and outrages that I want to see corrected
by the proper authorities; and I want it to
have all the moral weight this convention
can bring to bear upon it. If the Southern
counties of the State had the credit they are
entitled to, for the class of men surreptitiously
carried off in this way, the whole State would
be nearly relieved of the burden of an exces-
sive draft.
Mr. HEBB. I hardly think it is necessary to
have a committee of nine; and I move the
following amendment to the amendment :
Strike out all after the word "that," in the
first line, to the word "to," in the seventh
line, and insert the words "the governor be
respectfully requested to communicate."
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. Really I
cannot see what objection any gentleman can
offer to this order. The object is to get the
information; and in case the governor is not
possessed of the information, to desire him to
write and procure the information; and he
will do it with a great deal of pleasure, with
more than the gentleman from Allegany (Mr.
Hebb) will vote for this proposition, I am sure.
This is a mere subject of inquiry ,admitted on
all hands on yesterday to be necessary. It is
merely with a view that we may have a con-
sultation, that gentlemen of this body may
have a consultation with the governor upon
the subject, and devise some plan to meet this
want, that the order is offered. I did not
really expect any opposition to the order. I
think it is drawn up in respectful terms, that
He be respectfully requested to furnish us with
the information; and I cannot imagine why
gentlemen should arise in their seats and offer
objections and amendments with a view of
killing off a subject which they admitted yes-
terday was of so much importance.
I think the information desired by the con-
vention can be more readily had in the mode
pointed out by the order which I have had the
honor of presenting. I said some days ago,
and I shall follow out the rule, I meant this
only as a suggestion to the convention; not
that I expect it to pass anything coming from
me or my colleagues, but I merely made the
suggestion, predicated on reason and founded
on justice, which I did not suppose any man
through prejudice or any political bias would
oppose in this convention.
Mr. HEBB. I believe I did not violate any
rule of the convention by offering an amend-
ment to the gentleman's order. If the gentle-
man supposes I have any prejudice upon this
subject, he is very much mistaken. If there
is any prejudice, it is on the other side of the
house. So far as the information is concerned,
if the gentleman desires information, and the
governor has the information and is ready and
willing to furnish it, he can as well furnish
the information to the convention by a com-
munications to nine gentleman sitting there
and conversing with him. That is my view
of the subject. |
Mr. MILLER. I think it would be entirely
respectful for a committee to wait upon him,
rather than for the convention to pass a mere
order requesting him to communicate the in-
formation to us. That is certainly in accor"
dance with precedents, to communicate with
the governor by means of committees • and 1
can see no objection to the appointment of a
committee to bring the matter more respectful-
ly and formally to the attention of the governor,
than it would be by the mere passage of an or-
der. This is a subject of grave importance to
the people of the State, and especially to the
people of my congressional district. Now I have
been credibly informed this morning by those
connected with the department, that in this
congressional district) with two of the coun-
ties nearly exempt, Calvert and St. Mary's,
the people in this district have under the pres-
ent draft paid a quarter of a million dollars
in the way of commutation money for the
procurement of substitutes; and notwithstand-
ing that, it is a well known fact, not legally
known perhaps, that a large number of slaves
of this district, and able-bodied free negroes
have been taken from the district and enlisted,
and credited either to the other portions of
the State, or to the city of Baltimore, or to
the other States in the Union, Yet in the
coming September draft, the quota of this con-
gressional district is three or four hundred
more men than in any other congressional dis-
trict an the State. I say that is a matter of
injustice. It ought to be remedied if possible.
This matter ought to be inquired into and the
facts made known, and the enrolment lists
corrected, and the quotas properly assigned to
the several subdivisions of the State. There
cannot be anything but justice in this propo-
sition, and if the information is possibly to be
obtained, let as have it.
Mr. ABBOTT called for the previous question.
The call for the previous question was not
sustained.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. I desire to say few words
upon this question. I have always been averse
to sending committees to the executive of the
State for information. I think the more usual
custom is to communicate in writing, sending
him a respectful communication, and asking
for a reply in the same form. That is better
for many reasons. A committee waits upon
the executive, and makes a statement of the
thing that has brought them there, and asks
certain questions; and they obtain replies.—
Then in their own manner they communi-
cate what they said or designed to say, and
what they understood the executive to reply.
If the communication is made in writing, and
a written answer is returned, we know precisely
what was represented, what was in-
quired, what was said to the executive, and
precisely what he said in reply. We have all
the information to act upon which the com-
mittee would have in the other case, without
any misunderstanding or possible misrepre- |
