indispensable to a general system of education.
He hoped the convention would be led away by
no such fallacious and sophistical argument as
the gentleman from Frederick had just presented
Mr SMITH asked leave of the House to submit
some facts in connection with this subject.
Mr. GWINN objected.
The question was then taken on the motion of
of Mr. RIDGELY, to postpone the further consid-
eration of this report indefinitely, with the follow-
ing result:
Affirmative—Messrs. Ricaud, Lee, Sollers,
Howard, Buchanan, Bell, Welch, Ridgely, Lloyd,
Sherwood, of Talbot, Colston, John Dennis, McLane,
Bowie, Sprigg, Spencer, George, Wright,
Thomas, Shriver, Gaither, Biser, Annan, Sappington,
Stephenson, Nelson, Thawley, Stewart,
of Caroline, Hardcastle, Gwinn, Stewart, of
Baltimore city. Brent, of Baltimore city, Sherwood
of Baltimore city, Ware, Neill, John New-
comer, Harbine, Hollyday, Cockey and Brown
—40
Negative—Messrs. Morgan, Blakistone, Dent,
Hopewell, Chambers, of Kent, Donaldson, Dor-
sey, Wells, Weems, Dalrymple, Bond, Brent,
of Charles, Jenifer, Chandler, Dashiell, Wil-
liams, Hicks, Goldsborough, Eccleston, Phelps,
Miller, McCubbin, Bowling, Dirickson, McMaster,
Hearn, Fooks, Jacobs, McHenry, Carter,
Presstman, Schley, Fiery, Michael Newcomer,
Davis, Kilgour, Waters, Anderson, Weber, Fitzpatrick,
Smith, Parke, Ege, and Shower—44.
So the Convention refused to postpone indefi-
nitely
Mr, FIERY then moved to amend said report
by striking out after the word "Legislature" in
the second line, these words, "so soon as the
financial condition of the State shall justify it;"
Mr. F. confessed that he had looked upon this
great question, as one of the most important for
the action of the House He had witnessed the
efforts to postpone it, to smother it in its infancy,
and that, too, by some of the most distinguished
gentleman upon this floor. His object in making
this motion to strikeout, was to bring the subject
immediately before the Legislature of the State.
He would not have it deferred one single moment
after its next meeting. He had acted unifor-
mally as a rigid economist, and here he would
say, that he would be willing to appropriate
equally with any individual for the education of
the masses of the people of the State. This was
the manner in which he desired to see the public
money expended. They had lavished vast sums
of money for the construction of railroads and
the completion of canals, and they had neglected
the mass of the people. They had extinguished
gradually, the spark which they should have, by
all means attempted to foster by a general sys-
tem of education. He had not time now, to lay
down any general plan, nor would he have the
presumption to attempt it; but be sincerely hop-
ed that if no other good should result from this
discussion, it might bring the subject before the
people of the State
The gentleman from Allegany had spoken of |
his county, and he, (Mr. F.) presumed that it was
the case in many counties—indeed, if he were to
judge from some circumstances which had occurred
here, he would fear that the schoolmaster.
had not been abroad in this body. He would
refer to some of the Northern and Middle States,
who were worthy of our imitation. Look at
Massachusetts and Connecticut, where the town-
ships were divided, and every one supported its;
own schools. There was nothing to render this
impracticable in this State. He believed that
some system could be devised to educate every
child in the State. He desired that they should
lay down some general principles, that the Leg-
islature might act upon these principles, and that
they would not stop until they had voted a generl
system of education throughout the State. He
would have the appropriations made for the edu-
cation of the youth of the State, from the revenue
that would be derived from the public
works. Let that become a common school fund,
and he would not have one foot more of internal
improvements of any kind in the State, until they
had devised a uniform and efficient system of edu-
cation for every child in the State. If it was
the last word he had to say, he. would say, let us
have an efficient system of education.
Mr. RIDGELY said, that the gentleman from
Washington county had thought proper to put
those who voted for an indefinite postponement
in a position, which he, for one, did not wish to
occupy. He, (Mr. R.,) professed to be as good
a friend of education as any member of this body,
and was willing to go as far as any member to
advance that cause. But it must be apparent.
that the position which the bill was made to oc-
cupy, by the amendment adopted on the motion
of the gentleman from Montgomery county,
(Mr. Davis) put members from the large coun-
ties in a position where they could not consistently
vote for the proposition. They had suc-
ceeded in striking out that part which contemplated
the application of the existing school fund
to the cause of general education, and had thrown
it back in the position which it was made to occupy
by the constitutional amendment offered by
the gentleman from St. Mary's, [Mr Blackistone.]
Thus we were called upon to establish a system
of common schools prospectively, to be supported
by a common tax to be levied upon the people
while the existing school fund was to be divided,
as now provided by act of Assembly, to wit: one-
half equally among the counties, and the other
half according to the while population. This large
fund of sixty thousand dollars was to be distributed
in a ratio, unequal and unjust to the large
counties, and then the common school system,
was to depend exclusively upon a prospective
fund to be raised by taxes to be levied uniformly
Now, what security had we that the Legislature
would not distribute that tax, as the present
school fund, was apportioned; that the Legislature;
under the provisions of the proposition of
the gentleman from St Mary's, which compelled
them in good faith to carry out all the existing
laws on the subject, would not regard it their
duty to carry out existing laws, touching this |
