see fit. But if the Convention does this, it is
guilty of a breach of good faith-to the people
whom they here represent. The city of An-
napolis, one of the oldest cities in the State,
a city which has been the location of our
Government for more than a century and a
half, a city which at the time the Govern-
ment was located here, had far less facilities
for approach than it has at this day, now
possessing all the modern improvements, now
beautified by the improvements of time, situ-
ated in a delightful climate, with a beautiful
bay, with everything cool, delightful, and
refreshing around us, is in my opinion, the
city of all others in the State of Maryland
that we ought to be anxious to hold this
Convention in.
Yes, sir; this very hall held once some of
the brightest sons of the State, who here met
and acted for the welfare of the State; and 1
trust that some of us may gather some of the
inspiration of those great and good patriots
of the past and be induced to do all in our
power to stem the torrent of radicalism and
fanaticism which seems on the eve of over-
running our State; and that we shall under
that inspiration of the past, prepare such a
Constitution fur the people of Maryland that
they can with their hearts endorse it, and
present that Constitution in such a way that
there will be no doubt but that they will
come up and endorse it.
Mr. NEGLEY. I shall undertake to give a
few reasons why I shall oppose this substitute.
The admission by the gentleman who has
just taken his seat of the constitutional power
of this Convention to transfer its sittings any-
where else is an abandonment in toto of the
constitutional objection to its removal. The
very renunciation of the constitutional power
of this Convention to transfer its sittings
either to Baltimore, Upper Marlborough,
Hagerstown, or Cumberland, is an entire
abandonment of any constitutional objection.
Then, sir. what are the reasons to be com-
bated? What are the reasons now to oper-
ate on our minds in acting on this measure?
The Constitution of the State of Maryland has
imposed upon the Legislature the duty every
ten years to pass a law taking the sense of the
people of Maryland on the question of hold-
ing a Convention to remodel or reform its
fundamental law. in that they authorized
and empowered, and made it obligatory
upon the Legislature in passing' that law, to
enact the place and the means of assembling.
When the Legislature of Maryland at its last
session provided the means, and passed a law
for the taking the sense of the people of Mary-
land, and indicated the place of the assem-
bling of this Convention, they had exhausted
the constitutional power they were acting
under. It is absolutely necessary, as a mat-
ter of convenience, that some plaice should be
indicated where this Convention should as-
semble. The Legislature had the constitu- |
tional power to indicate Baltimore city as
the place of the assembly of this Convention,
just as much as to indicate Annapolis as the
place of its assembling. They chose to indicate
this city as the place of the assembling
of this Convention. When they had done
that, they had exhausted the constitutional
power under which they were acting.
As soon as we assembled here, and organ-
ized, we became a sovereign body, untram-
meled by any constitutional restrictions as
to the particular place where we should hold
our sessions. This is the whole ground of
the constitutional objection.
Then the question is reduced to a matter
of mere convenience. Will anybody say here
that Annapolis is as convenient for the as-
sembling of this Convention and fur its ses-
sions as Baltimore city? I understand that
every member from the Eastern Shore of
Maryland is compelled to go through the city
of Baltimore in order to reach this place.
The whole State labors under great disad-
vantages in getting here. if the gentlemen
will refer to the Declaration of Rights in the
Constitution of 1776 they will see that the
very reason assigned for milking Annapolis
the seat of government was that it was the
most convenient place for the members of the
Legislature to assemble in. If convenience
was an element operating upon the minds of
those who framed the original Constitution
of Maryland, in the selection of a place for
the sitting of their Legislature, why should
it not now, when the whole population of the
State and everything in the State is changed ,
when Western Maryland, that was then a
wilderness comparatively, has become popu-
lous, be equally regarded in the selection of
a place for the sittings of our Convention?
So far as I am concerned, I see no rational
objection why the people of the present age
should not consult their convenience as well
as the citizens of Maryland in 1776. There
is no difference. The reason of the rule, the
reason of the act constitutes the law which
governs everything else resting upon that
foundation.
Now as to some of the objections to Balti-
more. We can have as many conveniences
there as we can have here. We can have
more. We can have halls that are as airy,
as well ventilated, and much less crowded
than this hall. My colleagues here are
jammed into a corner where they can neither
hear nor see scarcely anything. If we go
there every one can be accommodated with
seats in a. roomy, spacious hall where we can
deliberate and come to the end of oar work
much earlier than here.
Gentlemen say that the members of the
Convention will scatter over the city of Bal-
timore, and that the Sergeant-at-Arms will
have great trouble in finding them. Do they
not scatter now? When this Convention
adjourns do they all stay in the city of An- |
