have to get a person spe-
cially for the work and pay the extra charge out
of the treasury We do not want these commit-
tee clerks; and the question is, shall we pay
away two or three thousand dollars for services
which are of no use to us. He had thought, when
these clerks were appointed, that the Convention
would terminate its sitting in the month of Feb-
ruary, and all these officers he knew must have
expected to terminate their labors long before
this time. There was no reflection intended on
any of these clerks. If they had been the best
clerks in the world, we could have had no further
use for them. He would vote for the resolution.
He would even go further, and dispense with the
services of some of those who were retained.
Mr. BRENT reminded gentlemen that the ex-
pense of discussing this matter, would eat up
more than the amount which would he saved by
dismissing these clerks. Strict economists should
not prolong this discussion. Why did not the
gentleman from Carroll, take the same stand when
the previous order was under consideration. An-
other remark: In the month of November, an
order which was introduced authorizing the ap-
pointment of clerks, was voted down. Then on
the 14th of the same month, an order was passed
appointing the present six clerks by name. How
then can gentlemen who voted on that platform,
now turn about and vote for a partial removal of
some of these clerks? He agreed with the gen-
tleman from Charles, (Mr. Jenifer,) that some
of these clerks had absented themselves from
their duties. As the House had refused to the
committees leave to report their reasons on any
subject referred to them, these clerks may have
supposed that there was no occasion for their re-
gular attendance here. But they ought to be |
