second reading. Remember that two hours
have passed simply in the discussion of the
proposition to admit one amendment. The
amendment itself, if admitted, may be deba
ted for the Lord knows bow many hours more
Then comes another proposition which may
take two hours more. We would better have
no second reading of a report at all, if when
the house has upon the second reading of a
report decided by a unanimous vote of the
majority of the house that the report shall
stand as it is, it can be brought before the
house again and leave asked to open the report
and change it upon the third reading, because
the yeas and nays take up time, and if the
matter meets with any opposition we may
spend two hours or more upon the simple
question whether the report shall be opened
for amendment. If reports which have been
before the house for weeks, and which have
finall gone through, are to come up again
and have the whole question opened, every
report we have gone through may be taken up
in the name way. If a proposition is made
to this house which meets the view of the
majority, I think, the better way is to refer
it to the committee on revision, and let the
question be decided at once and without de
bate. Then let the committee on revision re-
port the amendment back to the house.
I want to apologize to the house for being
a member from the city of Baltimore. After
the eloquent remarks of the gentleman from
Calvert (Mr. Briscoe, ) I think if the report
should be opened by the convention for
amendment, the convention would better
take away the eighteen members allotted to
the city of Baltimore and give them to Cal
vert county, so that the State may be well
ruled, and one given to Baltimore. I never
was so ashamed of anything in my life, as I
am of having, come here from the city of Bal
timore, after the eloquent remarks of the gen
tleman from Calvert. I am led to believe that
there is no virtue, nothing to benefit the
State, which the counties can expect from
Baltimore, that the counties have built up
Baltimore, while she has done nothing but
devour them; and lam exceedingly sorry
that I should have been placed in the position
of being a member from so contemptible a
place. I wish to apologize to the convention
for it, and to assure them that it was not my
fault. I should have preferred to have been
from among the agricultural people of the
State, down in Calvert county.
Mr. HOLLIDAY. I hope my motion will no
be prejudiced before the convention by any
amendment to that now offered'. I would
not have offered it, had not Kent county been
so near the number that is required by the
report for two members; and I thought it
would meet the sense of the convention to
day to give that number to the county.
would greatly desire, if the convention would
do so, that two representatives should be |
given to every county; so that if one inem-
ber should be unable to attend, the county
should not be entirely unrepresented. It will
be remembered that a member of this conven-
tion was sick and unable to be here for three
months; and the same thing might occur in
any of the small counties; and then they
would have no representative at all.
In Kent county, as I said before, we pay a
tax more than equal to Caroline; and we are
paying an income tax of one thousand dol-
lars more than Caroline, I believe. I hope
the convention in consideration of these mat-
ters will give us two members.
Mr. SCOTT. I happen to have some business
acquaintance with our neighbors of 'Kent
county; and I hope that as a matter of jus-
tice two representatives will be allowed to
her. I have no doubt from the thrifty and
enterprising character of her people, and the
number of men necessary to carry out her
various improvements, and particularly in
preparing timber, that she has now more than
the additional number, if a census were to be
taken to-day, which would entitle her to an
additional delegate. I know it has acquired
a vast influx of white labor to get all the tim-
ber which comes from that county, and there
are other pursuits also requiring additional
labor. I think it would be no injustice, but
perfectly in accordance with the principles
laid down in the report.
Mr. ABBOTT. I desire to say one word, being
chairman of the committee. Like my colleague
(Mr. Cushing, ) I feel that I ought to apologize
to the convention, after the views that have
been expressed here, for being a member from
that great sore and ulcer upon the body poli-
tic, disfiguring the State.
1 believe, sir, that we have four separate
and distinct classes of people that make up the
great mass requiring representation. First,
is the producing, the working class; the
farmers and miners; all that produce any-
thing, or cause anything to be produced from
the earth. Next is the mechanic; next the
manufacturer; and next the merchant. These
constitute the four great quarters of our po-
litical community ;. they are the ones to be
legislated for, and who should be represented.
1 never dreamed that the city of Baltimore,
where a large portion of the inhabitants of
the State are congregated, ought to be sub-
divided, and made as so many adjoining coun-
ties. it seems to be supposed here that the
city of Baltimore will be represented by one
separate and distinct class of people. We
have heard a great deal upon this floor about
the mercantile interests of Baltimore and the
producing interests of the State. Day after
day has passed, in which the name of me-
chanic or manufacturer has never been heard
in these halls. They are two equally import-
ant branches of our community, and equally
require representation. They are congregated
mostly in the city of Baltimore, The subdi |
