other reports still pending, upon which we
can act, I suppose. But if there are not, let
us wait for other reports to come in, and defer
any action upon this at present. I do not
like to express all that I feel on this occasion.
I trust there will be no disposition to press or
urge this matter so fair as to make it seem to
be expressly in opposition to the will of the
minority, which I know is of very small ac-
count. Yet we wish and hope to be fairly
treated in the consideration of this report,
which we consider of such vital importance
to the constituency which we represent.
Mr. STIRLING. I should be very much in-
disposed to do anything upon a matter of so
much importance, which might seem to
friends upon the other side to be going too
fast; but I do not feel the force of the objec-
tion of the gentleman from St. Mary's for
this reason. Although the house is not as
full as it is sometimes, we have sixty mem-
bers here, which is certainly avery consider-
able attendance. This report will take some
time. it will take up the afternoon. We
may have the afternoon and night session
upon it. If we wait and take it up to-mor-
row, it might take up the whole day, which
would throw us still further forward. I hope
the convention will be able to adjourn by
Friday, or at most by Saturday. We have
all the reports of the committee on revision
to consider, which are not ready yet. This
report will take up some time. I cannot see
the hardship of beginning upon it this after-
noon. Gentlemen have all read it. The
gentleman from St. Mary's (Mr. Dent) has
expressly said that he has considered it so
much as to form a very definite opinion upon
it. I see here representatives of the minority
who are abundantly able to take care of all
their interests, if gentlemen wish to explain
their views, they can do it just as well now
as at any other time. There are enough
gentlemen on the floor to take care of the in-
terests of the minority. And besides, if gen-
tlemen do not choose to attend, they have no
right to expect us to delay our business upon
their account.
Mr. DANIEL. If there was any advantage
to be taken in this tiling, I would certainly
not press it. But, as has been said, our sea
sion is coming fast to a close. We have but
a day or two left. The chairman of the
committee informs me that it is probable he
shall have to leave to-morrow afternoon;
and I do not believe we shall get through
this report in one day; especially if gentle-
men are spreading themselves and have so
much pent up wrath with reference to this
schedule, as one of them tells you he has. I
think it would be better to get clear of some
of that this afternoon; and then they will
not have so much on hand to-morrow. It
does a man good sometimes to get clear of it.
We know that these gentlemen vote against
us on the most simple things. Gentlemen |
have opposed upon the third reading, reports
which were exactly like the articles in the
old constitution; upon the treasury depart-
ment, and others which had nothing political
in them. They are so afraid of us that they
will not vote with us if they can help it.
Anything we may say will not change the
vote at all. These gentlemen will all vote
against us, and we shall all vote one way.
Mr. DENT. I hope not.
Mr. DANIEL. Yes we will. We shall come
to an agreement, and our side of the house
will vote one way and the other the other
way. We have got enough present, I sup-
pose, to carry out our views now; and if we
wait for a fuller house, we shall only have a
few more votes added to it. The gentlemen
who are in the minority this evening, will be
in the minority to-morrow just as much. 1
do not see that it will change the result a
particle; and we may just as well go for-
ward thus much with our work. We may
as well go on with this report this afternoon
and to-night.
Mr. CHAMBERS. It is very true that we are
the minority; and it is very true that we
shall be the minority to-morrow. But will
any gentleman look at our empty seats, and
then pretend to say in the face of this body,
that we are not here without our friends ?
Mr. DANIEL (in his seat.) Whose fault is it?
Mr, CHAMBERS continued: Any man with
eyes must see it, and must acknowledge that
they are absent. We hold, at least I do,
that among all the enormities' committed by
this body towards the minority here and their
constituency, there is nothing to be com-
pared with this. That is the view I take of it.
We are told that there are gentlemen here of
the minority who can protect themselves.
In a matter of the utmost importance, when
we wish our friends to be here, at its consid-
eration, are we to he treated as if it were a
two-penny affair? It is said that we vote
against all your bills, and make no distinc-
tions. That is a fact so far as I am con-
cerned: for I will not vote for your bills
when I have no opportunity of knowing
what they are, you go with such railroad
Speed. I shall not vote for thorn when 1
have not seen the contents of them. When
gentlemen are making such political changes,
1 certainly am not ready to vole for your
treasury reports or your attorney general re-
ports, or anything else, which they may not
sea any harm in. They put political mat-
ters in a report, and do not presume that
those political] matters are offensive. Offen-
sive? That is not a term which will half
designate this report, in my judgment,
All I ask is to wait until our friends are
here to-morrow; that you will not be in such
hot haste in a matter of this sort. You drive
us here from nine, three and eight o'clock.
Gentlemen must have some time to themselves.
My two neighbors have gone on business of ar- |
