constitution. My colleague gives it as his
experience that not one-quarter of the copies
of the constitution prepared for distribution
were ever distributed, for it was really no
favor to the county papers to supply them
to their subscribers. The Union papers have
taken a great interest in this constitution,
and in the Union cause generally; and they
think that it is not more than right that the
publication should be given to them. And
besides, there are hundreds and hundreds of
families in the country that never see any
paper but the one published in the county
where they live. And I think it is advisable
that this constitution should be brought fully
before as large a number of the people in
this way as can be done.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. The purpose of the
order adopted by the convention the other
day, as I understood it, was to furnish gra-
tuitously to the publishers of those papers
throughout the State, as many copies of this
constitution beaded " Extra," as they might
require to send one to each subscriber, and
send it as an extra of their own paper. The
difference between the two plans is this; as
the order now stands adopted, the type are
set in one place for the whole State; while
according to the plan now proposed they must
be set twice in every county in the State,
Gentlemen will of course see at once the very
great difference as regards the matter of ex-
pense to the State.
I am not sufficiently acquainted with these
things to know what would be the expense
of publishing this constitution as an adver-
tisement in the county newspapers; but it
seems to me it would be enormous. I sup-
pose there are gentlemen here in the conven-
tion who can form some reasonable conjecture
as to the number of squares this would
occupy. My own impression is that it would
cost the State for that operation a great many
thousand dollars. And unless it be neces-
sary I shall be opposed to incurring that ex-
pense. Before voting on this proposition 1
would like to know whether it is the design
to have this constitution published in the
newspapers in addition to what has already
been ordered; or whether this order is in-
tended to be a substitute for the other.
Mr. DAVIS. I desire to move to amend this
order by inserting after the words " three
times," the words " at least two weeks before
the election." Otherwise this constitution
might be published three times within three
days of the election.
Mr. NEGLEY. My colleague (Mr. Sneary,)
who is a practical printer, and thoroughly
conversant with the business, states that it
would not cost over fifteen hundred dollars.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. In forty-four papers?
Mr. SNEARY. I meant to say this: I am
not now connected with any newspaper, but
I was in 1851. At that time the convention
authorized the publication of the constitution |
in bill form. A large number of copies were
sent to our county, but not one of them was
ever distributed. I do not think that one
person in five in the county ever saw the
constitution before he was called upon to
vote upon it. And under the post office law,
editors are not permitted to enclose any mat-
ter in their papers other than that which be-
longs to the papers themselves; and if they
do they violate the law of Congress. They
are permitted to send only their papers free
of postage, through the counties, but not
permitted to enclose any circular or anything
of that sort in them.
1 presume it might cost from fifteen hun-
dred to two thousand dollars, perhaps more,
to print this constitution in the newspapers.
Some limit should be placed upon it of course.
But the newspaper press is the medium
through which the people of the counties
look for information in regard to such mat-
ters as these. I have no interest in the news-
paper press now. I know very well that
what is everybody's business is nobody's bu-
siness. The copies of the constitution sent
to my county some thirteen years ago, were
not generally distributed among the people.
The result was that comparatively few peo-
ple saw the constitution. To print the con-
stitution in the papers might lead to an ex-
pense something over and above the printing
of the 60,000 copies as proposed. I do not
know what they would cost; I am not
able to say as to that. But I know this,
that by inserting it in the newspapers it
would have a much more general circulation,
and be much more gratifying to the people,
for they look to the papers as the channel
through which such information is to be com-
municated, And the press of the State ex-
pect it, I would suggest that this order be
substituted for the other.
The PRESIDENT. Does the gentleman from
Allegany (Mr. Wickard) offer this as an Ad-
ditional order to the one already adopted by
the convention ?
Mr. WICKARD, I offer it as an additional
order.
The question was then taken upon the
amendment of Mr. DAVIS, of Charles, to in-
sert after the words " three times," the words
"at least two weeks before the election,"
and it was rejected.
The question then recurred upon adopting
the order submitted by Mr. WICKARD.
Upon this question Mr. WICKARD called for
the yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
The question was then taken, by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 28, nays 40—as fol-
lows :
Teas—Messrs. Abbott, Annan, Audoun,
Baker, Belt, Brooks, Chambers, Clarke, Davis,
of Washington, Dellinger, Dent, Duvall,
Greene, Hebb, Jones, of Somerset, Kennard,
Lansdale, Miller, Morgan, Negley, Nyman, |
