in defence of that section of the State, He did
not design to say any thing in relation to its constitutionality,
but wholly as to the reasonable-
ness of the proposition under consideration.
Not a doubt rested upon his mind, nor should
any one doubt, after the argument of the gentle-
men from Prince George's, in relation to the
propriety of engrafting the provision upon the
organic law of the State. If the State could be
districted for the election of the chief executive
officer of the Slate, why not district it also for
the election of United States Senators, and say
that one shall come from the Western and the
other from the Eastern Shore. The Constitution
of the United States allowed to the State of
Maryland two Senators; but did not specify
whether they should come from the Easterner
Western Shore. Could not the State declare
that they should come from the Eastern or the
Western Shore, or one from each? He did not
profess to be versed in the law, but did profess
to have some common sense, and to understand
to some extent the rights of the people of Mary-
land. it had been the practice to take the gov-
ernors, one from the Eastern and the other from
the Western Shore alternately; and the Senators
had been divided in the same manner. Was the
Eastern Shore now to rest quiet and see all its
rights taken away? Were they to be blotted
out? No; nor will they let us go when we may
desire to go; the Western Shore had the power,
and would not let them go. The city of Balti-
more was built up by the agricultural portions of
the State, and could not suffer them to go. Its
spirit was like that inculcated in the dying ad-
vice of the. miser to his son—"My son, I am
about to leave you, and my last advice to you is
to get money—honestly if you can, but by all
means get money." The disposition of the city
of Baltimore seemed to be to get the power,
honestly if possible, but by all means to get it.
He had no prejudice against the city of Balti-
more, but on the contrary would be as ready as
any individual in the State of Maryland to con-
tribute to the prosperity of a city of which he
was proud; but he was not willing to see that
city enabled to control the remainder of the
State of Maryland, because she happened to
have a population and an amount of wealth,
greater than the remainder of the State. As a
delegate from the Eastern Shore, he was unwil-
ling to see the rights of that section trampled
upon. There had been a time when the East-
ern Shore had had a Treasury and a Land Office,
as well as a Court of Appeals, for her conveni-
ence and advantage. The two former had al-
ready been taken away, and he understood that
they were to be deprived of the latter in a short
time. Were people of the Eastern Shore to be
retained as men serfs, hewers of wood and
drawers of water for the city of Baltimore?—
Their inherent rights were about to be infringed,
and they could not be surrendered without some
effort on his part at least to defend them. When
the power was to be so distributed as to give the
control for all time to the Western Shore, it
was time to be cautious, carefully to guard the
interests and the rights of the Eastern Shore, |
and he for one intended as far as he could to do
it. If they could be allowed to go from the
Western Shore, they would gladly do it. But
no, they had built canals and railroads for the
city of Baltimore, and their services were still
needed. They were prevented from going,
while all their rights and privileges were being
taken from them, or yielded to them by mere
charity. He did not ask fur any infraction to
be made upon the Constitution of the U. States.
He asked for no innovation in the organic law
of the State of Maryland. All that he now
asked was that there should be engrafted upon
the organic law of Maryland, a provision which
would' preserve to the section of the State from
which he had been sent, their political rights.
The gentleman from Frederick had said that
great alarm would be created by engrafting such
a provision upon the organic law of the State,
and had expressed a fear that it would endanger
the adoption of the Constitution by the people.
Baltimore city had increased in population and
had demanded an increased representation. Ten
had been voted to her, and she seemed now to
be hardly as well—certainly not more satisfied
with ten than she had been with five. In a short
time Baltimore would require a still greater
representation, and at each new change, the
agricultural and slave interests were less pro-
tected than before. It was necessary now to
reserve to the Eastern Shore a portion at least
of those rights which had heretofore been al-
lowed them. He would be content if it could
be done as a matter of courtesy, or a mark of
respect; but for whatever reason, it was still just
and right that the Eastern Shore should have the
right secured to it of a representative in the
Senate of the United States a portion of the
time. This had heretofore been conceded, and
why change? He believed it to bo competent
for the Convention to regulate this matter; and
that able and efficient Senators would be sent to
the Congress of the United States by both sec-
tions. He would therefore vote for the amend-
ment moved by the gentleman from Prince
George's.
Mr. CHAMBERS, of Kent, moved to amend the
amendment to the amendment, by inserting the
following to precede it: "And it is hereby re-
commended."
Mr. THOMAS wished simply to respond to the
remarks of the gentleman from Dorchester,
(Mr. Hicks,) and to say that he hardly thought
it right that every vote from the Western sec-
tion of the State could he said to have been
given to obtain unjust power under the Consti-
tution. Had he not voted to give Calvert, and
Kent, and all the smaller counties an equal re-
presentation in the Senate with Frederick and
the larger counties? Had he not voted to put
the whole legislative power of Maryland under
the control of little more than one-third of the
inhabitants of the State? With such a fact on
the record, was it right—was it kind—was it
just to taunt the larger counties in this way?—
He would say distinctly that he had not a con-
stituent in Frederick county who expected him
to make such an arrangement. He would leave |
