Mr, CHAMBERS said, he differed with the gen-
tleman from Frederick, (Mr. Thomas.) in regard
to the particular facts of the case. The gentle-
man says he received the intimation in the same
spirit as he did on the former occasion alluded to.
Sir, I think he is in error. When the gentleman,
not now in his chair, (Mr. Bowie,) on that occa-
sion, suggested the striking out Harford, the an-
swer was, " I accept the amendment." The
journal, page 503, will show it was accepted.
He hire read the journal. Now, sir, what was
the answer given on the present occasion? The
first words we heard were, as I believe, "is this
matter to be eternally harped upon ?"
Mr. THOMAS asked, was it worth while to waste
further time on this subject ? But he would say
this, the gentleman who sat behind him, (Mr.
Bond,) the gentleman from Prince George's,
when the gubernatorial districts were under con-
sideration, called his attention to the fact that he,
(Mr. T.,) had connected Harford with the east-
ern shore, and said that would possibly make
some members vote against his proposition. He,
(Mr. T.,) was not willing to believe that possi-
ble, but consented to obviate the objection. That
was said privately, and afterwards he said it. in
open session. Now, if the gentleman from Kent
had said in private conversation that members of
the eastern shore would vote against this mea-
sure because Harford was connected with that
shore, he would have yielded again to what he
must consider a most unreasonable prejudice.
Mr. CHAMBERS said, of course, he knew nothing
of any remark made privately, nor had he heard
it. He did hear, as every body else did, the ex-
clamation of decided discontent from the gentle-
man, in the language he had repeated.
As to the alteration, he could only urge it on
the ground of positive propriety; he had no such
control of votes as to authorise him to pass them
away or pledge them for this consideration or
any other. The gentleman had thought proper
to introduce and enlarge upon the topic of lessen-
ing the political power and importance of the
smaller counties. I did not invite it, sir, said
Mr. C. I never do invite it. But I never retire
from it. I will maintain my position, sir, against
any attack, whether from the most formidable, or
the feeblest antagonist, with firmness and de-
cision.
I know too well not to dread this continual,
unceasing attempt, on every occasion, to assail
our rights. Our proportionate share in the of-
fice of Governor is to be diminished, our propor-
tionate share in the legislative department is di-
minished, our proportionate share In the com-
missioners of public works is to be diminished
and now the gentleman tells us, what I confess
is new to me, that we have a superabundant pro-
portion of the judicial department. And, with
all this. when a voice is raised to resist these re-
peated aggressions, the gentleman exclaims, " in
God's name, are we never to have an end of
these discussions of alocal character?" Sir, I
had said nothing to excite, feeling, nothing which
the gentleman could properly charge to a design
or desire to excite local felling. But it seems, |
it is arrogance for the eastern shore to ask for
six judges. Sir, I have heard this judicial sys-
tem talked of over and over again, but to this
day and this hour I have heard of, I have seen,
no scheme which made less than two districts on
the eastern shore. Every district, under the pre-
sent system, has three judges—how, then, with
two districts, could we have less than six Judges?
You have now made two districts on our shore,
and beside? this, have united one of our counties
—Cecil—to a western shore district. The gen-
tleman himself, I believe, approved this arrange-
ment. Where, then, is the propriety of this al-
legation and complaint that we are supplied with
a superabundant share of judicial labor? It is
contradicted by the statistical returns which have
been furnished by my friend from Somerset, (Mr.
Crisfield.) But the gentleman from Frederick
says, he would have us give some " argument,"
instead of this " eternal ringing about the east-
ern shore" Why, sir, we have thundered out
our arguments here at the top of our voices, day
after day; this big book, [the Register of De-
bates,] is full of our arguments, to show the fal-
lacy of that theory, which is relied on to strip us
of our political power. We have been urging,
for five or six months, arguments which we think
vet unanswered, and which we think unanswera-
ble to show the folly and the danger of pursuing
this ignis fatuus of meaning and political power
and influence to different portions of the State
solely on the basis of population.
We have been uniformly met by the unvarying
cry of "the rights of the sovereign people." We
have pressed upon you the fact that you are de-
parting from all the settled and uniform policy
and practice, of the government, from its earliest
history, under which the State has prospered and
flourished, that no complaint had reached our
ears of any practical mischief, no man had suf-
fered in his rights of person or property; no
man's rights of any description had been stricken
down or infringed upon; that the government had
answered well, and to the utmost extent of any
rational expectation, all the purposes of its creation;
and all we had heard in reply was a laudation
of great abstractions—"the rights of the
people"—"the universal equality of all men"—
"the rule of a minority"—"the oppression of a
majority." Sir, I believe the most difficult
operation that politicians have had to perform
amongst us, was that of convincing these op-
pressed people of the majority, that they were
in fact oppressed; and I connot esteem that op-
pression very horrible, of which the victim is
entirely unconscious, especially, with mind and
means to discover it if it exist. And now, sir,
after months of labor in this field of argument,
so far from operating upon the minds of gentle-
men a conviction of the truths we have enforced,
the gentleman has even forgotten we have made
the attempt. This, to say the least of it, is a cool
compliment. I fear, sir, our arguments have fallen
upon unwilling ears, "none so deaf as he that
will not hear." At all events it does not exactly
stimulate me to re-argue these matters at this
time, or to say more than is necessary to recall
the gentleman's recollection to the fact that we |
