ence, it being predicated upon the fifty-ninth article
of the Constitution. By his, [Mr. S's..]
provision, he gave the people the supreme right
lo change their Constitution to suit themselves.
The question of amendment was left entirely
open. Now, the gentleman, [Mr. Brent.] asked
what was the inconvenience of submitting the
question to the people, of amendments to the
Constitution, so frequently as he proposed? With
him, (Mr, Sollers,) it was an objection he could
not lose sight of in the discharge of his public duty.
He objected to the eternal periodical question of
reform. Every ten years, it seemed, that Mary-
land was to be excited from one end to the other,
and all kinds of passions and prejudices were to
be appealed to, and consequently, as a matter of
course, we might expect new and extraordinary
changes. That was what he disliked and abhor-
red. The gentleman from Baltimore city had
said, we, had bad a long struggle for the purpose
of calling a Convention, and that it was necessary
that every ten years we should have a change in
it. What, in God's name, to effect? What, [he
exclaimed.] have you gentlemen reformers to
gain, to profit, by amending the Constitution eve-
ry ten years? You told the people of Mary-
land it was necessary that they should change
their organic law, and you further told them that
their original plan of government was not adapt-
ed to the progressive spirit of the age. And why
did gentlemen of the reform party differ among
themselves? The gentleman from Baltimore
city would not vote for the new Constitution af-
ter all.
Mr. BRENT, of Baltimore city. I have not
said so.
Mr. SOLLERS. I take it for granted.
Mr. BRENT. I have never said so.
Mr, SOLLERS, continuing;. There was, a party
in Baltimore, and of which the gentleman was
the distinguished leader, who it was said had
threatened to upset the new Constitution, which
this Convention had been six months tinkering
at. It had been said that we had a miserable
Constitution, and that it ought to be replaced by
a new one. as it was wholly inadequate to the
advanced and advancing spirit and freedom of the
age. It was further argued that it was only ne-
cessary for a Convention to meet here, when it
could make a Constitution in one month. And
it would cost six thousand dollars only; but it
would, we might rest assured, cost the people one
hundred thousand dollars, and then be not half
as good as the old one. There was no difficulty
in getting up an excitement in Baltimore city.
Nothing was easier, and especially on a question
of reform. He trusted in God that our succes-
sors, ten years hence, might be able to harmo-
nise matters in reference to their labors, better
than we have been These were his reasons for
going against the proposition of the gentleman
from Baltimore city. It would be seen that he,
(Mr. Sollers,) gave to the immediate represen-
tatives of the people time to remodel, by two
successive acts of the Legislature, the Constitution
of the State of Maryland. He had not been |
fortunate enough to get his colleague to agree
with him It was his, (Mr. S.'s,) own plan, and
he had submitted it only to one human being, and
he had obtained his approbation to it, and now
he, (Mr. S.,) was willing that the Convention
should take a vote on it.
Mr. BRENT, of Baltimore city, said the gentle-
man's (Mr. Sollers') proposition differed in one
respect from the fifty-ninth article of the existing
Constitution, it said the Constitution might be
altered in the way proposed, but it did not pro-
hibit it in any other way, as it had been contend-
ed was dune by the old fifty-ninth article. It
was an improvement on the fifty-ninth article of
the Constitution so far as this—but it differed in
another respect; it gave the right to the Legislature
expressly to call a Convention to amend or
make a Constitution. But, he did not think it
went far enough Now, the gentleman had said,
that his objection to his, (Mr. B's.,) proposition
was, that it secured the re-agitation of this ques-
tion every ten years. Well, if it did, he was sure
the gentleman was not afraid of the agitation of
this question which concerned only the people
themselves. He, (Mr. B.,) thought the politi-
cal waters should be moved periodically by fresh
agitations; he would say that whenever old dynasties
had become rotten and decayed, he was will-
ing to see them changed.
Mr. SOLLERS, (in his seat.) Why not every
ten years ?
Mr. BRENT. Yes! oftener, if the people will-
ed it. He would be in favor of overhauling the
Constitution frequently to meet the progressive
wants of the age. He, (Mr. B ) had never said
he would not vote for the new Constitution, He
had always declared on that floor that he did not
regard the adjustment of this question of the
basis of representation, as a sine qua non, and be .
had always laid that he would decide on the Constitution
as a whole; and until he saw it comple-
ted, as a whole, he had no opinion to express,
but he regarded the engrafting on the Constitu-
tion of an article referring all future Conventions
to the corruption, or caprice of a Legislature,
would be to deprive the people of their rights and
their wish, every ten years, to have the Consti-
tution amended, and tie them down, as hereto-
fore, under the despotism of legislative majori-
ties. So far as he might have objections to the
new Constitution, he would regard them as much
softened by referring the subject of Constitution-
al change to the people every ten years.
This would be far preferable to leave it for
legislative tyranny, or legislative caprice to say ,
whether there should be a Convention, or not.
The gentleman, (Mr. Sollers,) had said the mat-
ter might be left to the Legislature—that you
might enjoin it upon the Legislature to call a
Convention—that the only difference between
his, (Mr. B's.,) proposition, and that submilted by
the majority of the committee of which the gen-
tleman was chairman, was, that it made it their
imperative duty. Now, he, (Mr. B.,) had only
to say, that he would trust the Governor sooner
than the Legislature, and he would trust him
sooner for this reason—that he was elected by |
