bring the question up properly before the con-
vention, whether they will permit these re-
marks to bespread upon the journal of debates
or not; whether they will act upon it before
the member from Talbot has an opportunity
of explaining himself. After the gentleman
from Talbot shall have explained himself, the
entire matter will be before the convention
for their judgment.
Mr. CUSHING. I understand the chair that
it would be an act of assumption for the pres-
ident cither to allow it to go upon the record
of debates or to refuse it. Do I understand
that it cannot go upon the debates without an
order of the body ?
The PRESIDENT. No, sir; 'everything that
is transacted in this body is to be faithfully
reported, unless the convention shall other-
wise determine. The convention have the
power to control their debates and proceed-
ings. They have the power to expunge, if
they choose, a portion of the journal, or say
that a portion of the debates and proceedings
shall not be entered upon the journal of de-
bates and proceedings; and so far as that is
concerned, to exclude it from public consider-
ation. They have tire entire control over this
matter. The president has no control over
this subject, further than to see that all pro-
ceedings of whatever nature, whether in the
shape of personal matters or otherwise, shall
be conducted in the forms prescribed by par-
liamentary law. It is for the convention to
decide whether this matter shall be entered
upon the journal. Of course the convention
will not exclude the gentleman from Talbot
(Mr Valliant) from the privilege of making
any personal explanation that he desires.
Mr. VALLIANT. I understand that the ques-
tion as to whether or not any discussion that
may arise between the gentleman from Kent
and myself is to be entered upon the journal,
is a question to be decided by this convention.
I apprehend that if it be allowable that what-
ever explanations are necessary to be made,
should be made, the explanations should first
be made, and the question discussed after-
wards whether or not it be entered upon the
journal.
I understood the gentleman from Kent (Mr.
Chambers) to say that I had said in my re-
marks made here on the twenty-third article
of the declaration of rights some time in last
June, that Mr, Williams bad given money to
my brother. Now, sir, here is the speech re-
ported in the debates.
Mr. CHAMBERS. I wish to say that I was
not here, and knew nothing about it, and
professed to know nothing about it. I saw
it so reported.
Mr. VALLIANT. I will read the remarks :
"And further, if we undertake to compen-
sate the loyal slaveholder, we will soon have
to compensate the disloyal also. It will be
an easy matter for the disloyal a few years
hence to come forward and prove by testi-
62 |
mony, competent in law, that in 1864 they
were loyal men—were opposed to tie rebel-
lion and never aided it by word or deed.
Mr. Thomas P. Williams, of my county,
who in the month of May, 1861, persuaded
my boy brother, George Enos Valliant, then
a boy but seventeen years old, to go down to
Virginia and there defend his native south from
the inroads of northern goths and vandals,
and offered to pay the expenses often young
men to go and do as he urged my brother to
do, and other things too numerous to men-
tion, will be able to bring some one to swear
that he too has ever been loyal, and there-
upon base a claim for compensation, and thus
the State will be obliged to compensate the
loyal and the disloyal alike, and will also be
obliged to compensate the sufferers to whom
I have alluded in the western counties,
(which latter our legislature has already refused
to do.) And in doing all this we seriously
threaten our State with bankruptcy."
It is " and offered to pay," not that he did
do it. My information is not that he did it,
but that lie did not do it. When my brother
went and threw himself in the way of Mr.
Thomas P. Williams, so that Mr. Thomas P.
Williams could fulfil the obligation, and.
comply with the offer he had made to my
brother, my brother said he did not pay him,
the money; but he said he offered to pay not
only his expenses, but the expenses of nine
other young men, and other things too nu-
merous to mention. My hour had been con-
sumed; but if it had been a matter of con-
sequence that I should mention these things,
I would have done it. And now that the
matter has come up, I intend to mention
these things, and they are things which in
my county are a matter of public notoriety,
known to every main in the county.
In the month of May, 1861, I was the
guardian of my brother, who was then but
seventeen years of age. He came to me and
asked me for money sufficient to lake him
down south. He said all his sympathies were
with the south. He believed that upon the
great questions which had just been submit-
ted to the arbitrament of the sword, the
south was right. The northern people were
going down to invade their rights, and he
wished to go south and help defend their
rights. " And I demand of you as my
guardian," he said, "to furnish me the money
to take me down there." I de-dined to do so.
1 declined to furnish him the money. Said he,
•' It don't make any difference; Mr. Wil-
liams says he will furnish the money, and 1
am independent of you anyhow," I am willing
that the stenographer should take this down
and to have the matter investigated in a court
of law if necessary. Whenever this matter
comes up before a court for trial, my brother
comes as a witness upon the stand, if
he is alive, and I will have him thor-
oughly interrogated. I am. now willing to |
