provided the said number of delegates shall at no
time exceed ninety.
Mr. BLAKISTONE. The gentleman thinks I
will assent to that. Now, I believe the gentle-
men does not believe I will.
Mr. BRENT, of Baltimore city. I want to have
this a settled point, whether we have few or ma-
ny representatives, that they shall each have two.
If the gentleman is going to fix upon 102 as
his basis, then you will have to fix a small num-
ber as the basis.
Mr. BLAKISTONE. Now, I would not like to
have much of an increase over the present num-
ber, but I would rather have it reduced, provi-
ded, that when we are reducing, we take care
not to overlook the various interests, and satisfy
all portions of the State that we are disposed to
do equal justice. For what purpose was govern-
ment established ? Was it that men should get
together and cheat each other ? It was for no
such purpose. It was not intended that one
portion of the State should grasp all the power
and prevent the other in interest from having
any participation in the government. The gen-
tleman asks me whether I would subscribe to his
proposition; and I lay I cannot. Twenty-four,
I think, is his number. He has understood what
I said before about giving each county two. Af-
ter having done that, you establish as the basis
of representation, the number of twenty-five
thousand. And, after the first delegates, you al-
low a fraction to each county; and after that,
apply the principle to the whole State. Will
the gentleman subscribe to that? Now, take the
fraction all through. Here is a basis, and here is a
principle which might he made to work for years
to come. But the gentleman says he will not stop
one iota short of representation according to pop-
ulation in the lower House. If every man thinks
of holding on to his own individual opinion, how
are we, under any circumstances, to establish a
Constitution ? It cannot be done; for, out of one
hundred and three members, each and every one
has an opinion of his own. which he would prefer
to any thing else; and it is utterly impossible, I
say, under those circumstances, for a majority
ever to agree, unless they would agree to meet
on some ground where all can stand. Well, sir,
it won't do to take population exclusively. The
gentleman from Baltimore says he will not agree
to territory and population, as I proposed. You
cannot get representation according to taxation
That would not be right; and I cannot, for the
life of me. imagine any plan that is more feasi-
ble, more eqitable, more just and more likely to
command a majority of the votes of the Conven-
tion than what I suggested—that is, a territorial
basis for so many, and then some based on repre-
sention according to population, by which the
more populous portions of the State will be enti-
tled to a larger representation than the smaller
counties. By giving two in the first instance you
make all the counties equal, on the acknowledged
territorial basis then by adopting the princi-
ple of which I spoke, you equalise the representation
throughout the State.
Sir, I want to know what it in has brought this |
wonderful change over Maryland. In 1830, the
disproportion between the counties was equally
as great as it is now. I do not know but what it
was greater; for in 1830 Carroll county had not
been carved out of that very pure county, you,
[Mr. Buchanan,] represent, sir, and Frederick,
which is represented by the father of the Reform
Convention. I say that the disproportion be-
tween the large and small counties at that time,
was, perhaps, greater than it is now; for accord-
ing to my recollection Caroline county had a
much smaller population than now. I think she
is improving; she has increased to about nine
thousand in population. We heard no clamor,
then, about representation according to popula-
tion, and I cannot imagine any thing that has
brought about this change, except it be "the co-
hesive power of public plunder." Mr. Calhoun
said, he supposed it was that which kept parties
together; and in every direction we see that men
are fighting for office, and each party wants to
get the better of the other. And that is what
has brought you and I here, as sure as you live.
He desired not to be misunderstood. He would
not intimate that you or himself could be influen-
ced by any other than the loftiest patriotism; we
have not yet arrived at that period of life when
political aspirations run highest, and sometimes
run men mad He desired not to be understood
as making any persona] application of his remarks
to any honorable member of that body He was
willing to concede to them all that he claimed
for himself. Least of all did he desire that his
remarks should apply to the great body of the
people. But he would tell you to whom he did
mean them to apply. He meant them to apply
to such persons whenever and wherever, they
may be found, who having a total absence in
themselves of personal and moral worth, yet de-
sired political preferment. And who sought to
attain office, or a quasi political distinction, (by
means of adventitious appliances,) to which they
had no real merit to entitle them. If there be
any such here, which he would by no means inti-
mate, or elsewhere, to such and such only was
his remarks intended to apply.
If, sir, it was, as in the good old times, when
religion did not divide men—when polities did
not divide men—when they were all fighting
shoulder to shoulder on the same side, take
my word for it, there would be no occasion for
calling a Convention together, and thus create
a scramble among politicians for the spoils of of-
fice. Well, I hope if a change should take place,
that many of my personal friends may be gratifi-
ed and be elevated. I want that we should go
to work to make a Constitution, without looking
to our individual selves, but only lo the good of
the people of the State at large. Take my word
for it, if we did that, we would make a more
symmetrical Constitution. But, unfortunately
we are all of us more or less ambitious; and we
have this man and that man's notions to gratify.
We have an innumerable variety of schemes and
plans and opinions, and we have to put them all
in a cauldron, and they have to boil and boil, in
order to get something out of them. |
