sooner give him my political rights than
take his from him. I mean to have all he
has; and the more be has the more I shall
have.
Mr. PUGH rose, bat yielded the floor to
Mr. KENNARD, who submitted the following
amendment:
Add to the end of the first section as fol-
lows:
"Which said districts shall be called the
1st, 2d and 3d legislative district of Balti-
more city."
The amendment was agreed to.
No farther amendment being offered,
The second section was read.
Mr. BELT. I wish to make a motion which
I have reduced to writing. I have under
preparation a report which, before the final
vote is taken upon this subject, I propose to
offer as an amendment by way of substitute,
in which the views I expressed this morning
shall be fully carried out. Mot having been
able to complete it to-day, I make this motion,
which will give the gentleman from Cecil
(Mr. Pugh) an opportunity to discuss my
proposition along with this. I move as a test
question that the report on the basis of repre-
sentation be recommitted to the committee on
that subject, with instructions so far to alter
the same as to provide for the division of Bal-
timore city and every county into as many
electoral districts as each shall be entitled to
members of the house of delegates, so that
the people of each of such districts shall elect
one member; and that said committee report
by I o'clock on Friday.
Mr. PUGH. I do not propose to make any
remarks—
Mr. PURNELL. If the gentleman will give
way I will move that the convention take a
recess. We have two sessions a day. We
sit here until three o'clock and meet again at
eight.
Mr. PUGH. I am a ten minute man, I can
finish what I have to say now.
The motion to take a recess was rejected.
Mr. PUGH. Mr. President—
The PRESIDENT. The gentleman must con-
fine himself to the motion to recommit. He
cannot discuss the general merits of the ques-
tion under this motion.
Mr. PUGH. I am sorry to bear that deci-
sion but I will abide by it, although other
gentlemen have spoken here constantly upon
that subject when it was not before the house.
Mr. BELT. I will withdraw my proposition
if the gentleman desires it.
Mr. CLARKE. is it not in order upon a
motion to recommit to allude to the imperfect
provisions in a report as a reason for recom-
mitting it?
The PRESIDENT. Certainly; but the gen-
eral merits of the report are not open to dis-
cussion.
Mr. RIDGELY. The proposition is to re-
commit with specific instructions. I shall |
vote against that proposition, because I be-
lieve the object sought to be attained to be
wholly impracticable. The instructions are
that the committee shall report the proposi-
tion 80 amended as to break up the counties
into election districts. That proposition in-
volves work. which it is utterly impossible for
that committee to perform. It involves the
geographical and topographical arrangement
of the various counties; which can only be
performed by surveys. In no other mode
whatever can the end be attained, except by
proper separations of these contiguous dis-
tricts. It is therefore wholly impracticable,
aid I shall vote against it.
Mr, CLABKE. I understand that the instruc-
tions are, not that the committee shall divide
up the counties, but shall provide that it shall
be done. They can provide that it shall be
done by legislative action as well as by the
action of this convention.
Mr. RIDGELY. Even in that view it is ut-
terly impossible that it should be done before
the period prescribed for the election in No-
vember next. It is utterly impossible.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. I suggest the
following, that immediately after the adop-
tion of this constitution, and before any elec-
tion under it, the mayor and common council
of the city of Baltimore, and the commis-
sioners of the several counties, shall proceed
to lay off the several districts, so that there
may be as many districts of compact contigu-
ous territory in each county as the number
of delegates such county shall be entitled to
send.
The motion to recommit was rejected.
Mr. SCHLEY. I move to pass over the second
section of this report informally for this
reason, that the third section embraces the
basis of representation and the 'apportion-
ment, in connection with the provision pre-
scribed in the first section.
The motion was agreed to.
The third section was read as follows:
"Section 3. The white population of the
State shall constitute the basis of represen-
tation in the house of delegates, and the ap-
portionment of the delegates among the sev-
eral counties and districts of the city of Bal-
timore shall be as follows: For every five
thousand persons, or a fractional part there-
of above one-half, one delegate shall be chosen
until the number of delegates in each
county and district of the city of Baltimore
shall reach five. Above that number, one
delegate shall be chosen for every fifteen
thousand persons, or a fractional portion
over one-half thereof, until the whole number
of delegates from each county and district
of the city of Baltimore shall reach ten.
Above that number, each county and district
of said city shall elect one delegate for every
forty-five thousand persons, or fractional
portion thereof above one-half. Upon this-
principle, and until the next federal census, |
