824
Mr. CONSTABLE said, that he had taken an
early day, the fourth of July, not only because of
the memories associated with that day, but be-
cause it was necessary to have a day early
enough for the sheriff to give legal notice of the
elections.
The question was then taken on the amendment
of Mr. MCMASTER, and it was rejected.
Mr. BLAKISTONE moved to amend said fourth
article, by striking out the words, "by a majori-
ty of the legal votes cast," and inserting in lieu
thereof, "by a majority of the legal voters of the
Slate, the name to be ascertained by the number
of votes cast at the last election of President and
Vice President of the United States."
Mr. GWINN said that he must confess that he
was every day becoming more effectually en-
lightened upon the science of government, and
by none more than by the gentleman from St.
Mary's, (Mr. Blakistone.) The law under which
they were sitting, required that this Constitution
should be adopted by majority of the votes cast,
and that it should then be the Constitution of the
State of Maryland. He would ask the gentle-
man, that if they had the power to say that it
should require a majority of the whole votes of
the State to adopt the Constitution, whether they
had not an equal power to say that it should re-
quire three-fourths or four-fifths of the people of
the State to adopt it, because if they had the
right; to change the form prescribed in the law,
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