is work enough for one person, but not for
two. I therefore move to strike out the words
" the secretary and."
Mr. VALLIANT. I offer the following as a
substitute for the order :
"Ordered, That the comptroller be authorized
to contract with the printer for the fold-
ing of the journal of debates and mailing
the same after the adjournment of the con-
vention."
I have made an estimate of what the expense
will be if the offer of the printer is accepted.
He offers to fold the debates tor three dollars
a signature, furnishing the paper and mu-
cilage himself.
Mr. TODD. Not pay the postage.
Mr. VALLIANT. Is it proposed that the sec-
retary, or the folder, shall do that? If so I
will withdraw my substitute.
The PRESIDENT. The State will have to pay
the postage.
Mr. VALLIANT. I was about to remark that
the expense of getting the printer to do this
will be from two dollars to two dollars and a
half a day.
On motion of Mr. PUGH,
The further consideration of this subject
was postponed until to-morrow.
LIMITATION OF DEBATE.
Mr. DANIEL submitted the following order :
Ordered, That the time allowed to each
inember for debate on any question before the
convention be limited to five minutes; that no
extension of time be granted except by a
unanimous vote of the members present.
The PRESIDENT. The former order must be
first reconsidered.
Mr. CUSHING. This is only amending the
time allowed. I do not see any reason for re-
considering the order.
The PRESIDENT. If this order is adopted, it
supersedes the other order,
Mr. CUSHING. Certainly, that is what we
desire.
Mr. DENT. I do not think there has been
any disposition to speak against time since
the adoption of the order limiting debate to
twenty minutes. And it is necessary that
gentlemen should explain their views, in favor
of or in opposition to propositions upon
which they have to vote. And five minutes
will not give any gentleman an opportunity
of explaining intelligibly his views upon any
important subject, so as to have them under-
stood by his constituency or by the public.
Twenty minutes is certainly a very short time
in which to do it. But that has seldom been
consumed by any one in our recent debates.
I am sure it is the object and the desire of
every member of this body to get through
with the labors of this convention as speedily
as possible. And there is no necessity of imposing
upon inembers such checks and re-
straints as the limitation of debate to five min- |
utes. It will work manifest injustice, for it
will be almost impossible for any one to get
the unanimous consent of the convention to
express his views for a longer period than the
time fixed, I hope the order will not be
adopted.
Mr. SANDS. I move to amend the order by
striking out "five" and inserting "ten," 1
am as anxious to get away as anybody. But
really the views expressed by the gentleman
from St. Mary's (Mr. Dent) have a great deal
in them.
Mr. DANIEL. I have always heretofore
voted for not cutting off the time to these
short periods, so as to give members time for
debate. I have gone for fifteen minutes, and
1 went for twenty minutes before. But 1
shall vote for this order as it is now. We
have passed through the main subjects before
this convention except one report. We are
now approaching the close, I think any gen-
tleman can explain what he has to explain in
five minutes. 1. think some advantage has
been taken of the time allowed, and by offer-
ing amendments and calling yeas and nays,
in order to delay and consume time. I am
therefore in favor of voting for the shortest
time in reason, I will vote for five minutes,
though I am willing ten should pass.
Mr, BILLINGSLEY. I think five minutes, or
ton minutes, would be equivalent to allowing
no debate at all, for it is too short a time
to devote to a subject of paramount import-
ance.
Mr. MAYHUGH moved to lay the order on
the table.
On this question Mr. DANIEL called for the
yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
The question was then taken, by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 39, nays 33—as fol-
lows :
Teas—Messrs. Goldsborough, President ;
Audoun, Barron, Billingsley, Blackiston,
Bond, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Chambers,
Clarke, Crawford, Cunningham, Davis, of
Charles, Davis, of Washington, Dellinger,
Dent, Duvall, Henkle, Hodson, Hollyday,
Horsey, Johnson, Lansdale, Lee, Marbury,
Markey, Mayhugh. Miller, Morgan, Negley,
Parran, Scott, Smith, of Dorchester, Sneary,
Stockbridge, Sykes, Turner, Wilmer—39.
Nays—Messrs. Abbott, Annan, Baker,
Cushing, Daniel, Ecker, Farrow, Galloway,
Hatch, Hebb, Hoffman, Hopkins, Hopper,
Keefer, Kennard, Larsh, McComas, Mullikin,
Parker, Pugh, Purnell, Ridgely, Russell,
Sands, Schlosser, Smith, of Carroll, Smith,
of Worcester, Stirling, Swope, Thomas, Val-
liant, Wickard, Wooden—33.
The motion to lay the order on the table
was accordingly adopted.
On motion of Mr. VALLIANT,
It was ordered to be entered on the journal
that Melancthon Dodson, (page,) is detained
from the convention by protracted sickness. |
