ly, Robinette, Smith, of Carroll, Swope,
Sykes, Thomas, Turner, Valliant, Woo-
den—30.
Nays—Messrs. Abbott, Clarke, Cunningham,
Cushing, Dail, Daniel, Davis, of Charles,
Dellinger, Earle, Ecker, Farrow, Hollyday,
Keefer, Kennard, Mayhugh, McComas, Mur-
ray, Parker, Pugh, Purnell, Russell, Schley,
Scott, Stirling, Stockbridge, Todd, Wick-
ard—2 7.
When his name was called,
Mr. CLARKE said: I have just come into
the house and I do not know exactly the
position in which the section stands, or the
discussion that has gone on; but I must con-
fess that if this money is to be levied upon
the property of the State, and distributed ac-
cording to population, by including the negro
population my county would get more than
she would upon the white basis, and under
this view I must vote against the amendment
of my colleague, I vote "no."
The amendment was accordingly agreed to,
Mr. DUVALL. I move to amend the section
bystriking out the word "ten," and insert-
ing the word " five," in the sentence rearing
" an annual tax of not less than ten cents on
each one hundred dollars of taxable prop-
erty," &c.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr Pugh.) That amend-
ment is not now in order, the previous ques-
tion having been called by the gentleman
from Baltimore city (Mr. Cushing.)
Mr. CLARKE. I cannot move to reconsider
the vote by which the amendment of my col-
league (Mr. Berry, of Prince George's,) was
adopted. But I must confess that so far as I
understand it, it places our constituents in a
position where they will get but one-half the
proportion of the school fund this section
proposed to give them.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. I will
take the responsibility.
Mr. CLARKE. I take the responsibility the
other way. This cuts us down one-half.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. I call the
gentleman to order; this question has been
already decided.
The question was upon ordering the main
question to be put.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's, called for
the yeas and nays upon that question, and
they were ordered,
Mr. CUSHING. I will withdraw the call for
the previous question, in order to allow the
gentleman from Montgomery (Mr. Duvall) an
opportunity to move a reconsideration of the
vote by which the amendment of the gentle-
man from Prince George's (Mr. Berry) was
adopted.
Mr. HEBB. I object to that; the yeas and
nays have been ordered on that question,
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. I move that permission
be granted to withdraw the call for the pre-
vious question,
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Pugh.) I believe that |
the President of this convention has decided
that when the call of the roll has not been
commenced, the mover of a proposition has
a right to withdraw it.
Mr, HEBB. The President this morning
took the sense of the convention upon allow-
ing a member to withdraw a proposition.
The CHAIRMAN. Very well; I will put the
question.
The question was then taken upon grant-
ing leave to Mr. CUSHING to withdraw his call
for the previous question, and it was
agreed to.
The call for the previous question was ac-
cordingly withdrawn.
Mr. DUVALL. I move to reconsider the
vote by which the amendment of the gentle-
man from Prince George's (Mr, Berry) was
adopted.
The motion to reconsider was seconded by
Messrs. MILLER and BOND.
The question was upon the motion to re-
consider.
Mr. CUSHING. I wish to call the attention
of the convention to the very grave error in
principle which I think they have committed
j in putting the word "white" into this sec-
tion. lam afraid that they will find upon
reflection that, for the sake of turning a
weapon back on these lower counties, they
have done that which they will wish had
been left undone. There will certainly come
a lime when the legislature of this State will
be forced, by the public opinion of its citi-
zens, to provide some means for educating
our free colored population, if they are
allowed to remain in the State. If you put
the word " white" in this section of your or-
ganic law, you prohibit the use of any por-
tion of this school fund for the education of
that class of people. And when the time that
the protection of the citizens of this State
shall demand the education of the free col-
ored people; our citizens will not stand upon
the question of expense, and you will be
forced to submit to an additional levy.
All that this section, as reported, amounts
to, therefore, is this: That until public opinion
reaches the point of educating the free colored
people, you give the lower counties the advan-
tage of the distribution of this school fund in
proportion to their black population. By put-
ting in this word " white," you forever pro-
hibit any portion of this particular tax being
used for educating free colored people.
Now I cannot think ibis convention is willing
to express the determination that these people
shall never be educated. Your committee
carefully refrained from putting into this
report a provision for their education, because
they believed that as yet the people were not
ready for any separate system of education
for the blacks, But if these blacks continue
to live here, the time will come when they
must be made as good inhabitants of the
State as we can make them. And I trust |
