lion of debate. The question was a very impor-
tant one—as much so perhaps as any that had
been before the Convention. He thought that at
this early stage of the discussion, the order was
premature.
He moved that the order be laid upon the
table.
Mr. DORSEY requested him to withdraw the
motion for a few moments.
Mr. BOWIE withdrew the motion.
Mr. DORSEY said, it seemed to him that the
gentleman who had introduced this resolution,
had not read the bill to which it referred, or at
all events that he had not read it with the care
and scrutiny with which it should be read. There
were, in his, [Mr. D.'s.] judgment, many objec-
tions to the bill, and he could not vote for these
parts of it until they should have been amended.
He spoke for himself.
Mr. THOMAS differed in opinion, he said, from
both gentlemen who had spoken. He should
cheerfully vote for the adoption of the order.
After the debate on the general principles of the
judiciary system should have closed, gentlemen
might submit the various propositions which they
desired to offer, and could support them in re-
marks of ten minutes duration. It must be fore-
seen, that many gentlemen who did not desire to
enter into the general discussion, would be glad
to avail themselves of the opportunity to speak
during the ten minutes allowed for explanation.
There must be some limitation on the general
debate.
He referred to the habit of debate in the Brit-
ish Parliament, (as contra-distinguished from
that of Congress and our other public bodies,)
remarking, that in the former members seldom
apoke more than eight or ten minutes, the discus-
sions being chiefly of a conversational and busi-
ness character. He hoped, therefore, that the
order would be adopted.
Mr. SPENCER remarked, that the discussion on
the judiciary system had commenced only yes-
terday. Every gentleman would admit that it
was one of the most important questions which
could engage the consideration of the Conven-
tion. He was unwilling, at this time, on the
very threshold of the discussion to indicate any
particular time at which it should close. Let it
go on until Monday or Tuesday next. There
would then be an opportunity of knowing what
the state of the question was, and the Conven-
tion would be better prepared to take some ac-
tion as to the course of the dehate. And even
now he was willing to vote for a proposition re-
stricting the time during which any member
should speak, to three quarters of an hour. He
might, perhaps, be willing to terminate the gene-
ral debate at the close of the next week—say on
Friday next. At present, however, he was not
prepared to vote for such a. proposition;
The gentleman from Frederick, (Mr. Thomas,)
seemed to think that the minds of gentlemen were
made up on this question. Although the minds
of some gentlemen might he made up, he, (Mr.
S.,) did not believe that the public mind was
made up. He knew it was not, In this connec- |
tion he alluded to the doubt which rested on the
public mind of his own county on the subject.
He did not know that he should, himself, ad-
dress the Convention on the question in its pre-
sent aspect. It was possible, however, that he
might do so. But, at all events, when the details
of the system come to be considered, he should
desire to present certain facts and statistics to the
consideration of the Convention, and he did not
wish to be excluded from the opportunity of do-
ing so.
Mr. DORSEY said, that it. was not every gentle-
man who could arrive at conclusions on import-
ant matters. It required almost superhuman
power to do so so soon as the gentleman from
Frederick, (Mr Thomas.) Mr. D. briefly argued
the necessity of deliberation in regard to the vari-
ous propositions growing out of the judiciary sys-
tem, and the inexpediency of acting blind-folded
upon them.
Mr. BOWIE moved to lay the subject on the ta-
ble.
But Mr. B. waived the motion at the request
of Mr. BUCHANAN.
Mr. BUCHANAN remarked, that if the pro-
gramme of the gentleman from Queen Anne's,
(Mr. Spencer,) were to prevail, the labors of
this Convention would not be brought to a close
until September of next year. If there ever was
a disgusted constituency, it was the people of
Maryland, What were they dissatisfied with?
Not with the failure of this body to debate, but
with its everlasting debates. That was the
ground of complaint. The people were anxious
that the labors of the Convention should termi-
nate. They wanted time to consider the provi-
sions of the Constitution before voting upon them,
and they were desirous to form their own judg-
ment upon them.
Mr. B. referred to the beneficial influence
which an order of a similar character, exercised
on the representation question, and expressed
his opinion that without some such order, the
Convention would not get through with the de-
bate in less than four or five months.
He renewed the motion, (according to prom-
ise.) to lay the motion on the table.
But Mr. B. withdrew the motion at the re-
quest of
Mr. SPENCER, who declared his unwillingness
to be placed in the position of protracting the
session of the Convention, and briefly reiterated
the reasons he had assigned for refusing to vote
at this time to close the debate. He believed
it would be anact of injustice to themselves and
to their constituents thus, in limine to adopt a
rule which would bind the Convention as with
hooks of steel.
Mr. S. moved to postpone the consideration of
the order until Tuesday next.
Mr. PHELPS enquired of the chair, whether a
motion for indefinite postponement would now
be in order?
The President said that the motion to post.
pone to a day certain would, in the opinion of
the chair, take precedence over the motion for
indefinite postponement. |
