Mr. STIRLING. They cannot repeal it if we
adopt it.
The PRESIDENT, I am as anxious as any gen-
tleman here to have a proper school system
established. But yon cannot vest in the su-
perintendent the power to say that if his re-
commendations are not adopted by the legis-
lature, they shall notwithstanding become
the law of the land.
Mr, STOCKBRIDGE. The report does not say
that.
The PRESIDENT, if it does not say that,
then I do not understand it. It says;
"And in case of a failure on the part of
the general assembly so to provide, the sys-
tem reported to it by the State superintendent
of public instruction shall become a law, and
have full effect as if enacted by the general as-
sembly; provided, that the report of the State
superintendent shall be in conformity with
the provisions of this constitution,"
On motion of Mr. STOCKBRIDGE)
The convention then took a recess.
EVENING SESSION.
The convention met at 8 o'clock, P. M.
The roll was called, and the following mem-
bers answered to their names :
Messrs Goldsborough, President; Abbott,
Annan, Baker, Bond, Brown, Cunningham,
Cushing, Daniel, Davis, of Washington, Del-
linger, Duvall, Earle, Ecker, Edelen, Farrow,
Galloway, Greene, Harwood, Hebb, Hoff-
man, Hollyday, Hopkins, Hopper, Keefer,
Kennard, King, Lee, Markey, Mayhugh, Mc-
Comas, Mitchell, Miller, Mullikin, Murray,
Nyman, Parker, Parran, Pugh, Purnell,
Ridgely, Robinette, Russell, Sands, Schley,
Scott, Smith, of Worcester, Stirling, Stock-
bridge, Swope, Todd, Wooden—52.
ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS OF PUBLIC INSTRUC-
TION.
The convention resumed the consideration
of the report of the committee on education,
on its second reading,
The pending question was on the adoption
of the amendment submitted by Mr. EDELEN
to strike out the second section of the report,
as follows:
"Sec. 2. There shall be an assistant super-
intendent of public instruction in each county
and the city of Baltimore, who shall be ap-
pointed by the State superintendent of public
instruction, shall hold office for four years,
receive such compensation and perform such
duties as the general assembly may pre-
scribe."
Mr. EDELEN demanded the yeas and nays,
and they were ordered.
Mr. PURNELL. I will read for information
an amendment I wish to offer at the proper
time; to strike out the second and fifth sec-
tions, and to insert the following:
' 'That the State superintendent of public
instruction, shall as soon as a system of edu- |
cation shall have been adopted by the general
assembly, proceed to appoint, by and with
the approval of the State board of education,
aschool commissioner in each of the election
districts in the respective counties of this
State, who shall perform such duties and re-
ceive such compensation as shall be provided
for by said board of public education, and
who shall hold his office for the period of
four years from the date of his appointment,
unless removed by the State board of educa-
tion for neglect of duty or other malfeasance
in office."
The question being taken, the result was—
yeas 15, nays 36—as follows :
Yeas—Messrs. Goldsborough, President ;
Bond, Brown, Davis, of Washington, Ede-
len, Harwood, Hollyday, Hopkins, Lee, May-
hugh, Mitchell, Miller, Parran, Purnell,
Sands—15.
Nays—Messrs. Abbott, Annan, Baker,
Cunningham, Cushing, Daniel, Dellinger,
Earle, Ecker, Farrow, Galloway, Greene,
Hebb, Hoffman, Hopper, Keefer, Kennard,
King, Markey, McComas, Mullikin, Murray,
Nyman, Parker, Pugh, Ridgely, Robinette,
Russell, Schley, Scott, Smith, of Worcester,
Stirling, Stockbridge, Swope, Todd, Wooden
—36.
As their names were called,
Mr. DANIEL said: After due consideration
upon this matter, I shall withdraw the ob-
jection I made to-day, although I consider
this going a little too much into detail, for
fear it may split up this system, and that it
may not go into effect. I think the amend-
ment the gentleman from Worcester (Mr.
Purnell) will offer, liable to some objection,
and I propose to offer an amendment to that,
so that the legislature may from time to time
amend it, if we adopt the State superintendent's
system. In order to get something, I
shall vote for the system pretty much a it
is. I vote "no."
Mr. EDELEN said: lam not influenced in
any respect whatever in the vote I shall give
to strike out this section, by any feeling of
opposition to the inauguration in this State
of a system of uniform public school educa-
tion, The reason that actuates me, I have
stated somewhat at length; and it is the
same reason in one respect which governs
the gentleman from Baltimore city (Mr. Dan-
iel) tend my friend from Howard (Mr. Sands.)
Another reason why my people are opposed
to this thing is that we already in my county,
and I believe in the adjacent counties, (I
know in Prince George's county,) have already
a public school system with which we are
abundantly satisfied. Upon the point made
by the gentleman from Baltimore city (Mr.
Abbott,) to the effect that we were opposed in
that section of Maryland to spending money
in educating the children of poor men, I
would only remark to the convention that I
happen to have before me here the accounts of |
