the gentleman from Kent understood it as not
conveying sufficient authority. He hoped that
the order now submilted, would remove every
difficulty.
Mr. DONALDSON wished to say a few words,
because his votes in regard to the mode of con-
cluding the business of this Convention might, if
unexplained, seem inconsistent with the action
of the committee of Revision, of which he was
a Member.
He had always thought that in matters so im-
portant as that before us, every thing should be
done "with decency and in order," with the
strictest formality, indeed; and that members of
this Convention, in closing their labors, should
not permit any longing to return to their families
or their business, to hurry them into a neglect of
the slightest portion even of the ceremony that
was usual on such occasions. He did not, however,
mean to be understood, that he considered
such formality necessary to secure the validity of
of any article of the Constitution, which had re-
ally been adopted by the body. Any form of
alteration, for instance, which might be prescri-
bed, was not absolutely essential to the validity
of the instrument, but was one mode of ascer-
taining what had been adopted by the Conven-
tion, and that the easiest and most certain mode.
He could not think that the Constitution would
be all lost, even if so dreadful a casuality were
to happen as that suggested, by which the attes-
tation by the President and Secretary would be-
come impossible. The fact as to what provis-
ions had been adopted by us could then be ascer-
tained, though with difficulty, in some other
manner. It seemed to him, however, to be very
improper to dispense with any of the usual for-
malities.
The committee, in making their report, had
acted under duresse. There was an overwhelm-
ing determination in the Convention—so the
committee were given to understand—that the
adjournment should take place to-night, what-
ever was the condition of the work before them;
and the committee were told by first one and then
another of the prominent members here, that
they must make some arrangement by which the
session should be closed at once. The commit-
tee, under such duresse, agreed to come in and
report the Constitution, provided an order
should he adopted that the committee should
remain in session after the adjournment, until the
whole instrument was fairly engrossed, and until
they bad ascertained that the copy was in every
respect true and accurate. They had had no
idea of leaving this place until that duty was
faithfully performed. If, under such an order as
that drawn up by the gentleman from Kent, (Mr.
Chambers,) and put into the hands of the gentle-
man from Baltimore county, (Mr. Howard,) the
Convention adjourned, he did not doubt that the
copy engrossed under such revision would be
faithful in all paaticulars. Therefore, as a mem-
ber of the committee, under heavy pressure from
all sides, he had been forced to acquiesce in this
method; but the order proposed is different in its
character from the one the committee agreed to; |
and, at any rate, when the question came up be-
fore this body, whether any formalities should
be dispensed with, whether they should adjourn
before their work was really completed, and pro-
perly certified to them, he could not himself con-
sent, as an individual member, to vote in favor
of adopting such a course. He had too great a
reverence for form, which often held together
the substance of things, to give such a vote; nor
did he think such a course would have about it
those marks of propriety, which the people of the
State would expect to characterise the closing
scene of a body as dignified as this was presumed
to be. For these reasons, he should vote to con-
tinue the sessions of the Convention until the
Constitution was complete, until it was engrossed,
and the fair copy, properly certified, ready to be
recorded in the Clerk's office of the Court of
Appeals.
Mr. STEWART, of Caroline, desired to say a
word to the gentleman from Queen Anne's, in re-
lation to the vote he gave on the first part of the
proposition offered by the gentleman from Balti-
more county, (Mr. Howard.) The gentleman
from Baltimore county offered a proposition con-
taining two distinct subject matters. One was
that the engrossed Constitution, after it had been
signed by the President and Secretary, should be
taken to the Clerk of the Court of Appeals by the
gentleman from Prince George's, (Mr. Tuck,)
and the gentleman from Queen Anne's, (Mr,
Grason.) For that part he voted; but he did
not believe that we were ready to adopt the last
part of the proposition.
He had no objection to the two gentlemen named
taking into custody the Constitution, after it
had been completed, and depositing it in the office
of the Court of Appeals. He had perfect confi-
dence in these gentlemen. He would trust every
thing he held dear, to their hands. He had no
objection, then, to the first part of the proposi-
tion. He saw no reason why the members of
the Convention should be in such a hurry to hasten
from this place ? They were paid for to-morrow.
The President was authorised to draw per diem
for to-morrow. Why should they be in such a
hurry to bring matters to a close? Was it to
give the Constitution sooner to the people ? Not
at all. If that were the object, he would not be
anxious, at this late hour in the night, to adjourn.
But they did not hasten the Constitution before
the people by adjourning at this time, for this
committee could no sooner get the Constitution
ready for the printer than the Convention could.
He wished to see the Constitution completed, and
the Convention proceed in order. He would re-
peat, that this committee would not send the
Constitution any sooner before the people than if
this body should remain here in session and dis-
charge that duty themselves.
By to-morrow morning they could come here
calmly, as a deliberative body should meet, and
adopt the Constitution as it should be adopted.
He feared what he had witnessed to-night was a
bad omen for the success of this dearly beloved
Constitution. For this Constitution he expected
to vote. Aye, he expected that his reputation |
