ernor shall continue in office. In that section,
it was provided that he should continue in office
during the term for which he was elected, and,
as a necessary consequence, that the first elec-
tion of Governor, under the new constitution,
should take place in the year 1853; and that the
election of Governor and President should never
be held at the same time.
Mr. PHELPS said, it was always with extreme
reluctance that he differed with the distin-
guished gentleman from [Queen Anne's, (Mr.
Grason,) and especially so on this occasion, as
he was chairman of the committee which reported
this hill. But he could not consent to co-operate
with the evident disposition evinced upon this
floor to multiply elections. With regard lo the
objection urged by the honorable chairman of the
committee to the election being held in Novem-
ber, upon the ground of the days being shorter
than in October, all he had to say in reply to that
branch of his argument was, that the Presidential
election occurred upon the day and month pro-
posed by this amendment, and at these elections
the largest vote wag always cast; and as far as
he knew, no inconvenience had ever occurred for
want of time. indeed, this was the first time in
his whole life he had ever heard such an objection
urged as this from any source. The fact of the
Presidential election being held in November
without inconvenience, and allowing ample time
for all to deposit their ballots, in his estimation,
must set aside at once the objections urged to this
proposition. For himself, he was free to declare
most emphatically, in the advocacy of this amend-
ment he was wholly uninfluenced by political
considerations. The great and leading object he
had in view was to concentrate all the elections
in Maryland upon one and the same day. He
was utterly opposed to this never-ceasing and
never-ending political strife.
The term of the Governor was already enlarged
to four years, with the avowed object of making
his election correspond with the triennial elec-
tions of the Legislature. According to the Ju-
diciary report, your Judges would be elected for
ten years, your Clerks and Registers for six, and
so on. In fact, as far as the past could foreshadow
the future, all the officers in Maryland were de-
signed to serve an even number of years, and
therefore this Convention can with perfect con-
venience as well as propriety concentrate all the
elections throughout the whole State upon every
alternate year. And this, too, can be accom-
plished in accordance with the Presidential elec-
tions. This proposition being self-evident, he
would respectfully ask gentlemen if the public
interest did not require it should he done? Is it
not our bounden duty to accomplish it? Will not
the people of Maryland expect and demand it at
our hands? For one, he felt determined lo use
his humble efforts to consummate this object.
Others could do as they pleased.
Gentlemen seem to forget their own platform,
and that retrenchment was the paramount consideration
with reformers throughout Maryland but
a few months ago. The prevailing argument, by
virtue of which we have been assembled within |
these Halls, was the reduction of the public ex-
penditures. Five long and tedious months have
already passed by since our labors commenced
here, and no step as yet—no, sir, not one—has
been taken to accomplish this great and important
object. The concentration of all the elections
upon one and the same day would certainly ac-
complish something in this way. But, Mr. Presi-
dent, this is not all—another object of still higher
importance would be attained. The moral sense
of the community would be promoted by it. The
cause of morality and religion would be advanced
by the consummation of this object. Every one
at all conversant with political life must know
and confess that the effect of a heated political
campaign is always injurious in its consequences.
The very foundations of society itself were dis-
turbed by these continued agitations and dissen-
sions and ill feeling often spread broad-cast
throughout the land.
It was to attain these objects that, in his esti-
mation, elections should be as few and occur as
seldom as possible, so as to be consistent with
civil liberty and with the rights of individuals.
He had risen merely for the purpose of expressing
his objections to the proposition of the honorable
gentleman from Queen Anne's.
Mr, GRASON said that the gentleman from Dor-
set (Mr. Phelps) had remarked, that no inconve-
nience had been experienced in casting votes for
President in November; but it must be remem-
bered that there was a great difference between
voting for Presidential Electors alone, and voting
for Slate and Federal officers at the same time.
Congress had the power of appointing a day for
the election of President, and the Convention, in
providing for the election of Governor, ought to
fix a day which could not be controlled by the
General Government.
The gentleman had suggested that it was im-
portant that the election of Governor and Presi-
dent should take place on the same day, because
there would then always be a full vote; but it
was evident that the election of Governor and
Delegates was sufficient to induce the voters to
attend the polls, indeed, according to the repre-
sentations of the gentleman's colleague, not only
did our own citizens generally turn out on such
occasions but the vote was increased by volun-
teers from Delaware.
Mr. PHELPS rose to explain, and said the whole
object of Ilia remarks was to urge the propriety of
having all the elections upon one day. He de-
sired to see the President of the United States,
the Governor of Maryland, and each and every
State officers elected at one and the same time.
He admitted that had he advocated the elec-
tion of the President upon one day, and of our
State officers upon another, there would have
been little or no force in his remarks. Whilst up
he would take the liberty to say, he saw but little
force, in a part at feast, of the argument of the
gentleman from Queen Anne's. The gentleman
stated that the Presidential election could be consummated
in November, if the days were short,
because there was only one man to be voted for.
He would ask how much more time would be |
