Mr. NEGLEY. I was desirous, if the Con-
vention were determined to take action upon
the resolution, to have the amendment I of-
fered adopted. But I prefer that the whole
subject should go over to a more appropriate
time, and therefore vote—aye.
Mr. PUGH. I shall not be opposed to adopt-
ing such a resolution at the proper time. I
shall vote—aye—because I particularly ob-
ject to the language of the amendment that
the Convention intends to do so and so. I
shall be in favor of a proper resolution upon
the subject, when we shall have taken action,
Mr. SANDS. When I was a candidate be-
fore the people, I pledged myself publicly in
printed cards, if I came here, to serve them
in a certain way. I said I was for the Con-
vention and for Emancipation, I was opposed
to State Compensation, but that I would do
all that could be done in an honorable way,
to obtain from the General Government com-
pensation for those entitled to it. A man
who pledges himself, and betrays the people
when be gets here, in my opinion is not
worthy of a seat. I am not opposed to the
principle of the resolution, and am bound in
honor to join in the effort; but I think it is
premature, and therefore vote to table it—
aye.
Mr. SCOTT. Under other circumstances,
and at a different time, I may vote for this
committee; but when I do vote for it I want
the committee to be able to say when they go
to Washington, that we have abolished slave-
ry in the State of Maryland. I do not want
to send them there to say what the Conven-
tion intend to do. We do not know what
the Convention does intend to do. I know
what I intend to do, but I do not know what
others intend to do. I therefore vote infavor
of tabling the resolution—aye.
Mr. TODD. For the reasons assigned by
others I vote—aye. I shall vote at the proper
time for the committee.
Mr. VALLIANT. The explanation offered by
the gentleman from Howard, (Mr. SANDS,)
will explain my vote. I vote—aye.
The resolution was accordingly laid upon
the table.
Mr. BERRY, of Baltimore county, gave no-
tice that when this subject should again be
brought up for consideration, be would at
the proper time submit the following amend-
ment:
Amend by striking out all after the word
"committee,'' in the first line of the resolu-
tion offered by Mr. Clarke, page 129 of the
Journal, and insert the following so as to
read as follows:
"Resolved, That a Special Committee, to
consist of seven members, be appointed by
the President of the Convention, of which
the President shall act as chairman, whose
duty it shall be to confer with the President
of the United States, our Senators and Rep-
resentatives in Congress, and the appropriate |
committees of Congress, to ascertain what
appropriation, if any, will be made by the
Federal Government in compliance with the
recommendations contained in the messages
of the President of the United States of March
6th, 1862, and December 1st, 1862, and the
joint resolution of Congress, approved April
10th, 1862, in the following words, to wit:
"That the United States ought to co-ope-
rate with any State which may adopt gradual
abolishment of slavery, giving to such State
pecuniary aid, to be used by the State in its
discretion, to compensate for inconveniences,
public and private, produced by such a change
of system."
DECLARATION OF RIGHTS—ALLEGIANCE.
The Convention resumed the consideration
of the order of the day, being the second
reading of the Declaration of Bights. The
article underconsideration was the following :
Art. 4. That the Constitution of the United
States and the laws made in pursuance thereof
being the supreme law of the land, every
citizen of this State owes paramount alle-
giance to the Constitution and Government
of the United States, and is not bound by any
law or ordinance of this State in contraven-
tion or subversion thereof.
Mr. CLARKE had submitted the following
amendment to strike out all after the word
"that" in the first line, and insert:
"The Constitution of the United States
and the laws made in pursuance thereof being
the supreme law of the land, every citizen of
this State owes allegiance to the Constitution
and Government of the United States within
the limits of the powers conferred by that
Constitution, and is not bound by any law
or ordinance of this State in contravention
or subversive thereof; and the powers not
delegated to the United States by the Consti-
tution, nor prohibited by it to the States
being reserved to the States respectively, or
to the people, every citizen of this State owes
allegiance to the State of Maryland so far as
the sovereignty of the State has not been af-
fected by the Constitution of the United
States and the laws made in pursuance
thereof, and is not bound to yield obedience
to laws made in direct violation of the Con-
stitution of the United States and in the ex-
ercise of usurped powers "
Mr. SANDS bad submitted the following
amendment to the amendment, which was the
pending question:
"Provided, that nothing in this article
contained shall be construed as giving to the
State a right to secede from the Federal
Union, or to form a confederation with any
other State or States of the Union, or to seize
by force of arms or otherwise any property of
the United States situate and being within
the limits of this State, but that these acts
are hereby expressly forbidden."
Mr. MILLER moved a call of the house,
which was ordered. |
