Ridgely, Robinette, Russell, Sands, Schley,
Smith, of Carroll, Sneary, Stirling, Stock-
bridge, Swope, Thomas, Todd, Wickard,
Wooden—66.
BASIS OF REPRESENTATION."
The convention resumed the consideration
of the unfinished business, being the report
of the committee on the basis of representa-
tion, which was on its second reading.
The following section was under conside-
ration ;
"Sections. The white population of the
State shall constitute the basis of representa-
tion in the house of delegates, and the appor-
tionment of the delegates among the several
counties and districts of the city of Baltimore
shall be as follows: For every five thousand
persons, or a fractional part thereof 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 the 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, or State enumeration of
inhabitants, the house of delegates shall con-
sist 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, tour; Charles, one; Dorchester, two;
Frederick, six; Harford, four; Howard, two;
Kent, one; Montgomery, two; Prince George's,
two; Queen Anne's, two; St. Mary's, one;
Somerset, three; Talbot, two; Washington,
five; Worcester, three."
The pending question was upon the motion
of Mr. SCHLEY, to amend the section by
striking out all after and including the words,
"every fifteen thousand persons, or a frac-
tional portion over one-half thereof," and
inserting in lieu thereof the following:
" 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 Anne's, two; St. Mary's, one ;
Somerset, three; Talbot, two; Washington,
five; Worcester, three."
That portion of the section if so amended,
would read—
"Above that number, one delegate shall be
chosen for the next twenty thousand persons,
or a fractional portion over one-half thereof,
&c."
Mr, CLARKE, Before the vote is taken upon
this amendment, I will submit a proposition
which I suggested this morning. It is as
follows: Strike out all after the first word
"the" in the third section, and insert the fol-
lowing:
" Legislature, at its first session after the
adoption of this constitution, and at its first
session after the returns of each national
census are published under the authority of
Congress, shall apportion the members of the
house of delegates among the several counties
of the State and the city of Baltimore, ac-
cording to the population of each,'provided
the whole number of delegates shall never
exceed eighty-five members, and provided
that each county and said city shall be di-
vided into separate election districts of com-
pact contiguous territory, the qualified voters
in each of which districts shall at the time
and in the manner in which delegates are
chosen, elect one delegate, who has for one
year next before his election, been a resident
of the district from which be shall be elected.
The apportionment of the delegates among
the several counties and the city of Baltimore,
shall remain the same as provided by the
present constitution, until the second election
held fur members of the house of delegates,
alter the adoption of this constitution; and.
the general assembly shall hereafter elect
United States senators, and all officers who
are elected by the legislature, by a concurrent
vote of the two houses, and not by joint
ballot."
The PRESIDENT. The proposition of the
gentleman from Prince George's (Mr.
Clarke, ) being in effect a substitute for the en-
tire suction, while the proposition of the gen-
tlemen from Frederick (Mr. Schley,) relates
to but a portion of the section, the question
will be first taken upon the proposition of the
gentleman from Frederick.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's, asked for
the yeas and nays upon this question, and
they were ordered.
The question was then taken by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 43, nays 20—us fol-
lows :
Yeas—Messrs. Goldsborough, President ;
Annan, Audoun, Baker, Barron, Bond,
Clarke, Cunningham, Cushing, Dail, Daniel,
Dellinger, Earle, Ecker, Farrow, Galloway,
Harwood, Hebb, Henkle, Hopkins, Hopper, |
