my colleagues have taken upon this ques-
tion, to relieve ourselves of the positions
in which it has been attempted to place us,
as if we were governed, by partisan motives
upon these questions of Kent and Baltimore
counties. There is no question of partisan-
ship involved in it. Unless I had been satis-
fied from the assertions of gentlemen upon
this Boor, that Kent county had a population
entitling her to two representatives, I should
never have voted for it, although represented
here by gentlemen of my own political com-
plexion. Having adopted the rule, I will
carry it out lo its legitimate principles, let it
work what wrong it may, for I know it can
only work wrong.
Mr. SANDS. I am one of those gentlemen
upon this floor who voted to give Kent two
members, and I believed that from the sense
of fairness and liberality on the part of other
gentlemen, a claim so just as that urged by
Baltimore county would be met in the same
spirit with which I met their claim. But I
now heartily second the motion for the re-con-
sideration of that vote, because I find that
that is not so. Heartily do I second that
motion, and if there is a Union man in this
house to whom lean say one word that can
reach his heart or his head, that may carry
us back where this report found us, I hope he
will listen,
"Representation according to population."
They are going to raise a cry about that, are
they? I wish they would come to my county
and raise the cry. They did raise a cry last
spring; but what was the cry? " Why, you
are one of those radical fellows that is for
representation according to population, and
you want the counties swamped by the great
city of Baltimore." That was the terrible
bug-a-boo which we had to meet and fight
at every cross-roads, as gentlemen in our
county know. I wish the gentlemen would
come and raise that cry, I will raise stands
from which to raise it, and I will get crowds
together to listen lo it. Then perhaps we may
come back here and get representation accord-
ing to population, Baltimore city and all in-
cluded. I assure the gentlemen that if they
will only raise that cry, if they will sound it
clarion-like, and convince the people that the
true theory is representation according to
population, it will get my bearty vote. They
did not do it. The whole theory of the fight
last spring when the people were electing us
from the counties, was the very contrary to
what the gentleman urges here,
Mr. CLARKE. Will the gentleman allow
me one moment?
Mr. SANDS. I would prefer not.
Mr. CLARKE. Well, the gentleman's oppo-
nent ran against him, and he was elected. I
do not know what he ran on.
Mr. SANDS. I will tell you what I ran on
I was not afraid to say to the people, even In
the face of the demagogue cry that the conn
59 |
ties were going to be swamped by Baltimore
city, "1 am for a fair and liberal representa-
tion for Baltimore city; but I pledge you my
word, men of Howard county, that I am not
going to bring you into the difficulty.
These people talk about swamping yon
under the influence of the great com-
mercial emporium." The gentlemen who
declaimed against representation according
to population were the very gentlemen
who were in party affiliation and sym-
pathy with the gentleman who last addressed
the convention. This convention is not go-
ing to take back tracks. I will tell you what
it will do. It will wipe out any of those
tracks that have been made in the wrong di-
rection, believing that those who made the
tracks would be met with equal liberality
elsewhere. I am going to wipe out my
tracks now. Other members may do as they
please about it.
Now about the fairness of this thing, of the
gentlemen of the minority going to Balti-
more county, and telling them that they had
offered them seven members upon this floor,
and that Baltimore county had voted against
Mr. CLARKE. We offered them eight mem-
bers.
Mr. SANDS. And because you could not give
her eight, you wanted to tie her down to six,
and would not give her seven. That is con-
sistent, I must say,
Mr. RIDGELY, In order that they themselves
might get four.
Mr. SANDS, How about the fairness of the
representation given to Prince George's, and
the representation given to Baltimore county.
Let us see about that. Prince George's has a
little over 9,000 free white inhabitants. Rep-
resentation is based upon the basis of free
white population.
Mr. CLARKE. That is what we object to.—
Our basis was according to the entire popula-
tion.
Mr. SANDS. I know that, including the ne-
gro population; and that is what we did not
\ want. Now let us look at the figures. Let
me proceed with the examination of the rep-
resentation allotted lo Prince George's coun-
ty, and the representation allotted to Balti-
more county. According to the tables of the
census of 1860, Prince George's county has a
little over 9,000 white inhabitants, while Bal-
timore county has considerably more that four
times that number of white inhabitants.—
Prince George's county has been allowed two
representatives. According to that is not Bal-
timore county, with more than four times the
number of white inhabitants that Prince
George's county has, entitled to eight repre-
sentatives? O! no!! cry the gentlemen; you
have adopted a rule, and we stick toil. Now
i it was argued here this morning on that side
- of the house, and very properly, that there |
