in such a situation as will render it very un-
pleasant to him, he cares not what may be
his threats in regard to the matter. The
chair is something like other individuals, not
to be intimidated by anything at all,
Mr. MARBURY. I ask leave of the conven-
tion to offer the following additional sec-
tion :
"Sec. —. It shall be the duty of the gen-
eral assembly, at its first session after the
adoption of this constitution, to provide by
law that all taxes paid by individuals on
slaves emancipated by this constitution, since
the — day of — shall be returned
to the persons so paying them,"
The PRESIDENT. The chair does not con-
sider that that matter pertains to this report.
It is not germain in any way.
Mr. DENT. I would submit that a propo-
sition of this character might be entertained
under the head of "miscellaneous." A new
article might be inserted in the constitution.
I only make the suggestion that the gentle-
man could reach his object in that way, with-
out opening any other article.
The PRESIDENT. It cannot be entertained
at this time.
Mr. BELT, The proposition of my col-
league (Mr. Marbury) does not look to the
incorporation of any permanent policy into
the constitution. It does not propose that
there shall be a remission of certain taxes
year after year. It is but a temporary affair,
and therefore I thought it would properly
fall within this report upon the schedule,
because I understood the schedule was de-
signed to cover these temporary affairs.
Mr. HEBB. It is not customary to intro-
duce any new section to a report, until the
report has been read through.
The PRESIDENT. The chair rules the amend-
ment of the gentleman from Prince George's
(Mr. Marbury) to he out of order.
Mr. EDELEN. I was cut off, by the opera-
tion. of the previous question, from intro-
ducing an amendment to this section. It is
in these words—
The PRESIDENT. The section has been
adopted.
Mr. EDELEN. Then I will read it for the
information of the convention.
Mr. PUGH. I object to that.
Mr. EDELEN. Then I will offer it as an ad-
ditional section as follows:
" Sec. —. The obligation of the judges of
election to administer the oath required in
section two, shall only exist in those cases
whenever the vote of the person offering to
vote may be challenged,"
My reason for introducing it is to meet the
view of my friend from Baltimore city (Mr.
Daniel.) The whole of his argument was
founded upon the sixth section of the con-
vention bill, from which he sought to derive
the authority to give us the perfect right to
put in here the oath prescribed. . |
Mr. HEBB. I rise to a point of order.
There was no section before the convention
when this proposition was offered. The gen-
tleman from Charles (Mr. Edelen) proposes
to amend the whole report. Now, in con-
formity with the uniform decision of the
chair, no new section can be introduced until
we get through the report.
Mr. MILLER. Several reports have been
subdivided into different parts; the judiciary
report was so divided. This schedule is di-
vided into several parts—"general provis-
ions," "vote on the constitution," and
"soldiers' vote." We are now about con-
cluding that portion of this report which
relates to the vote upon the constitution, be-
fore we come to the subdivision entitled
"soldiers' vote." In the case of the judiciary
report, new sections were received at the con-
clusion of each subdivision. If the new sec-
tion now proposed is germain to the particular
subdivision of the report under consideration,
it seems to me proper that it should be allowed
to come in here.
Mr. HEBB. The gentleman from Charles
(Mr. Edelen) proposes to offer an amendment
to the whole report, to introduce a new sec-
tion. My point of order is that there is
nothing before the convention until some
section is read. We have adopted section
two, and that is not any longer before the
house.
Mr. PUGH. It has been the custom hereto-
fore to admit new sections under the different
subdivisions of a report, but that was because
no objection was raised. The idea is that the
new section shall be offered after the report is
read through, and then it can be put in its
proper place) if it is adopted.
The PRESIDENT. The usual course is to ad-
mit new sections only after the report has
been read through.
Mr. EDELEN. Then I will give notice that
at the proper time I will offer this as an addi-
tional section,
SOLDIERS' VOTE.
The following section was then read :
"Section 1. Any of the qualified voters of
this State, who shall be absent from the county
or city of his residence, by reason of being in
the military service of the United States, so as
not to be able to vote at home, on the adop-
tion or rejection or tills constitution, or for
all State officers elected on general ticket, and
for presidential electors, and for members of
congress, at the election to be held on the
Tuesday next after the first Monday in November,
eighteen hundred and sixty-four, shall be
entitled to vote at such elections as follows :
A poll shall be opened in each company of
every Maryland regiment in the service of the
United States, or of this State, on the day ap-
pointed by this convention, for taking the
vote on the new constitution, or on some day
not more than five days thereafter, at the quar |
