This idea of antagonism is at the bottom of
all our modern troubles. We have had an-
tagonism and collision of State against State,
and Baltimore city against the counties, and
by and by we shall have county against
county, election district against election dis-
trict, and then will come school district
against school district, until we shall have
universal antagonism, and be a race of Ish-
maelites each man's hand against his neigh-
bor. If we had the right to it, I should
like to do some act which would set the seal
of disapprobation upon this modern idea that
my interests are naturally antagonistic to
yours, and that my right necessarily involves
the taking from you your right. There is
no sound political economy, no stable govern-
ment, no peace, no law, no order, no princi-
ple nothing that men should prize, that can
be safely based upon this idea of antagonism.
Baltimore city does not want to harm the
counties, and I know the counties do not
want to barm Baltimore city, I believe that
if gentlemen will accept this gracious invita-
tion they will find that Baltimore is not an-
tagonistic to them. They will be as free
there as here to express whatever thought is
uppermost. I see nothing in the way of
principle lo be sacrificed by the removal, and
I do believe the public good will be subserved
by it. I for one, and I have no doubt that
many gentlemen, will be able to serve the
State of Maryland six days out of seven there;
and here we could not serve it more than
four. This removal dues not at all involve
the removal of the capital of the State. I
should vote against that as heartily as any
other gentleman; but I say that for the pur-
poses of this Convention we shall do better
there than here. For these reasons, Mr.
President, I shall vote to go there.
Mr. MILLER In order to bring the matter
before She Convention more directly, I move
the following as a substitute for the pending
order:
Ordered, That this Convention, having re-
ceived the invitation of the committee of the
Mayor and City Councils of Baltimore to
transfer our sessions to that city, we hereby
express our grateful appreciation of that invi-
tation, but most respectfully decline to ac-
cept the same.
Mr. MARBURY. I cordially endorse the sub-
stitute just offered. At the same time I desire
to extend my thanks to the gentlemen from
Baltimore city who have so courteously ex-
tended this invitation to the Convention. But,
sir oil principle, on legal grounds, I must ob-
ject to the acceptance of that invitation. The
gentleman who last addressed this Convention
has stated that the people of the State of Mary-
land did not have this matter under consid-
eration when they sent us to this Conven-
tion. I beg leave very respectfully to differ
with him on that subject. I consider the peo-
ple of the State of Maryland as having exer- |
cised their judgment on every subject that
they voted upon. When they voted for or
against a Convention, they looked at that
bilias a whole and not in part: and finding
in that hill that a place was appointed for
holding the Convention, that was a part of
the inducement to them to vote for or against
the calling of the Convention If it were not
important, why put it in the bill? To illus-
trate the importance of having some such pro-
vision in the bill, had we assembled here
to-day without any provision in the bill
specifying any place where this Convention
should be held, there might be a contest
among members of the Convention to a much
greater extent than there is as to what should
be the place where this Convention should
assemble. There might be gentlemen here
from Frederick city contending that it would
be more convenient to hold it in Frederick
city; and even in the out-of-the-way county
that I represent I do not know but that in
the town of Upper Marlborough we might
have found some inducements for bringing
the Convention there.
I consider this as a very important provi-
sion in the bill; but I will not repeat the
strong arguments which have been so ably
presented by the gentleman from Anne Arun-
del (Mr. Miller.)
The gentleman from Howard (Mr. Sands)
said that there was an antagonism between
the people, and that there seemed to be a
spirit of antagonism arising between different
sections of the State. For my part I confess
that I have no feeling of antagonism against
any human being, or against any section of
the State The only desire that we have in
our section is that we may have a full, fair,
calm expression of public opinion upon all
these questions. We want to have the Con-
vention held in this place, under such circumstances
as will best ensure to the people a fair
expression of public opinion.
What are the arguments for going to Balti-
more city? The gentleman says that expense
and inconvenience can be saved by so doing.
Who come here at. more expense, or at greater
inconvenience, than the gentlemen who repre-
sent my portion of the State? At every
hour of the day or night there are emissa-
ries from some quarter or other who are
ready to grab up a species of personal prop-
erty in that section of the State. There are
men at all times engaged in that work. It
matters not to us,—it is a matter of no more
personal inconvenience to us, to attend the
Convention, from our section of the State, at
one place than at another; because the dam-
age which is being done to us can he done in
a day as well as in a week. It is of no sort
of consideration, as to personal expense or
inconvenience to us.
I do not deny that this Convention may
have the constitutional power, having as-
sembled, to adjourn to any place they may |
