The CHAIR, (Mr. Ware,) here stated that his
attention had been called to the twenty-first rule,
which provides that a motion to postpone to a
day certain, a motion to lay on the table, &c.,
should betaken without debate. The chair there-
fore felt himself called upon to arrest the further
progress of this debate, the whole of which was
clearly out of order,
Thereupon the question was stated to be on
the motion of Mr. SCHLEY to postpone the con-
sideration of the Representation question until
Monday week.
Mr, STEWART, of Baltimore city, asked the
yeas and nays which were ordered, and being ta-
ken, resulted as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Morgan, Wells, Dalrym-
ple, Jenifer, Sherwood of Talbot, Sappington,
Brent of Baltimore city, Schley, Fiery, Neill,
John Newcomer, Harbine, Kilgour, Waters and
Smith—15.
Negative—Messrs. Buchanan. Pres't., (pro tem.)
Lee, Chambers of Kent, Donaldson, Dorsey,
Randall, Kent, Sellman, Weems, Brent of Chas.,
Merrick, Howard, Bell, Welch, Lloyd, Dickin-
son, Crisfield, Dashiell, Williams, Hicks, Hod-
son, Goldsborough, Eccleston, Phelps, Chambers
of Cecil, McCullough, Miller, McLane, Bowie,
Sprigg, McCubbin, George, Wright, Dirickson,
McMaster, Shriver, Biser, McHenry, Nelson,
Stewart of Caroline. Hardcastle, Gwinn, Stew-
art of Baltimore city, Sherwood of Baltimore
city. Ware, Brewer, Weber, Hollyday, Slicer,
Fitzpatrick, Parke, Shower and Cockey—53.
So the Convention refused to postpone to Mon-
day week.
The question then recurred on the motion to
postpone to Monday next.
And by yeas 13, noes 43, that motion also was
rejected.
Mr. NEILL moved that the Convention proceed
to the consideration of the several reports of the
committee on Representation.
Mr. MERRICK said it seemed to him that the
Convention was getting into a very confused
state. This body, he presumed, expected to ad-
journ at some time or other. All these matters
which we have gone through, will have to be
submitted to a committee of revision and details,
who will have to systematise our work, and ar-
range it in the order in which every article shall
appear in the Constitution Now he thought if
we intend to get through with our business in any
reasonable time, that we ought to complete some
one of the reports which we have had before us,
and let it pass into the hands of the committee of
details, in order that they may be at. work at it,
during the hours when the Convention is not in
session, or whenever they may be able to do so.
in this way such parts of the Constitution as we
have voted upon, can be put in order for the final
sanction of the body, while the body itself is pro-
gressing with the other; by which both delay and
confusion will be avoided at the close of the ses-
sion.
Mr. M. did not think that he was transgressing
the rules. He was discussing, with sober serious-
ness, a proposition addressed to the judgment of
3 |
gentlemen who had as great an interest in the
business as he had. He was endeavoring to
bring them to consider, for a moment, the pro-
priety of devoting the few hours that might be
necessary to perfecting some branches of business
which had been brought very nearly to a conclu-
sion. It seemed to have escaped the notice of
gentlemen, that all the subjects, after having been
acted upon, would have to go, as a matter of
course, before a committee of detail, to be
carefully selected by the presiding officer, which
would have to arrange and systematise the busi-
ness upon which they would be called to act, and
put it in the shape in which they would desire that
it should appear on the records of the proceedings
of the Convention, as the final action of the body.
This process would be necessary. If they should
postpone the completion of every thing until all
had been done that the Convention had to do,
they would have to remain sitting there as a
body wailing for the committee of detail, to per-
fect their labors, it was therefore wise, proper
and expedient, in every view that could be taken
of the subject, to bring a portion of the business
to that state of forwardness, which would justify
the appointment of the committee of which he
had spoken. He hoped the Convention would do
this.
His friend from Queen Anne, had suggested
that they proceed to consider a matter upon
which all would be ready to act, and which they
could dispose of in a few hours.
Mr. GWINN interposing, called the gentleman
to order, on the ground that he was discussing
the subject of postponing the bill, which motion
was not before the Convention.
The PRESIDENT was of the opinion that the re-
marks were not in order. The Convention had
refused to postpone the further consideration of
the bill, and the tendency of the gentleman's re-
marks was to a postponement of the bill under
consideration. The chair was of the opinion that
a motion to postpone the bill to a later day other
than Monday next, would be in order, but no
other motion.
Mr. MERRICK. No motion has been yet made.
Mr. GWINN. The gentleman cannot enter in-
to the discussion until he states his motion or pro-
position.
Mr. MERRICK. I have none to make. I am
discussing the question before the Convention.
Mr. BOWIE. I rise to a question of order. I
will make the point of the relevancy of the re-
marks of the gentleman to the subject under con-
sideration. I will propose to show my friend,
that he must be out of order. Suppose, after mak-
ing his speech, and urging upon the Convention
the propriety of postponing this question, (which
under the rules is not debateable.) he makes his
motion to postpone, nobody else can debate it.
Mr. MERRICK. I am not violating the rules.
Mr. BOWIE. The argument the gentleman is
making, is totally irrelevant to the subject before
the Convention.
The PRESIDENT. The Chair thinks that unless
the gentleman from Charles makes a proposition,
he is not in order. |
