Mr. CLARKE. I believe this is the first oc-
casion in which I have opened my month in
a discussion either upon the adjournment of
this House or upon its removal from this
place to Baltimore city. Since the Conven-
tion met, I think it has taken up more time
in the discussion of those two subjects than
would have been necessary to dispose of the
Declaration of Rights and the various articles
of the Constitution which now lie upon our
desks for our adoption. I will say further,
in reference to the question of adjournment,
that if gentlemen measure their popularity at
home by the question how they vote upon a
question of the adjournment of this body,
their constituents must have a very low stand-
ard. So far as I am concerned, whenever a
question of this sort is brought up, I shall be
governed by the reasons which may be as-
signed in reference to the motion to adjourn.
I think, considering the magnitude of the
issues which are to be settled in the coming
week, courtesy to you, Mr. President, and
courtesy to a number of gentlemen upon this
floor who are members of that Convention,
courtesy to gentlemen who may not be mem-
bers but may desire to go—and I should like
to be present at that Convention myself and
see how things work there—taking all things
into consideration, I hope members will not
be governed in their vote upon adjournment
by the idea that their constituents measure
their popularity at home by the low standard
of such a small issue as this. That is bring-
ing the judgment of the people to a standard
by which certainly in one section of the
country no one is measured.
Mr. BERRY, of Prince George's. I will say
to my friend from Baltimore city, (Mr. Cush-
ing), that if we have not been able to convince
him of the correctness of our conclusions, it
has not been for the want of a trial; and the
conclusions of his mind we are not responsi-
ble for. It must have been his misfortune and
not our fault that he is not now a good States'
rights man. And I will say for the minority
here, that we scarcely expected any good out
of Nazareth. We came here expecting noth-
ing. We came hereto see the majority tear
down the great fabric which has protected
us for so many years; and we hope the day
may come when it will be our portion to re-
built it on the same base with the same per-
fection.
Mr. NEGLEY. Our constituents gent us
here and we are bound to do our duty. It is
no low consideration. There is a moral ob-
ligation resting upon members of this Con-
vention, at least upon the majority. There
is no obligation at all upon the minority, for
I think their ticket were headed ' 'No Con-
vention," and their province is to tear down
what we are attempting to build up. They
will do it here and they will do it when they
go back. We came here, and it is our duty
to the people who sent us here to go to work, |
and to work constantly, industriously, until
we have completed the work for which we
were sent here. If we do not do that we shall
not do our duty, and our constituents will
have a right to complain.
Mr. JONES, of Somerset. I rise to protest
against the statement just made by the gen-
tleman from Washington county, (Mr. Neg-
ley.) I protest against the idea that the
majority of the Convention are responsible
for any delay that may occur here any more
than the minority. Bach man who represents
a constituency upon this floor is responsible
to the people who sent him here for all that
may occur in this House, either from his ab-
sence or from his votes. I protest also against
making the croakings and growls of those
who are constitutionally hypochondriacal
and fault-finding in all they say, a reason
for spurring this Convention into haste in
their labors. You may remember the story
of the man and his son and the donkey,
travelling along the road and attempting to
please everybody. The result was that they
pleased nobody. We shall be exactly in that
condition if we attempt to please everybody.
We are to judge, every man for himself
whether our presence is required here.
In behalf of those with whom convenience
or business have been paramount and pre-
vented their attendance here this morning, I
will say that it was generally presumed and
understood to be the purpose to adjourn over
during the Convention of next week, and
they have taken occasion to visit their fami-
lies. I say it is unjust to bestow on them
the seeming censure which has been uttered
this morning with reference to them. It may
be very convenient for those who are here
and who are within a few hours of their fami-
lies, and can see them every night or every
week, to talk against adjournments, and in-
sist upon staying here. Yet the records will
show that those very members are absent,
considering the circumstances of their near-
ness to their homes as often as any other
members of the Convention. Some consider-
ation ought to be shown for members whose
families are a hundred miles from them, and
who in order to visit them must go by the
cars to Havre de Grace or Wilmington, and
then a hundred miles further to their homes.
It is not to be expected that every man will
sit here from sunrise to sundown every day
during the session, enjoying none of the
comforts of family or home, but remaining
here, whatever might be the circumstances,
during the session of the Convention. We
are not impelled by such an immediate ne-
cessity to have a new Constitution formed
here. Cannot we get along for a little while
longer as we are? We have an executive.
We have a Legislature if it is necessary to
call them together. We have a Judiciary.
Do not all the functions of the government
go on quietly and peaceably ? |
