said yesterday he would be in favor of put-
ting the time at twenty minutes?
Mr. SANDS. I would hare done so yester-
day morning. But we have a great deal of
debate on this question since then, and I
think fifteen minutes is long enough.
Mr. DAVIS, of Charles, moved to insert the
word "thirty."
The PRESIDENT stated that the question
would be taken first upon the longest time,
the motion to insert the word '' thirty" in
place of the word "ten."
The question being taken, upon a division
—ayes 24, nays 28—it was not agreed to.
The question recurred upon the motion of
Mr. SANDS, to insert the word " fifteen."
Mr. MILLER moved to insert "twenty."
The question being taken upon the motion
of Mr. MILLER, it was not agreed to.
The question was then taken upon the mo-
tion of Mr. SANDS, to insert the word "fif-
teen," and, upon a division—ayes 50 noes
not counted—it was agreed to.
The order as amended was then adopted.
EVENING SESSIONS.
Mr, CHAMBERS, in pursuance of previous
notice, moved to rescind the following order
adopted by the convention on July 21st:
" Ordered, That the convention hereafter
hold evening sessions at 8 o'clock on the
evening of every day on which the conven-
tion shall be in session, except on Saturdays."
On this question, Mr. HEBB called for the
yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
The question was then taken, by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 41, nays 37—as
follows:
Yeas—Messrs. Audoun, Barron, Berry, of
Prince George's, Blackiston, Bond, Briscoe,
Brown, Chambers, Clarke, Crawford, Dail,
Davis, of Charles, Dennis, Duvall, Edelen.
Harwood, Hatch, Henkle, Hodson, Hollyday,
Horsey, Johnson, Jones, of Cecil, Jones, of
Somerset, Lansdale, Larsh, Lee, Marbury,
Mitchell, Miller, Morgan, Parran, Peter,
Smith, of Dorchester, Thomas,Valliant, Wil-
mer—37.
Nays—Messrs. Goldsborough, President;
Abbott, Annan, Bilker, Cunningham, Cush-
ing, Daniel, Davis, of Washington, Dellinger
Earle, Ecker, Farrow, Galloway, Greene
Hebb, Hopkins, Hopper, Keefer, Kennard
King, Mullikin, Murray, Negley, Nyman
Parker, Pugh, Purnell, Ridgely, Robinette
Russell, Sands, Schley, Smith, of Carroll
Sneary, Stirling, Stockbridge, Swope, Sykes
Todd, Wickard, Wooden—41.
The motion lo rescind the order was ac-
cordingly rejected.
Mr. RIDGELY, when his name was called,
said:
I shall vote against this motion, for the
reason that although I do not usually attend
evening sessions, I am willing they shall be
held if a majority desire it. I vote " no." |
BASIS OF REPRESENTATION.
The convention then resumed the unfinished
bu:iness of yesterday, being the report of
the committee on the basis of representation,
which was on its second reading.
The third section, as amended on motion
of Mr. SCHLEY, was under consideration.
To this section, Mr. CLARKE had submitted
the following amendment; strike out all after
the word "the" in the first line and insert:
" 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 he 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 for members of the house of delegates
after the adoption of this constitution, and
the general assembly shall here after 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 pending question was upon the motion
of Mr. THOMAS, to amend the amendment by
inserting the word " white" before the word
" population."
Mr, THOMAS. I desire to say a very few
words in relation to the amendment I sub-
mitted last evening. The proposition sub-
mitted by the gentleman from Prince George's
(Mr. Clarke,) is in my opinion the true theory
of representation, in so far as it refers to
representation according to population. But,
inasmuch as this convention has acted as it
has in the abolishment of slavery, I do not
consider that that representation should be
upon the basis of black and white popula-
tion. Therefore, it was that I submilted my
amendment, in case the amendment of the
gentleman from Prince George's (Mr. Clarke)
should pass, that the basis of representation
should be upon the white population of the
State.
I am perfectly satisfied from the temper of
this house, that there is no chance of the
amendment of the gentleman from Prince
George's passing. I shall myself be obliged
to vote against it, although Baltimore city |
