The resolution was unanimously adopted.
Mr. SCHLEY submitted the following resolution.
Resolved, That the thanks of this Convention
are due, and are hereby tendered to the Hons.
Jas. B. Ricaud, Wm. H. Tuck, Daniel S. Biser,
Elias Brown, George W. Weems and George C.
Morgan, for the able and impartial manner in
which they have severally discharged the duties
of the Chair, as Presidents pro tem.
The resolution was unanimously adopted.
Mr. TUCK, from the committee on revision,
made reports on the Treasury Department, and
new counties,
Which were severally read and disposed of.
Mr. MAGRAW, from the committe on revision,
made a report on the articles in regard to Wreck
Masters and Surveyors,
Which was read and disposed of.
Mr. MCCUBBIN submitted the following order,
Ordered, That an extra compensation of fifty
dollars be allowed to each of the officers of the
Convention, who have not been provided for by
previous orders.
OB motion of Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER,
The Convention was called, and the door-
keeper sent for absent members.
Mr, BUCHANAN said:
That lie moved last night to reconsider the
resolution adopted during the day, offered by the
gentleman from Anne Arundel, fixing the first of
June as the day on which the duties of the com-
mittee on printing were to cease. That was too
short a time, and the committee could not get
through its business by any possibility. The re-
porter would be obliged to go away without com-
pleting his word, and it was not the slightest
neglect on his part that the work was behind.
The result would he that this work, which was
designed to be a perfect work, would be altogether
imperfect. The reporter would be remaining
here at very great inconvenience and considera-
ble expense, to gratify the necessities of the Con-
vention. He moved to reconsider the vote by
which the resolution was adopted.
Mr. SPENCER made some remarks, which will
be published hereafter,
Mr. PARKE hoped, for his part, that if the
Reporter was not willing to comply with his
contract, he would abandon the work, and leave
it imperfect or unfinished. He did not think the
whole affair would redound to the credit of the
Convention, and he would be satisfied that it
should be abandoned rather than submit to these
continual exactions.
What was the contract made by the Reporter?
He was paid five dollars per column, and receiv-
ed beside, one hundred dollars per week (or su-
perintending the work, bat he was limited to
four thousand dollars for the entire session. In
consequence of members wishing to see their
speeches portrayed at length in the Register, and
by his acquiescing, contrary to the contract, an
extra allowance of $2,000 was demanded by him
and granted by the Convention, when he, (Mr.
P.,) was confident that the four thousand dollars
would have been sufficient. |
Now, when they considered what was the
contract, they would find that the reporter was
bound to complete his labors at the time the ses-
sion should end. And why was he not prepared
to do this? it had been boasted that the work
was brought up within twenty-four hours of ev-
ery session. Why had he not employed the
corps of reporters so frequently spoken of?
In his opinion, if a necessary force had been
employed, according to the spirit of the contract
the reporter would have been able to have closed
his labors when the session closed. Where was
the necessity of the reporter remaining here? He
did not read the proof-sheets. After the report
had been written out and the copy delivered to
the printer, the printer was responsible for any
misprint, and unless he could show that it was
necessary for him to remain here and supervise
the work, he could not claim that this thing
would be necessary.
He hesitated not say that the printer himself
had read the proof sheets, and on the correctness
of the printer must they depend for the correct-
ness of the report. He saw no necessity for them
to allow four dollars per day for the reporter to
remain here and supervise the work of the prin-
ter. This work should have been up, and if it
was not up, it was the reporters own fault. If
it should take him three months, he maintained
that it was his duty to remain here, for he was
employed to do it.
It had been said that gentlemen had to revise
their speeches. If the reporter had had the ne-
cessary force here and the speeches had been
written out one or two days after their delivery,
and copies submitted to the speakers, that they
might be examined, it would not have been ne-
cessary for the reporter to wait and take the re-
sponsibility of handing them over to the printer
for publication.
He thought that there was no necessity for a
reconsideration, and that the reporter would
make sufficient out of his contract to justify him
to remain here, even though his work might be
two months behind. He was opposed to the sec-
tion, and hoped the Convention would consider
it properly before they acted upon it.
Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER concurred entirely with
every word the gentleman from Carroll had said.
There was no necessity for keeping the reporter
here a day longer than the Convention should
remain in session, and he had therefore rose to call
the previous question, on which he demanded.
the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered,
And being taken,
Resulted as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Lee, Bell, Ridgely Lloyd,
Sherwood, of Talbot, Colston, McCullough, Mc-
Lane. McMaster, Hearn, Thomas, Shriver,
Gaither, Biser, Annan, Sappington, Stephenson,
McHenry, Nelson, Carter, Thawley, Stewart, of
Baltimore city, Sherwood, of Baltimore city,
Schley, Fiery, Neill, John Newcomer, Harbine,
Michael Newcomer, Kilgour, Brewer, Smith,
Parke, Shower, Cockey and Brown—35.
Negative—Messrs. Chapman, Pres't., Blakis- |
