or State enumeration of inhabitants, the
house of delegates shall consist of eighty-two
members, distributed as follows:
Allegany, five members; Anne Arundel,
two; each of the three districts in Baltimore
city, seven; Baltimore county, six; Calvert,
one; Caroline, two; Carroll, five; Cecil,
four; Charles, one; Dorchester, two; Fred-
crick, six; Harford, four; Howard, two;
Kent, one; Montgomery, two; Prince
George's, two; Queen Ann's, two; Saint
Mary's, one; Somerset, three; Talbot, two;
Washington, five; Worcester, three."
Mr. ABBOTT. I ask that the section be di-
vided after the word delegates, in the second
line. The first clause embraces a proposition
distinct in itself, that "the white population
of the State shull constitute the basis of rep-
resentation in the house of delegates."
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. No vote, I believe,
has been taken upon the first section, and I
should like to have the sense of the house up-
on the proposition I indicated, and which I
intended to move as an amendment. I move
that the first section be again taken up.
The PRESIDENT. It was substantially the
same proportion embraced in the motion to
recommit with instructions.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. That was refused
on the pround that it was impracticable. In
the mode I introduce, the impracticability
may be avoided. I should like an opportu-
nity to test the sense of the house upon that
subject.
The motion to return to the first section
was rejected.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's, moved that
the convention take a recess.
The motion was rejected.
Mr. SCHLEY submitted the following amend-
ment:
Section 3. Amend by striking out all after
the word " for " in the eighth line, and insert:
" The next twenty thousand persons or a
fractional portion over one-half thereof in
each county and district of the city of Balti-
more; above that number, each county and
district of said city shall elect one delegate
for every eighty thousand persons, or frac-
tional portion thereof above one-half. Upon
this principle, and until the next national
census or State enumeration of inhabitants,
the house of delegates shall consist of seventy-
nine members, distributed as follows: Alle-
gany, five members; Anne Arundel, two;
each of the three districts in Baltimore city,
six; Baltimore county, six; Calvert, one ;
Caroline, two; Carroll,. five; Cecil, four;
Charles, one; Dorchester, two; Frederick,
six; Harford, four; Howard, two; Kent,
one; Montgomery, two; Prince George's,
two; Queen Ann's, two; Saint Mary's, one;
Somerset, three; Talbot, two; Washington;
five; Worcester, three."
Mr. ABBOTT. Was not the motion to di-
vide in order ? |
The PRESIDENT. After the section is per-
fected, it will be divided.
Mr. PUGH. I said when I was upon the
floor before, that I was in favor of the ten
minute rule. I intend to advocate the adop-
tion of such a rule to-morrow; and I intend
to confine my remarks, if I possibly can,
within that limit. I think if we would each
of us to take some particular branch, and
stick to it, and say what we have to say
upon that branch, we should get along much
more rapidly.
There has been a great deal said here about
the white population of the State constituting
the basis of representation. It is only to that
portion of this controversy that I wish to di-
rect the attention of this convention. It has
be"n charged by the gentleman from Prince
George's that there is no principle involved
in this. He has arrived at the conclusion, I
have no doubt honestly, that the committee
who passed this report were actuated by no
other motive and imbued with no other spirit
than a spirit of hatred towards the slavehold-
ing portion of the State. Inasmuch as I was
a member of that committee, I felt it my duty
to say something upon this subject. It wasa
question constantly canvassed in the commit-
tee; and I announce that the feeling of the
committee was directly the reverse. It was be-
cause we wanted to be governed in our ac-
tion in framing this report by sound princi-
ple, a principle upon which we could come
into this convention and advocate the adoption
of that report, and could go before the people
of the State and advocate the adoption of the
constitution, claiming that this report was
established upon a sound principle—it was
for that reason that I favored it in committee
and it is for that reason that I favor it now.
Who are the governing people of this State?
Who are the rulers of this country? I do
not rare if it is a new idea. New ideas may
occur in this generation, as they have in the
days that are passed. It is nothing what-
ever against an idea that it is new. All that
you can say against an idea is something that
shows its fallacy. I admit that the slaves
of this country have been represented in the
national house of representatives. I admit
that the slaves of this State have been rep-
resented ill this State. At the same time I
claim, with the gentleman from Howard
(Mr. Sands,) that they never have been as
they should have been represented, for the
simple reason that they did not belong to the
governing class in this country or in this
State. They are not the ruling race in this
country or in this State.
It is claimed as an offset to this statement
that the women and children do not vote,
and therefore they ought not to be represent-
ed. There is nothing in that idea. The wo-
men and children belong to the governing,
ruling class; and they rule men rather more
effectually than men rule each other. The |
