ventions, called by the voters of any State
for that purpose subject to their ratification,
ought to be submitted to the legal voters of
such State for their ratification or rejection
before such constitution or any part thereof
should go into operation, and any attempt by
a convention to adopt and put in force a con-
stitution or any part thereof in violation of
promises to the people, that the constitution
to be framed should be submitted to them,
would be a breach of faith, and any conven-
tion acting in such manner as above described
ought to forfeit the confidence of the people
Which was read the first time,
PUBLICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION.
Mr. NEGLEY. I submit the following order :
Ordered, That the committee on publica-
tion be directed to have the constitution pub-
lished in one or more newspapers in each
county, and the city of Baltimore once a
week for three successive weeks before the
day of its ratification or rejection.
I really think that it is of the utmost im-
portance that this convention should make
provision for the publication of this consti-
tution in the newspapers of the counties. I
know from experience that it is utterly useless
to have a large quantity of constitutions
printed and sent to the counties for distribu-
tion. They will, just as certainly as anything
in the world, never reach the destination de-
signed for them, but will be allowed to lie
around, and be used as wrapping paper by
those in whose hands they are left. The
newspapers will not distribute them; there is
no doubt about that. The proprietors of the
county papers will not put them in their. own
papers, and distribute them in that way. If
they are distributed at all, it must be in some
other way; and if it is done in some other
way it will not be done as it was before.
Would it not be infinitely better to decrease
the number to be printed in the way proposed
by the order already adopted; say twenty
thousand in the English language and five
thousand in the German, and then have it
published in the different papers in the conn-
ties? It would he gratifying to the editors of
those papers, and would enlist them in behalf
of the constitution. And I am certain this
constitution will not reach the eyes and come
to the observation of numbers of the people
who get no papers at all except their country
papers. You cannot reach them in any other
way. I think this convention will be very
remiss in bringing this constitution before
the people, if they do not adopt this joint sys-
tem of publication and distribution.
Perhaps I better withdraw this order for
the present, and I will do so.
The order was accordingly withdrawn.
Mr. NEGLEY. I move to reconsider the or-
der directing the printing of sixty thousand
copies of the constitution. I do so for the |
purpose of submitting a motion to decrease
the number.
The question being then taken upon the
motion to reconsider, it was agreed to.
The question recurred upon agreeing to the
order, which was as follows :
" Ordered, That the chair appoint a com-
mittee of three to contract with the Baltimore
American or some other newspaper or news-
papers, for tile-publication of the constitution
entire in extra newspaper form, ten thousand
copies in the German language and fifty thou-
sand in the English, to be distributed as fol-
lows: two hundred copies to be furnished to
each member of the convention, and the re-
mainder to be equally distributed by said
committee among the various county news-
papers and postmasters who will promptly
distribute the same among the people, the
copies to be furnished by the contractor for
printing the same within one week after the
final adjournment of this convention."
Mr. NEGLEY. I move to amend the order
by striking out the words " ten thousand "
and inserting "five thousand ;* also by strik-
ing out the words "fifty thousand" and in-
serting "twenty thousand."
Mr. STIRLING. I should like to have time
to consider this matter. I think it will be a
very good thing to make some provision for
publishing the constitution in the newspapers.
But even if we do that, I think we would do
well to carry out the order we once adopted.
For I think we can distribute the copies pub-
lished in that way. There are some counties
in which the county newspapers are hardly
read at all. The gentleman from Worcester,
over the way, remarked to me just now that
so far as his county was concerned, the county
newspapers have no circulation at all, and all
the distribution the constitution will get in
his county, would be in the way provided by
this order. There are some counties in which
there are no newspapers at all. I should like
to hear first what is to be the expense of pub-
lishing these sixty thousand copies.
The PRESIDENT. The president thinks it
would cost a great deal.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. I think that per-
haps two hundred dollars a paper would cov-
er all the expense in the counties.
Mr. STIRLING, I was asking what would
be the expense of publishing these sixty thou-
sand copies under the order as we adopted it;
not in regard to the newspapers.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. I had hoped that this
matter would not be called up until to-mor-
row, by which time I hope to be able to give
some definite statement as to the cost of this
publication. I made repealed efforts on last
Saturday to obtain an estimate, but was un-
successful. I wrote this morning about it,
and I presume the return mail of to-night
will bring some reply. At this time I am en-
tirely in the dark in regard to the matter. |
