kin, Murray, Negley, Nyman, Parker, Pugh,
Purnell, Ridgely, Russell, Schley, Schlosser,
Scott, Sneary, Stirling, Swope, Sykes, Todd,
Valliant, Wickard, Wooden—50.
Nays—Messrs, Belt, Bond, Brown, Cham-
bers, Crawford, Dail, Davis, of Charles,
Dent, Duvall, Gale, Henkle, Hodson, Holly-
day, Horsey, Jones, of Somerset, Lansdale,
Lee, Marbury, Mitchell, Miller, Morgan, Peter,
Smith, of Dorchester, Turner, Wilmer—25.
The order was accordingly adopted.
Mr. RIDGELY, when his name was called,
said: I do not understand what effect this
order can have. It certainly is not intended
to form a part of the constitution. It can
have no force or effect as law or anything
else. According to my understanding it is
not a part of the constitution, and can in no
way at all have any effect of law. I vote for
it nevertheless, because I believe it to be harm-
less, I vote "aye."
OPERATION OF THE CONSTITUTION.
Mr. DAVIS, of Charles, moved to suspend
the rules, in order to proceed to the consider-
ation of the following order submitted by
him on yesterday:
' ' Resolved, That it is the sense of this con-
vention, that all constitutions framed by con-
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
constitution or any part thereof in violation
of promises to the people, that the constitu-
tion to be framed should be submitted to
them, would be a breach of faith, and any con-
vention acting in such manner as above de-
scribed ought to forfeit the confidence of the
people."
The question being taken on the motion to
suspend the rules, it was not agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE,
Mr. BELT. I move that this convention
now adjourn sine die.
Mr. AUDOUN. There was an order adopted
on the 21st of last month in relation to the
adjournment of this convention.
Mr. BELT. I will explain my motives for
making this motion. I was not present at
the time of the adoption of the order referred
to. My view of our duty to the people is that
when we finish our business here, we ought
to adjourn sine die, and submit our work to
the people who sent us here. We were not
sent here to constitute ourselves into a sort
of long parliament, with a committee of safety
at the head of it, to regulate the affairs of the
State. Nobody can tell the effect of continu-
ing the session of this convention. Suppose
among other things that this constitution
should be rejected by the people. Is this |
convention to be reassembled for the purpose
of framing another?
Mr. STIRLING. The resolution states ex-
pressly that if there is no interruption in the
State between now and the time the people
are called upon to vote on the constitution,
and the vote is fairly taken upon it, then the
president shall declare this convention ad-
journed sine die.
Mr. BELT. Can a parliamentary body del-
egate to any one the right to adjourn it? 1
am opposed to the constitution of any long
parliament in this State. I demand a vote
on my motion to adjourn sine die.
The PRESIDENT. The motion is in order.
It is competent for the convention to repeal
any order heretofore made.
Mr. AUDOUN. If I understand the object
of my colleague (Mr. Abbott) in offering the
order to which I have referred, it was for the
purpose of providing against any emergency
that might occur. Under that resolution 1
believe three or four inembers of this conven-
tion are designated to act as president, in case
of the dearth of the now president of the con-
vention, for the purpose of calling this con-
vention together, in the event of an invasion
of this State, to prevent the vote being taken
upon the adoption of this constitution. Such
a thing might occur, and I have no doubt that
there are some upon this floor who desire it,
and feel anxious that it should take place.
But I say openly here, that the majority of
this house have provided against any such
emergency, and we are determined to prevent
any such tiling occurring.
Mr. BELT. Does the gentleman from Balti-
more city (Mr. Audoun) allude to me in the
remarks he has just made ?
The PRESIDENT. The difficulty in which
the chair is placed is this: The convention
being a deliberative body can, like all other
deliberative bodies, change or alter any of its
rules, or any action which it may have taken.
it is utterly impossible for the chair to re-
strict gentlemen in any motion they may
choose to make, provided they catch the eye
of the president. The gentleman from Prince
George's (Mr. Belt) was recognized by the
chair as being entitled to the floor. He sub-
mits a motion for this body to adjourn sine
die. If the convention determines to do so,
the chair knows of no parliamentary rule to
forbid it. The chair conceives the motion
of the gentleman from Prince George's to be
in order, upon the supposition that the con-
vention may desire to retrace its steps, and
rescind the resolution it has adopted. The
question is not debatable.
The question was upon the motion of Mr.
BELT to adjourn sine die.
Upon this question Mr. BELT called for the
yeas and nays, and they were ordered.
The question was then taken by yeas and
nays, and resulted—yeas 25, nays 49—as fol-
lows : |
