was a long time out of all political party
organizations. I was on the bench for a num-
ber of years, acting in accordance with my
own opinion. Since then I have not been
and am not now connected with any party, I
am not here as a party man. I do not mean
to act as a party man. I do not think it pro-
per to act as a party man I think my lan-
guage was that if so unlikely a thing should
occur as that the body should adopt the nom-
ination made by my friend, it would then be
my duty to plead the infirmity of age. I want
to disclaim the expression attributed to me,
because my friends at home would be rather
surprised to find that after disclaiming there
for years all connection with party, I spoke
on the very first day of the. session, of the party
to which I belonged. There is no party which
claims me as a member. I bear allegiance to
no political party. I will endeavor to serve
the State, if a proposition comes from one
side of the House, from any member, which
seems to me conducive to the interests of this
State, I will adopt it with just as much cor-
diality from the lips of a man on one side as
from the lips of a man upon the other.
OFFICERS OF THE CONTENTION,
On motion of Mr. CUSHING,
Ordered, That the following persons be de-
clared appointed to the offices of this Conven-
tion for which they are respectively named:
Secretary—W. R. Cole, of Baltimore city.
Assistant Secretary—John H. Shaw, of Alle-
gany county. Sergeant-at-Arms—A. D.
Evans, of Baltimore city. Committee Clerks
—Wm. R. McCulley, of Allegany county;
Thomas Tipton, of Carroll county; George
Johnson, of Cecil county; S. C. Gorrell, of
Harford county. Doorkeepers—Moses An-
ders, of Frederick county; Charles Whitte-
more, of Baltimore county. Postmaster—A.
J. Langsdorf, of Washington county. As-
sistant Postmaster—Wm. Denny, of Howard
county. Folders—Collins Tatman, of Caro-
line county; Charles Collins, of Worcester
county. And further ordered, That the Presi-
dent of this Convention appoint four (4)
Pages, one Lamp-lighter, one Hall Keeper.
RULES OF ORDER,
Mr. KENNARD moved the following resolu-
tion :
Resolved, That a committee of five members
beappointed by the President to prepare and
report rules for the government of this Con-
vention and that in the meantime the rules of
the last House of Delegates, so far as the same
are applicable, beadopted.
Mr. CLARKE moved to amend by adding
thereto:
" Except relating to the call of the previous
question "
Mr. STIRLING. I do not exactly understand
what my friend from Prince George's means
by that amendment. Does he mean to say
that the previous question may be called, but |
not according to the mode prescribed by the
rules of the House of Delegates ?
Mr. CLARKE, No, sir; if the amendment
should prevail there would be in this body no
provision with reference to calling the pre-
vious question until the committee shall re-
port rules for the government of the body.
Mr. STIRLING. If lire effect should be merely
to throw the Convention back upon the ordin-
ary parliamentary rule in relation to the pre-
vious question, I see no objection to the
amendment. But if the effect were to be to
take away from the Convention the right to
call the previous question, I should object to
it, and it might have that effect.
Mr. BRISCOE. I would suggest that the rules
adopted by the last Convention be the rules of
this body until the report of the Committee
shall be made. The proposition of the gen-
tleman from Baltimore city (Mr. Kennard)
designates the rules of the last House of Delegates.
I propose that we adopt the rules of
the last Constitutional Convention, in 1850 ;
which were adopted, I believe, after consider-
able deliberation. I do not press it, but if
it meets with the concurrence of the gentleman
it seems to me that it will remove the difficulty
and cover the suggestion made by my friend
from Prince George's (Mr. Clarke.)
Mr. SANDS. I find by reference to the pro-
ceedings of the last Convention that the last
proposition is substantially that of the amend-
ment offered by the gentleman from Prince
George's. On page 28 of the proceedings I
find the following:
Resolved, That a Committee of seven mem-
bers be appointed by the President to prepare
and report rules for the government of the
Convention, and that, in the meantime, the
rules of the House of Delegates, so far as the
same are applicable, except the rule for the
previous question, and that two-thirds should
be required to alter any rule, be adopted."
The two are identical with the exception of
the last clause that two-thirds should be re-
quired to alter any rule,
Mr. BRISCOE. I recollect that so far as the
modification proposed by the gentleman from
Prince George's (Mr. Clarke) is concerned, it
is identical with the proposition I suggested.
The difference was with reference to the two-
thirds vote; mine covered the whole. 1
merely proposed it. I do not intend to press
it at all.
Mr, STIRLING. I should like to be informed
what will be the effect, of this amendment. If
it leaves us the previous question subject to
the ordinary parliamentary rule, whatever
that may be, I should not object; but if the
Convention is not to have the power to call
the previous question, I cannot vote for the
amendment.
Mr. CLARKE. I will modify the amendment
to meet the case. I do not presume this body
desires entirely to deprive ilself of the ordinary
rule in relation to the subject. I move the |
