stop the pay of all members. Now any one
can get up, at any time, and move to stop
the pay after a certain day. The Conven-
tion cannot indefinitely postpone the whole
subject. They can only indefinitely post-
pone the order before the Convention; and
then anybody can offer another at any oth-
er time. I do not see that any practical
effect ie to be accomplished by an indefinite
postponement.
Mr. BARRON I can see the effect. But
I do not care a great deal about it either
way, myself—not a great deal But then,
here is this journal of debates that is going
to be banded down, with all these orders
entered in them—won't it look splendid,
twenty or thirty years from now, to see all
this stiff in it—I want to get rid of the.
whole thing. I am free and frank to Bay
that I do not think. I shall be able to get
here every day during the Convention.
But every time I am abfeat I do not want
to be whipped around for it, and for that
reason I would like to get rid of the subject
some way or other. I would like to have a
fair expression of this Convention upon it
whether we are to be all the time bothered
this way about our per diem. I am willing
to vote our per diem and our mileage, too,
to any institution in the State, or to all the
institutions. But I don't want to have
it entered on the journal that Mr. so and so
did so and so to keep us in our places.
Mr. CLARKE. In reference to the motion
I made, if it ie not the disposition of the
house to reconsider this matter now, but
have it brought up at some other time I
have no objection. But as I said the other
day, I say now that I do think that since
this Convention commenced its session,
more time has been taken up in discussing
the question of adjournment from here to
Baltimore city, and questions of adjourning
over, and per diem, and deducting five dol-
lars a day from the pay of absent members
&c., than would have enabled us to pas
several reports now lying on our tables.
Mr. BARRON. That's so; you can't rub
it out.
Mr. CLARKE. The only reason I had for
making the motion to reconsider, was that
this Convention might in some way or other
pass upon the question whether, during the
entire sessions of this body, our time is to
be taken up with such propositions as this
They are not offered for any real purpose
any real object, or any real good. The
are made by gentlemen on this floor simply
to get into the papers and go out to their
constituents. in order that when they are
read at home, some one may say: "On
representative wants to save five dollars
our representative wants to relieve us of
quite a little item of taxation; or, "this
is a most economical member; he is doing
all he can to save the people of the State |
from taxation " And they hope, by reason
of these little things, to draw the attention
of the people a way from the heavy taxation
which they one day will be called upon to
meet.
One word more in reference to this sub-
ject and then I hope to be done with it.
This is the second time I have been noon
the floor upon this subject, and the other
time for about three minutes. Now, I have
a higher appreciation of the members of
this body than to suppose that the threat of
deducting five dollars a day from their pay
if they are absent, will make them attend
this Convention when they would not oth-
erwise do it. Why, sir, we are sent here,
and it is our duty to those who sent us
here, to stay here and attend to our duties ;
and we do not discharge our duties it we
are not present here. it so happens that
sometimes members are necessarily called
away by important business. There may
be important private business to be attended
to, and members may think that that busi-
ness may override for a few days the de-
mands of the public business upon them.
But I say this: that any member of this
body who does not feel sufficiently impelled
by a high sense of his duty to discharge the
purposes and objects for which he was sent
here, and to give his time and attention to
this body, whether be receives his five dol-
lars a day or not, will not be brought here
in order to save his five dollars a day; or,
if he is, then he is an unworthy member of
this body, and an unworthy representative
of his constituents at home.
Believing, therefore, that all these propo-
sitions are introduced here for purpose?
which, in my view, are unworthy to take
up the time and attention of this body, and
believing that they do take up more time
than we should properly give to them, I
want the whole subject finally disposed of.
if the Convention do not desire to recon-
sider this subject, and do something definite
with it, I will withdraw my motion to re-
consider. I am willing, if the Convention
desire it, to sit here and listen to all these
propositions which may be offered. But I
shall vote against them, believing that mem-
bers are entitled to receive their per diem,
and that they ought to come here and dis-
charge the duties they were sent here to per-
form
Mr. HEBB. From what has fallen from
the gentleman from Prince George's, (Mr.
Clarke, ) one would suppose that these or-
ders were introduced here particularly for
the purpose of making capital with our
constituents.
Mr. CLARKE. I do not say this order, but
if a number of the orders.
Mr. HEBB This order was introduced in
good faith, because I believed its adoption
would bring more members to attend here |
