ject. I then applied to this House, stating my
situation and requested that that the vote on the
amendment might not be taken at this late hour,
being one hoar and a half after the usual hour of
our adjournment, and that it might, as it would
necessarily be printed and appear on our journal
in the morning, when it would give an opportu-
nity to myself and other members, many of whom
I felt assured were in my situation, to understand
the nature of the vote they were about to give,
before being compelled to vote upon any sub-
ject. This. as I thought, a most reasonable re-
quest; being peremptorily refused by the House,
I was induced to vote for the motion to adjourn;
but now, at half-past six o'clock, the gentleman
from Charles having withdrawn his amendment,
I am prepared to proceed with the dispatch of the
business before us, as long as this House sees fit
to do so, and my physical abilities permitted it.
I can be no party to the compromise stated by
the gentleman from Somerset, that the House
would consent now to adjourn, if those who had
voted for the motions to adjourn, would on to-
morrow interpose no unnecessary obstacle to the
Convention taking a vote on his question before it;
because that was my duty and so I intended to
act without any compromise upon the subject. If
the compromise were proposed by the majority
here, I regarded it as far as I was concerned, un-
kind and unjust, not to say disrespectful insinua-
tion; if the offer to compromise were made by the
minority it was an implied admission that their
votes for the adjournment this evening, had been
given in violation of their duty. I can, there-
fore, become no party to any such compromise.
Mr. McHENRY moved that the Convention
take a recess until six o'clock.
Mr. McH. said, he had made this motion in
order to enable him to state that he and many of
those acting with him, were not only willing but
anxious to adjourn, provided the understanding
should be general that on to-morrow, the ques-
tion would be taken without any obstruction or fac-
tious opposition. If such an understanding should
not be acceeded to, he and his friends would main-
tain their position while their physical strength
should endure, or until the question should be
taken. But for the sake of the dignity and honor
of the Convention, they would much prefer to
terminate at once scenes so little creditable to
this body.
Mr. CRISFIELD said, that he rose to make a
proposition, and he hoped that if any gentleman
among the number of those who usually acted
with him, should dissent from it, he hoped that
the gentleman would rise and express that dissent.
Let the Convention now adjourn, and let them
meet here to-morrow morning, prepared to take
the vote, according to the regular rules of proceeding,
without obstruction or interruption.
Mr. STEWART, of Baltimore city, and other
gentlemen; "Agreed—agreed."
Mr. SPENCER therefore moved that the Con-
vention to now adjourn,
The question was decided in the affirmative.
And at half-past six, p m.
The Convention adjourned until to-morrow at
ten o'clock. |
SATURDAY, March 29,1851.
The Convention met at ten o'clock.
Prayer was made by the Rev. Mr, GRAUFF.
The roll was called, and a quorum being pre-
sent, the Journal of yesterday was read.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
Mr. SHOWER said that in accordance with the
notice given by him yesterday, he would now
move to reconsider the vote by which the Con-
vention rejected the substitute, moved by Mr.
FIERY, for the report of the committee on rep-
resentation.
Mr. BRENT of Baltimore city, inquired if his
friend would not withdraw his motion for the
present, to allow him to make a personal ex-
planation, which was denied him yesterday?
Mr. SHOWER said that he would be willing to
yield, if he did not lose the floor by so doing.
Mr. BLAKISTONE moved that the gentleman be
allowed to proceed; which was agreed to.
Mr. BRENT accordingly took the floor, and
said that in so doing, he regretted exceedingly
that he had to trouble the Convention so often
with personal explanations, but he thought it
was not his fault. He had contented himself
with arguing propositions on their merits, and
regretted exceedingly that gentleman had trav-
elled out of the arguments of the questions before
the Convention, to refer to matters outside of it.
His friend from Charles, (Mr. Jenifer,) for he
would call him such, had thought proper to al-
lude to his speech at a Hibernian dinner, where
as an individual, he (Mr. B.,) had a right to go.
Ill that speech, he, (Mr. B.,) had referred to a
proposition that had been made in the Conven-
tion, to make a discrimination between the na-
tive and foreign citizens, which he had a perfect
right to refer to on that occasion, and to express
his opinion of it.
He there spoke of it as a monstrous proposi-
tion; and spoke of it as such now, and he had so
characterized it heretofore in debate, though he
did not in his speech at the dinner, use the word
"base," which was the language of the reporter
himself. The gentleman from Charles had
thought that he referred to the proposition to
east condemnation upon the whig party. He
(Mr. B.,) did not name party. He merely in-
tended, being a friend to the foreigners, to let
them know what proposition had been made, so
that they could see who were their friends and
who were there enemies. He meant to do this
on all occasions before the public, wherever op-
portunity presented.
The gentleman had said that he, (Mr. Brent,)
could not carry out his friendship for the for-
eigners, unless he voted to district the city of
Baltimore, otherwise the foreigners never would
be represented, where's by a proposition of this
kind, they would ensure the privilege to foreign-
ers of being represented more than they now
were. The gentleman was mistaken if he sup-
posed that the foreigners resided in local dis-
tricts or wards. They were scattered over the |
