ent with the Constitution of the United States.
While it would be incompetent for the Constitu-
tion to deprive the Legislature of the appointment
of Senators, it might direct them to follow certain
rules in that appointment. There could then be
no doubt as to the power to fix the time. Every
one would admit that the time would be as near
as possible to the commencement of the senatorial
term. It might happen that a political party
coming into power would elect a Senator several
years in advance. This ought to be guarded
against.
As to districting the State for Senators, it was
his impression that they had the power. The
State of Georgia had undertaken to elect mem-
bers of Congress by general ticket, when other
States were districted, and this had been the case
for years. But while the power was clear, there
seemed to be no advantage to result from it. The
case did not seem to be analogous to that of the
Governor. The Governor was elected in dis-
tricts in rotation, in order that the patronage
might be more equally distributed; but there was
no such reason for districting the State for the
election of United States Senator. The Senator
was to represent the whole State of Maryland,
and should be selected from among the best men
of the State.
Mr. BOWIE said that the gentleman agreed with
him as to the power, and he did not see that there
could be any doubt as to the propriety. It was
of great importance to the agricultural portions
of the State of Maryland that they should be rep-
resented in Congress, and should not always be
overruled by the commercial interests of the State,
nearly confined to the city of Baltimore. In the
Senate of the United States, above all places on
earth, could the agricultural interests of the State
of Maryland be fostered and protected. In the
passage of all laws in reference to foreign trade,
in all treaties made with foreign counties as to
the introduction into their ports of the suprlus of
the agricultural products of this country, the agri-
cultural portions of the State were deeply and
vitally interested. If the power was left in the
hands of the commercial metropolis, where could
the agricultural interests of the State find a rep-
resentative? During the last five or ten years,
questions of the greatest importance to the agri-
cultural portions of the State had repeatedly been
before Congress, and in such instances, Maryland
ought to have an agricultural representative in
the Senate of the United States. It had been
supposed by some that commerce and agriculture
were always similar in their interests and friendly
to each other. He believed them to be not alto-
gether so fraternal in their relations, but rather as
antagonistic to each other. It was the business
of commerce to make as great a profit as possible
out of the producing classes-the agricultural
classes. There was, therefore, a natural enemy
between the two; and in order that that latter
should be protected, it would be necessary that
they should be represented. It was but just that
the agricultural portions of the State should be
allowed to have a representative, at least alter-
nately with the commerical portion of the State.
He considered the necessity for districting the |
State for United States Senators, to be ten-fold
stronger than for Governor. The latter had ref-
erence merely to the distribution of the loaves
and fishes of office in Maryland, and the former
to the great industrial pursuits of the State, which
would be affected by the laws and treaties with
foreign governments, and which should be guard-
ed with the utmost vigilance.
Mr. BRENT having verbally modified his amend-
ment,
Mr. BOWIE moved to amend the amendment by
adding at the end thereof the following:
"And it shall he the duty of the General As-
sembly to lay off the State into six Senatorial
districts, and to pass such laws as will insure the
alternate election of one Senator from each of
said districts, as the vacancies therein may respectively
occur."
Mr. PHELPS gave notice of his intention at the
proper time to move to amend the 23d section of
the report, by adding at the end thereof the fol-
lowing :
" Bill new counties may be established by the
Legislature containing the requisite population,
composed of parts of two or more counties, when-
ever a majority of voters in each of said counties
shall at any election for Delegates to the Assem-
bly, desire such new county to be erected. Pro-
vided, that no new county shall be established
unless a bill for that purpose shall be passed at
two successive sessions of the General Assembly."
Mr. PHELPS said, that he trusted that the vote
would not be taken to-day upon the amendment
now pending. Heretofore the Eastern Shore had
had a Senator at each alternate election, but by
the amendment now moved, they would only get
one out of six, for the Eastern Shore would form
but one Senatorial district, and the Western Shore
would be divided into five.
Mr BOWIE suggested that even that would be
better than to have none at all as would probably
be the case if the State should not be districted.
Mr. JENIFER was opposed to the amendment.
He wished the best men in the State to be selected
for the office of United States Senator, and if both
came from the Eastern Shore, he should have. no
objection to it. He would be sorry to see the in-
terests of Maryland jeoparded by being placed in
the hands of men who were not the best fitted for
the protection of those interests.
Mr. JAMES U. DENNIS, although an Eastern
Shore man, would not vote for this proposition.
A Senator of the United States was not to repre-
sent sections of a State, but to represent the whole
United States, and especially the individual State,
as a whole, from which he was elected. The
amendment, should it prevail, would provide for
the representation of fragments of the State of
Maryland in the Senate of the United States.
The best men in the State should be elected to
that office. He believed that the present Senator
from the Eastern Shore (Mr. PEARCE) would in
any Legislature of Maryland command votes suf-
ficient to enable him to retain the seat now held
by him.
Mr. BOWIE would say to the gentleman from
Somerset, (Mr. Dennis.) that although elected
from districts, the Senators would still represent, |
