Secretary, to withdraw his name as being includ-
ed in said order.
Mr. STEPHENSON moved to lay the order on
the table.
Mr. PARKE moved that the question be taken
by yeas and nays,
Which being ordered,
Appeared as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Lee, Sellman, Howard,
Lloyd, Sherwood, of Talbot, Colston, Dashiell,
McCullough, McLane, Spencer, Wright, Fooks,
Jacobs, Shriver, Gaither, Stephenson, Carter,
Thawley, Stewart of Baltimore city, Sherwood
of Baltimore city, Schley, John Newcomer, Har-
bine, Michael Newcomer, Kilgour, Brewer,
Waters, Weber, Parke, Shower, Cockey and
Brown—32.
Negative— Messrs. Chapman, Pres't, Morgan,
Blakistone, Dent, Hopewell, Ricaud, Mitchell,
Weems, Jenifer, Buchanan, Chandler, Hicks,
Hodson, Goldsborough, Eccleston, Constable,
Bowie, Tuck, Sprigg, McCubbin, Bowling, Dir-
ickson, McMaster, Hearn, Annan, Brent, of Bal-
timore city, and Presstman—27.
So the order was laid on the table.
Mr. DONALDSON, from the committee on Revision.
made a report upon miscellaneous subjects.
Which was read and adopted.
Mr. PARKE submitted the following order:
Ordered, That a vote of thanks be tendered to
the various committee Clerks reading Clerk,
Doorkeepers and Sergeant-at-Arms of this Con-
vention, for the faithful discharge of their duties,
and that this shall be taken as a full compensation
for and in lieu of the extra pay heretofore allow-
ed any of them by this Convention, all orders for
which extra allowance are therefore hereby an-
nulled.
Chair ruled the proposition out of order.
On motion of Mr. RICAUD,
The Convention took up for consideration the
order submitted by Mr. GRASON on the 10th inst
allowing the President of the Convention a per
diem of six dollars.
Mr. SHRIVER moved to strike out "six" and insert
"five." He could not vote for it, at the for-
mer compensation but with the latter he should
be glad to do so.
Mr. JENIFER said:
That every deliberative body gave additional
compensation to the President. The Virginia
Convention at this time were paying ten dollars
per day. And in addition to this, the presiding
officer of this body had discharged duties never
before devolved upon that officer. He was made
the fiscal officer, responsible for the correctness
of the accounts, and the Seargeant-at-Arms, to
arrest a member, if necessary. He would ask if
something was not due to the dignity of the body.
He only regretted that the amount had not
been made double what it was.
Mr. SCHLEY said:
That as a mere matter of liberality he should
have no objection; but that the law under which
the Convention had assembled, precluded them
from giving any member of the body more than
$4 per diem, If the compensation of the Presi- |
dent could he increased, so could the compensa-
tion of the chairman of the several committees,
and of all the gentlemen who had occupied the
chair, pro tempore. He would recommend to
gentlemen to turn to the journal and see that
they gave a vote now consistent with that which
they had given early in the session.
Mr, MORGAN considered the president as much
an officer of the body, as the President of a
Bank was an officer of the Bank. He was a
stockholder in the bank, but being elected Presi-
dent made him an officer of the bank. So with
the President. He considered it no more than
just to give an increased compensation. He had
been compelled to remain here when others
could have been absent; and he had been charged
with laborious duties and great responsibility.
He hoped that the compensation would be given
as reported.
Mr. BISER said:
That in penning the act of assembly, he had
intended that the President should receive extra
compensation as an officer of the body. In re-
gard to consistency, it was rather late in the day
to insist upon that. He supposed that hardly a
single member would be found consistent from
the commencement of the session until its close
upon a single proposition. By examining the
journal they would find that they had been upon
all sides of every question.
Mr. BRENT said, that he had been consis-
tent.
Mr. BISER observed, that the gentleman was
an exception, and it only helped to prove the
rule. But in this particular case he had him-
self voted for $5; and he would vote for it now;
and he should insist upon it, even then, that he
was the poorest paid gentleman connected with
the Convention.
Mr. RIDGELY said;
That it was too late in the day to raise the
question of the power of this Convention under
an act of assembly. Every conceivable power
had already been exercised by the Convention.
They had regarded it as omnipotent. They were
in a state of revolution.
The only question was now whether the com-
pensation was just and proper. He should vote
for it: and he had no doubt that the President
was the poorest paid officer of the body. He
would move the previous question.
The demand for the previous question was
seconded.
Mr. HARBINE moved to lay the order on the
table.
Mr, JOHN NEWCOMER moved the question be
taken by yeas and nays,
Which being ordered,
Appeared as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Gaither, Annan, Nelson,
Schley, Neill, John Newcomer, Harbine, Mi-
chael Newcomer, Cockey and Brown—10.
Negative—Messrs. Morgan, Blakistone, Ricaud,
Lee, Chambers of Kent, Mitchell, Donaldson,
Dorsey, Wells, Randall, Weems, Brent,
of Charles, Jenifer. Buchanan, Bell, Chandler,
Ridgely, Lloyd, Sherwood of Talbot, Colston, |
