WEDNESDAY, April 27 1864.
At 12 o'clock, M., Mr. HEBB of Allegany
county, moved that the Convention be tempo-
rarily organized by calling to the chair, Mr.
STOCKBRIDGE of Baltimore city.
The motion was agreed to, and
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE took the chair.
Mr. SCHLEY moved that JOSEPH B. PUGH of
Cecil county be appointed Secretary pro tem.
The motion was agreed to,
Mr. STIRLING offered the following order :
Ordered, That a Committee of five be ap-
pointed by the Chair to wait upon the Governor
and inform him that the Convention to
frame a new Constitution and form of govern-
ment for the State of Maryland has assembled
in the hall of the House of Delegates inaccord-
ance with the Act of Assembly and his pro-
clamation of the 14th inst., and effected a tem-
porary organization; and that said Convention
desires to be informed by him, who are shown
by the returns made to him to be duly elected
to seats in said Convention, and have taken
and subscribed before him the oath prescribed
in the act calling said Convention."
Mr. CHAMBERS. I would suggest to the
gentleman an amendment to his proposition,
to avoid the necessity of having at a future
time another similar resolution. Some gen-
tlemen are absent, and of course they have
not taken the oath mentioned. It will be ne-
cessary, therefore, whenever a gentleman ar-
rives to send again to inquire. I would sug-
gest the propriety of asking the Governor for
the names of the persons elected; which would
save further trouble. Of course no gentleman
would appear here without having taken the
oath. That will be a matter of form essen-
tially necessary for him to go through before |
occupying a seat; for it would be in the power'
of any gentleman at once to disable him from
taking any part in the Convention until be
should take the oath,
Mr. STIRLING. Certainly it is necessary for
us to know now who are qualified to act as
members of the Convention, if any one pre-
sents himself hereafter, who is not now qual- '
ified to act, he can present the proper vouchers
to the Convention, or we can send to the Gov-
ernor for further information as to that particular
case.
Mr. CHAMBERS. I only make the suggestion.
1 will not take up the time by moving an
amendment.
The resolution was agreed to.
The Chair appointed Messrs. Stirling, Berry
of Baltimore county, Clarke, Greene, and
Purnell, as the Committee, who retired in the
discharge of the duty assigned them, and sub-
sequently returned and reported that the Gov-
ernor would send a message to the Convention.
SELECTION OF SEATS.
Mr. CHAMBERS. I would ask permission to
have another order passed to enable those who
are members of the Convention to act. Seats
seem to have been occupied, by some sort of
process from a very early period after, and 1
heard that some were chosen even before the
election; and there are now left only here and
there a single chair. Every gentleman, 1
suppose, recognizes the propriety of having
each delegation together. According to the
present arrangement it is quite impracticable.
The little county which I in part represent,
having but three delegates, can find no place
where we may sit together. I believe it is
usual in all such bodies to have fair play, and
give all a chance to have the best seats as well i |
