have had something to say on the subject, and to
express my regret, not my surprise, that it has
produced no little effect.
Mr. DORSEY was of opinion that "Harford
county ought to be struck out of the Eastern
shore district. The were somewhat a "peculiar
people zealous of good works," and had
lost or where about to lose so large a portion of
their political rights, that he did not think that
any controlling Western shore influence ought to be
obtruded upon them against their consent They
had a common interest with the large portion of
the State, in having the affairs of the Chesapeake
and Ohio canal company, so conducted that the
work should be rendered as profitable to the
Slate as it consistently could be made, lie there-
fore hoped that one of the persons forming the
board of public works would be taken from the
Eastern Shore. He trusted, that under these cir-
cumstances, Harford would be attached to some
other district of the State.
Mr. THOMAS said he was gratified to learn that
the gentleman from Anne Arundel, (Mr Dor-
sey,) concurred with him in regard to Harford.
Mr. MAGRAW moved the Convention adjourn.
Which motion he waived to enable Mr. THOMAS
to move the following amendment to come in at
the end of his substitute :
"In the event of a tie vote for any two of the
candidates for the office of commissioner in the
name district, it shall be the duty of the Governor
to commission one or the other of the candidates
having the equal number votes. And if the Gov-
ernor doubts the legality or result of any one
election held for the choice of said commissioners
it shall be his duty to send the returns of such
election to the House of Delegates who shall be
the judge of the election and qualification of the
candidate at such election."
The Convention then adjourned until Monday
morning at nine o'clock,
MONDAY, April 14,1851.
The Convention met at nine o'clock.
Prayer was made by the Rev. Mr. GRIFFITH.
The roll was called,
And a quorum being present,
The journal of Saturday was read,
HOUR OF MEETING ON MONDAYS.
Mr. CHAMBERS, of Kent, rose to offer the fol-
lowing order:
Ordered, That the hour of meeting on each
Monday morning, shall be half-past eleven o'-
clock, a. m.
The order having been read,
Mr. CHAMBERS said, he thought that the Con-
vention must by this time be satisfied of the pro-
priety of passing this order.
For three successive Mondays, he had been
called from his room, where he had, he thought,
been occupied usefully—certainly with interest
to himself—lo pass an hour or more here in per-
fect idleness, For a considerable number of weeks |
passed, he had not been out of the city on any
Monday. He was here prepared to do his duty,
when the time of meeting was such as enabled
him to attend—that was to say, at all times ex-
cept during afternoon sessions. He thought it
was quite unnecessary—indeed worse than unne-
cessary—it was troublesome because it involved
a serious loss of time, to he called here without
the prospect of any employment. I make these
suggestions, [concluded Mr. C.,) as reasons for
the adoption of this Older. We have probably
one or two Mondays to remain here, and the
order, therefore, may still operate to that extent.
I hope it may be adopted.
The question was on the adoption of the order.
The PRESIDENT. There is no quorum present.
Mr. CHAMBERS, of Kent. I supposed there
was a quorum from the fact that the Secretary
read the journal.
The PRESIDENT. There was a quorum at that
time, but a quorum is not now present.
Mr. CHAMBERS. I think if the members in the
committee room will come into the hall, we shall
have. a quorum.
The PRESIDENT directed the Doorkeeper to in-
vite members into the hall.
Mr BUCHANAN. I call the yeas and nays on
the adoption of the order, by way of inducing
our good friends in the committee room, to give
us there aid. For my own part, I shall take
pleasure in voting for this proposition. The same
difficulty exists in relation to myself, as that
which has been stated by the gentleman from
Kent, [Mr. Chambers] I have been brought
here from other occupations appertaining to my
duties as a member of this body. Thus I could
do nothing at my room, and, of course, I could do
nothing here. It seems to me, therefore, that
everything which the gentleman from Kent, [Mr.
Chambers,] has stated is strictly in accordance
with the fact, and with the experience of gentle-
men here, and I hope the order will be adopted.
The yeas and nays were ordered,
And the question on the adoption of the order
was then taken, and the vote stood, yeas 33,
nays 25.
So the order was adopted.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS.
There being no morning business before the
Convention,
The PRESIDENT announced the unfinished order
of Saturday, being the report heretofore submit-
ted by Mr. JENIFER, chairman of the committee
No, 14, creating a board of public works, and the
substitute thereto offered by Mr. THOMAS.
Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise, not for the
purpose of making a speech, but for the purpose
of placing myself right in the vote which I am
about to give. I shall first look to the various
duties which have devolved by law upon the
board of public works—Treasurer and State
agents—as they severally represented the stock
of the State at different periods. I find the first
action of the legislature, when they were about
to embark in the internal improvement system |
