some such aspirations. He [Mr. D.] designed to
make no insinuation as to the object intended, by
keeping the districts in their present unjust ant
unequal apportionment; and whether such was
the object intended, or not, he could not pretend
to nay. But the effect unquestionably would be
unjustly to give a great preponderance to the
Democratic party, and, in effect, gerrymandering
the Western Shore for that purpose. The inten-
tion did not change the effects of the means
adopted, and these he wished to obviate. If the
western counties of the State were left to them-
selves, no party design would be carried out, (and
he had not made any calculation as to which
party would preponderate, and he did not know.)
He thought it (air and just that those counties
should be left to themselves in this matter.
For these reasons, after making these calcula-
tions, he had proposed his present plan and ten-
dered it to his friend on the right (Mr, Jenifer,)
who had made some modifications in it. He
(Mr. D.) therefore proposed as a substitute for
the amendment of the gentleman from Charles,
that the State should be divided into three Gu-
bernatorial districts, and that Baltimore city and
county, and Harford be one district, so that the
Western counties would all have a fair opportu-
nity of presenting their candidate for Governor.
And, he thought that the Western counties would
have a much better opportunity of fairly compet-
ing for the man of their choice than they would
have if attached to the city or county of Balti-
more, He had no reasons on political grounds,
to urge his proposition, for having made no calcu-
lations, he was as to results, now, completely in
the dark. it was said it made no difference in
what district Baltimore city and county were em-
braced, as the weight of both would be equally
felt at the election. He admitted, if the election
went to the people without a caucus nomination,
then it would make no difference, except as to
the located residence of the candidate. But, if
there was a caucus nomination, it would make a
considerable difference whether you were in par-
ticular interests, or whether you were an indepen-
dent candidate representing the whole State,
He was opposed to all party caucuses on the sub-
ject; but it appeared to him that to divide the
State in the manner proposed into four districts,
and with no intention to have political effect, the
irresistible and necessary consequence would be
to create that impression. And, therefore, this
Convention ought to avoid it, and especially as
their action on this subject not only affected the
Governor's election, but in looking over the re-
port of the Committee on the Judiciary, he there
found that the three Judges of the Court of Ap-
peals were to be residents of those districts, and
were to be severally elected by the qualified
voters residing therein.
And therefore, it would be unjust and unreason-
able, for the mere purpose of party to permit the
districts to remain in the unreasonable and unna-
tural state that they now were. He thought that
they ought to be divided in the manner he had
proposed. He had made the districts in respect
to population, &c. as equal as possible, and con- |
sequently he thought the districts he offered was
a fair and liberal one, and ought to be adopted.
Mr. BUCHANAN said he could not imagine to
whom the honorable member from Anne Arun-
del, (Mr. Dorsey,) referred. When he spoke of
certain persons crossing the "imaginary line,"
which separates the city from the county of Bal-
timore, for purposes of ambition. Some of the
members of the Convention had suggested to him,
(Mr. B.,) that they thought perhaps he might
have meant to include him among the number.
This certainly (said Mr, B.) is an error. He can
have no allusion to me. I come within no such
category.
"Let the galled jade wince,
My withers are unwrung."
Mr. DORSEY. Oh, I never meant him! (Laugh-
ter.)
Mr. BUCHANAN continuing. I knew it—1
knew it, Mr. President!! I was sure that I came
not within the scope of the honorable member's
vision in this connection at least. (Laughter.)
But whom did he mean? (said Mr. B.) That en-
lightened gentleman is not in the habit of speak-
ing without point or purpose.
He means something—somebody. Who is
it? What is it? Let us have light!
It may be of no importance, (said Mr. B.,)
and perhaps not in the best of taste that I should
refer to myself, but I think I may venture to re-
mark, that no one in this body better knows my
origin than does the distinguished and venerable
member from Anne Arundel, (Mr. Dorsey) him-
self.
Sir, (said Mr, B.) I was torn across the so-
called "imaginary line," and on the soil of the
County of Baltimore—there the days of my child-
hood were spent—and there much of my after
life. Her people are endeared to me by every tie
which can sanctify the memory of favors confer-
red. They took me with their confidence when
little more than a boy, and proclaimed me oftener
than once the representative of their interests on
the floor of this hall. Sir, (said Mr. B.) where
the days of my childhood were passed, I still
abide. The bones of my forefathers moulder on
the soil which gave birth to me. At this very
hour I may stand in the door of the edifice in
which I live, and look down upon the graves of
my parents and of my children.
"Others may choose a distant sky,
That County shall to me supply
A cradle—and a grave!"
Mr. THOMAS did not suppose that he could
have been provoked to say one word more on the
present occasion, but really the gentleman from
the county of Anne Arundel had persisted so per-
tinaciously in misconstruing his proposition) that
he must say a few wolds in reply. There may
have been a day when the gentleman might have
been excused fur suspecting that every movement
he made in a public body had for its object, ex-
clusively, a party interest to subserve. If he had
felt such a devotion to party, certainly experience
and the snows of fifty winters had, at least, so far
cooled his brain, that he did not now believe that |
