Schlosser, Scott, Smith, of Carroll, Smith, of
Dorchester, Smith, of Worcester, Sneary,
Stirling, Stockbridge, Swope, Thomas, Todd,
Valliant, Wickard, Wilmer, Wooden—66.
The proceedings of yesterday were read
and approved.
On motion of Mr. MCCOMAS,
Ordered, That the folders and postmasters,
and whoever shall have the authority to at-
tend to their duties, after the adjournment of
the convention, be instructed not to fold or
frank any other printed matter than such as
has been published by authority of the con-
vention.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
Mr. CHAMBERS. I rise to a matter of personal
explanation. I have been intrusted by
a gentleman from Talbot county, of high res-
pectability, to state to this convention the facts
in regard to a circumstance which a member
now in his seat from Talbot (Mr. Valliant)
has brought to the notice of this body. It
seems that on a former occasion the member
from Talbot was pleased to allude by name to
this gentleman, Mr. Thomas P. Williams,
amongst those whom I understand from the
context that he charges with being secession-
ists, or unfaithful members of the community,
disloyal men. He mentions the name of Mr.
Thomas P. Williams, who, he asserts, had
given money to a brother of the member, to
induce him to go South and take up arms
against the government. Mr. Williams con-
siders himself as deeply injured by this, which
he says is a misrepresentation. He has had
strong southern sympathies. That he makes no
concealment of. But be has always avoided
any act by which any law of the United States
or of the State of Maryland could in any
shape be violated. He has avoided any act in
conflict with those laws. His statement is
that he did not furnish him money. This
gentleman, Mr. George E. Valliant, has since
returned from the South, and I hold in my
hand his certificate, in these words :
STATE OF MARYLAND,
St. Michael's, Aug. 29, 1864.
I, George Enos Valliant, of St. Michael's,
do solemnly aver and declare that what my
brother said in convention as regards Thomas
P. Williams persuading "me, or any other
person, so far as I know, to go down to Vir-
ginia, and there defend his native South from
the inroads of northern Goths and Vandals,
and offered to pay the expenses of ten young
men to go and do as he urged my brother to
do, and other things," is positively untrue.
[Signed] GEO. E. VALLIANT.
Signed in presence of
O. R. SPARKS.
These are gentlemen known to you, and I
oppose their signatures will not becontested.
I rise here in the name of an injured individ-
ual, injured in a material way, but I hope
undesignedly and by mistake; with a view of |
giving the inember from Talbot an opportuni-
ty to retract this assertion in the presence in
which it was made. I make no comments
upon the subject. I have done this as an act
of justice to a gentleman whom I have known
and you have known to be one of the most
respectable citizens of Talbot county, and a
man whose conduct, 80 far as I know, is above
impeachment,
Mr. VALLIANT. Mr. President—
Mr. CUSHING. I wish to ask if these remarks
will go upon the journal of debates. It is a
personal matter entirely, concerning a gentle-
man in Maryland; and I wish lo know wheth-
er the journal of debates of this convention is
open tor every gentleman in Maryland, who
may consider himself aggrieved by remarks in
this house to come here and defend himself
upon that journal of debales ?
Mr. CHAMBERS. I ask for information,
whether there is one individual man in this
house go unkind—1 use no strong expression
now—as to desire that an imputation shall be
made against an individual of a high crime«
and placed upon the journal, and to deny to
that individual the privilege of placing there
his contradiction of it? Is there a man in
this house whose feelings will allow him to
take this position?
Mr. CUSHING. I am not objecting to it. 1
simply asked the question. I have never
known that in Congress :i man supposing him-
self to be injured by the debates there could so
defend himself. I asked for information.
The PRESIDENT. I understand the gentle-
man from Baltimore city to make aninquiry
of the chair whether an individual not con-
nected with this body has a right to have» his
defence, of whatever character it may be,
spread upon the journal of fine debates and
proceedings of this body. That is not a mat-
ter exclusively within the power or control of
the president. .The gentleman from Baltimore
city has the right to call the attention of the
convention to it; and the convention has the
power to decide whether this matter shall be
spread upon the journal or not. It would be
a matter of assumption upon the part of the
president to arrogate to himself the« right to
permit this to be placed upon the journal or to
exclude it. The people are represented in this
body. Every man in Maryland is represented
here by gome person or other. Of course if
any one is aggrieved, it is for this body to
judge whether it comes within the constitu-
tional provision to permit their grievance to
be laid before them, subject to any investiga-
tion they may choose to make. That is a
matter exclusively within the province of the
convention. The president is to decide points
of order and other mailers which may come
before him tor the regulation of this conven-
tion; but any matter outside of that is a mat-
ter for the deliberation, »ad the judgment of
the convention. If the gentleman from Baltimore
city desires to make a » motion, it will |
