year especially, as work is crowded upon
them by the scarcity of labor, they will pay
but little attention to your political meetings.
But they get their county paper every week,
and at night they sit down and read it. It
is a habit with that kind of people in our
county, and in every county in this State and
in every State; they regard it as a sort of duty
and privilege to read their county newspa-
pers, They will absolutely wade through
things there that might as well not be read.
And from that very habit, they will read the
constitution if printed in their paper, when
they would not, if sent to them in the form
of an "extra."
I am not anxious either one way or the
other. My only object is to get this consti-
tution before the people, as thoroughly and
completely as we can. If it takes a few
hundred or a few thousand dollars more, be
it so. If gentlemen think we better hold on
to this fifty thousand copies in English, and
ten thousand in German, let that be done,
But there ought to be some provision made
for the publication of this constitution in the
county newspapers. The editors of those
papers take a deep interest in this movement,
And I think it is no more than right that
they should have this opportunity of spread-
ing this matter before the people, and that
they should be remunerated properly for it,
when the public good is to be benefited by
it. You will necessarily enlist them in be-
half of the constitution. And in counties
where there are opposition papers, it infinitely
better be published in those papers, and go
out with all the animadversions of the edi-
tors. Let the document itself go before the
people, so that they can correct the misrepre-
sentations of its opponents, I shall therefore
move an amendment that it be published in
the papers.
The question was upon the motion of Mr.
NEGLEY, to decrease the number of copies of the
constitution to be published from fifty thou-
sand to twenty thousand in the English lan-
guage, and from ten thousand to five thousand
in the German.
The question being taken, the motion was
not agreed to.
Mr. NEGLEY, I move to amend the order
by adding the following:
"And that the committee on publishing
be directed to have the constitution published
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."
Mr. DAVIS, of Washington. I would ask
my colleague (Mr. Negley) to add the follow-
ing to his amendment:
" Provided, it can be done at a cost of not
more than $75 to each paper in which it is
published,"
Mr. NEGLEY. I accept the amendment.
Mr. PUGH. Is it possible to get this con- |
stitution published for that sum? If not it
might lead to trouble to adopt this proposi-
tion.
Mr. NEGLEY. My colleague (Mr. Sneary,)
who is a practical printer, says that it can be
done for that.
Mr. DAVIS, of Washington. I think our
papers will publish it for that sum.
The time for the special order having ar-
rived,
Mr. NEGLEY moved to postpone the special
order until the pending subject was disposed
of.
Mr. ABBOTT moved a call of the house,
which was ordered,
The roll was then called, and the following
members answered to their names :
Messrs. Goldsborough, President; Abbott,
Annan, Baker, Barron, Berry, of Baltimore
county, Bond, Brown, Garter, Cunningham,
Dail, Daniel, Davis, of Charles, Duvall,
Earle, Ecker, Farrow, Galloway, Greene,
Hatch, Hebb, Hodson, Hoffman, Hopper,
Horsey, Jones, of Cecil, Keefer, Kennard,
King, Lansdale, Larsh, Lee, Marbury, Mar-
key, Mayhugh, McComas, Mitchell, Miller,
Morgan, Mullikin, Murray, Negley, Parker,
Pugh, Purnell, Russell, Schlosser, Scott,
Smith, of Dorchester, Sneary, Stirling, Stock-
bridge, Swope, Sykes, Thomas, Valliant,
Wickard, Wilmer, Wooden—58.
On motion of Mr. PUGH,
Further proceedings under the call were dis-
pensed with,
The question was then taken upon the mo-
tion of Mr. NEGLEY, to postpone the special
order, until the pending subject was disposed
of—and the motion was agreed to.
The question was then taken upon the
amendment of Mr. NEGLEY, providing for the
publication of the constitution in the news-
papers, and it was adopted.
The order as amended was adopted,
THE CONSTITUTION.
Mr. EARLE said: On behalf of the com-
mittee on revision, I now present to this con-
vention for its final action, a revised copy of
the constitution of Maryland. After careful
examination we are prepaired to report, that
this constitution as revised and engrossed,
corresponds in all respects with the different
articles and sections heretofore adopted in
detail by the convention. I therefore move
that this constitution, in its present form, as
one entire instrument, be now read and
adopted.
The entire constitution was then read
through. [See close of volume 2, of debates.]
Mr. HEBB moved a call of the house, which
was ordered.
The roll was then called, and the following
members answered to their names :
Messrs. Goldsborough, President; Abbott,
Annan, Audoun, Baker, Barron, Belt, Berry,
of Baltimore county, Bond, Brooks, Brown, |
