shall be convicted without the concurrence of
two-thirds of all the Senators."
Determined in the negative.
The question then recurred and was taken on
the adoption of the amendment to the report of-
fered by Mr. SPRIGG, as the 19th section, and
amended on the motion of Mr. WEEMS; and
Determined in the affirmative.
Mr. BROWN gave notice that on to-morrow he
should move to reconsider the vote of the Con-
vention on the 17th section of the report.
The twenty-third section in the report, which
had been passed over informally, was then read.
Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER moved to amend the
section by filling the first blank in the section
with "fifteen thousand;" which was
Determined in the affirmative.
Mr. PHELPS moved to amend the section by
filling the second blank with "twelve thousand."
Mr. MCMASTER was opposed to the formation
of a new county out of Worcester and Somerset,
and so were the people whom he had the honor
to represent.
Mr. PHELPS hoped the amendment would not
prevail. The gentleman, [Mr. MCMASTER] lim-
ited the number to 15,000, thus cutting off the
erection of counties having a less population
Now, that would be unjust, therefore, he, [Mr.
P,] wished to make the arrangement uniform,
and without making any invidious distinctions.
Mr. MCMASTER moved to fill the second blank
with "fifteen thousand;" which was
Determined in the affirmative.
Mr. PHELPS then moved further to amend the
section, by adding at the end thereof, the fol-
lowing offered by him on the 4th:
"But new counties may be established by the
Legislature containing the requisite population
composed of parts of two or more counties,
whenever a majority of voters in each of said
counties, shall at any election for delegates to
the Assembly, desire such new county to be
erected. Provided, that no new county shall be
established unless a bill for that purpose shall
he passed at two successive sessions of the Gen-
eral Assembly.
Mr. PHELPS, (with the consent of the Conven-
tion,) amended his amendment by striking out
in the 2d line thereof, the word ''two," and in-
serting "one,"
Mr JOHN NEWCOMER moved to reconsider the
vote of the Convention on the amendment offer-
ed by him to the section, filling the first blank
with "fifteen thousand."
Mr. PHELPS did not see why the Convention
should make distinctions in relation to the num-
bers requisite to form a county in one portion
of the State and not in another. They had done
so in the case of two new counties, neither of
which had a population of 10.000. He saw no
good reason why one county should have 10,000,
another 12 000, and another 15,000. He thought
the argument of the gentleman from Caroline,
(Mr. Stewart,) was conclusive, not only as to
the counties on the Eastern Shore, but the Western
also. Why make these distinctions? There
were numerous counties, with a population of |
less than 15 000. Montgomery, for instance,
had less; and yet this Convention had declared
that they would erect two counties, the one hav-
ing a population of but 10,000, and the other
12,000. And whilst they did this, they at the
same time had said that no new county should
be erected, unless it had a population of 15,000.
What, he asked, would be the consequence to
that part of the State from which he came?—
They had long suffered, (he meant the remark
in no offensive sense.) and been shorn of their
power and their strength. They were powerless
at the footstool of the majority, and he would
ask if they were row to suffer a greater wrong?
Why were they to be deprived of the same priv-
ileges enjoyed by other sections of the State? It
was unjust and wrong in whatever light the mat-
ter was viewed He concluded, by moving a
call of the Convention.
Which was agreed to, when, after the call on
his motion, all further proceedings therein were
dispensed with.
Mr. BOWIE agreed with his friend from Caro-
line, (Mr. Stewart,) that the effect of raising
the number from 10,000 to 15,000 of a popula-
tion, in order to the erection of new counties
hereafter, would be favorable to the Western
Shore—for at least two to one would be formed
there, if at all, than on the Eastern Shore in
the western part of the State the population was
increased rapidly. He thought that the true pol-
icy of the State was to go back and reconsider
the McHenry county bill, which had been pass-
ed. requiring 10,000, and put the population up
to 15,000. We should best consult our own in-
terest, by throwing impediments in the way of
the creation of new counties.
Mr. BROWN was opposed to fixing upon a low
basis for the formation of new counties, as absolute
injury must result from it. If this prin-
ciple should be adopted, the result would he that
three or four new counties would be erected on
the Western Shore, where there would not be
more than one on the Eastern. The more yon
reduce the basis, the more counties there would
be on the Western Shore. He thought the num-
ber ought to be at least 15,000 of a population.
He concurred with what the gentleman from
Prince George's had said in relation to reconsid-
ering the vote on .he passage of the bill erecting
the county of McHenry.
Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER expressed himself as
decidedly opposed to the creation of new coun-
ties, and especially upon a low basis. He pre-
ferred 15 or 20,000 population to a county, than
any number under it. He was averse to cutting
up old counties, and did not desire any more, ex-
cept upon the terms he had indicated.
Mr SMITH was in favor of filling the blank
with ten thousand, because there were some
counties that contained a less number, and he de-
signed offering a further amendment to require,
also a certain extent of territory. His county,
[Allegany.] contained more than double the
amount of territory possessed by any other coun-
ty in the State. He could see no good or suffi- |
