Mr. CHAMBERS made some remarks which will
be published hereafter.
Mr. THOMAS. I would prefer very much that
my colleague would offer his proposition, as a
substitute for that of the gentleman from Kent.
He and I stand upon the same platform. We will
district all Maryland, but will not single out
Baltimore city, and the large counties.
Mr. JOHNSON. I am for districting Baltimore
city and the entire State. I am not sure that I
would not district the city of Baltimore, if the
State is not districted.
Mr. SPENCER. As this question has been brought
upon us unexpectantly, and as it is one which re-
quires consideration, I move that this Convention
do now adjourn.
The motion was disagreed to.
Mr. JOHNSON then offered his amendment, as
modified by himself, as a substitute for the pro-
position of Mr. CHAMBERS.
The substitute was read as follows:
"And that each county in the State and the
city of Baltimore, be divided into as many con-
venient election districts of contiguous territory,
and as nearly equal in population as may be, as
such county may be entitled to members of the
House of Delegates, and each of said districts
shall be entitled to elect one delegate, provided
that each county and city shall be divided into
separate election districts of compact contiguous
territory, in the manner hereafter to be provided
in this Constitution; the qualified voters of each
of which districts shall at the time and in the
manner in which delegates are chosen elect one
delegate, who has for one year next before his
election been aresident of the district from which
he shall be elected; and the residence in a dis-
trict requisite to give a right of suffrage shall be
six months next preceding the election, but in
case any voter otherwise qualified shall have less
than six months residence in the district of his
then residence, he shall not thereby lose his right
to vote in the district in which he may have re-
sided for six months next preceding his remo-
val."
Mr. HICKS. I desire to make a suggestion,
and it is this : It seems to me now to be pretty
clearly understood, that the Convention is pre-
pared to vote, as far as districting the city of
Baltimore is concerned. I, for one, am like my
friend from Prince George's, (Mr. Tuck ) I am
also for districting any counties that may desire
it. I am sure our people at home care very lit-
tle about this.
Mr. HOWARD. This is not making a sugges-
tion. I call the gentleman to order.
Mr. HICKS. What I intended to suggest was,
that the city of Baltimore is already divided for
municipal purposes, and no difficulty, therefore,
can grow out of the action of the House if they
determine to district that city. Gentlemen will
see at once the predicament in which we place
ourselves in not referring the whole subject to a
Committee. So far as the county from which I
come is concerned, all the members of this Con-
vention could not district or divide it so as to
send three delegates from three separate subdi- |
visions of the county. It will be necessary to
submit the districting of the counties to the levy
courts or county commissioners., and familiar as
they may be with the counties, they will find
great difficulty in the accomplishment of this
task if it be assigned them; and yet they alone
could, in his opinion, district the counties in any
comparable justice to all.
Mr. JOHNSON. My purpose is to take avote
upon the broad proposition. I see the difficul-
ties which the gentleman has suggested to me,
but think they are very subordinate after it is
once settled by this Convention, to district the
entire Slate of contiguous territory, all of which
is contained in my proposition.
After we have decided by a vote of this Con-
vention, that we will district Baltimore city and
the entire counties of this State, it becomes then
a very easy and subordinate matter for a very
few gentlemen to devise some plan, whether this
duty all devolve upon this Convention, or be
referred to the next General Assembly, or
whether, as suggested by the gentleman, it shall
be left to the control of the levy courts of the
several counties,
It becomes a secondary question, one by no
means embarrassing, because it can be settled by
a committee, by the legislature, or by the levy
court, as a majority of the members of this body
in their wisdom, may deem most judicious and
wise. This is principle which I am anxious to
to see engrafted upon the Constitution—it is a
principle of bringing the representative home as
near as possible to his constituency, and thus hav-
ing every interest in every county properly rep-
resented, and every ward of the city of Balti-
more, and in this manner all the various and
multiform interests of the State should have a
voice on the floor of the House of Delegates. It
is that great principle which I contend for—that
principle which I understand has been recognized
but recently by the Convention in Ohio, They
have adopted the very principle, as their rule of
action, which I have been advocating. I wish to
bring the House to a direct and positive vote. I
move, therefore, my proposition as a substitute
for the proposition of the gentleman from Kent,
so that I can bring the House to a direct vote
upon the entire subject.
Mr. HOWARD. I desire to make a suggestion,
which is this:
If the gentleman moves his proposition as a
substitute, he will not afford to myself, for one, (I
do not speak for any other) the power of voting
as I wish to vote. My suggestion is this. If
the gentleman will move as an amendment to
the proposition of the gentleman from Kent,
then I will vote for it, although I hold myself
at liberty to vote against the original proposi-
tion, as thus amended. I am against the district
system altogether. If it is to prevail, I wish it
extended over the whole State. Therefore,
coming into its original shape as an amendment,
those who think as I do, will vote for the amendment,
and then the proposition will come in as
an amendment, as the gentlemen from Fred-
erick desires the vote to be taken. |
