be a member of the Legislature, with your-
self, Mr. President and we assembled in this
Hall. It was then just hair the size that it
now is; and by an act of that Legislature the
dimensions of this room were increased to
their present size. In 3850, eight years be-
fore, the Convention was composed, I believe,
of 101 members. The Convention of 1864 is
composed of 96 members; five less, and hav-
ing double the room the former Convention
had, and I heard no complaint then about
being jammed in the corners, us the gentle-
man from Washington says. I think there
is quite room enough here to accommodate
every member of the Convention, and I pre-
sume our friends from Washington can be
suited, and I hope it will be done.
I was not a little amused at an argument
advanced by my friend from Howard, (Mr.
Sands) If I have his language correctly,
he says that it fakes him three days to make
a trip of about 60 miles. My county lies
adjoining Howard county; and I think the
distance from Ellicott's Mills to Baltimore
city is 10 or 12 miles; and I think the dis-
tance from Baltimore city to Annapolis is 20
miles. I am speaking now of turnpikes.
When I was a boy I used lo walk four miles
an hour; and that would take him exactly
ten hours if he had attempted to walk here;
and I cannot see, for the soul of me, with the
advantages of steam power, how it takes
three days to go 60 miles.
Mr. SANDS. I will explain, if the gentle-
man will allow me, bow it happens that it
takes me three days to make a round trip; for
it does take that unless my friend proposes to
put me afoot and on the turnpike.
Mr. MILLER. You can take a carriage.
Mr. SANDS. I do not happen to be the
owner of that sort of vehicle. That is my
misfortune. I would say that if my friend
from Baltimore county proposes to put me
fool-back, I would not do that for him. I
can explain to his entire satisfaction why,
with all the advantages of steam, lightning,
and everything else, it takes three days for
me to make the round trip. There is no
train from Ellicott's Mills connecting with
the early train to Annapolis, If I want to
take the train to bear me to Annapolis, I
must leave my home the evening before, and
go to Baltimore city and spend the night
there. That is the evening and morning of
the first and second day of the round trip.
I come here and wish to return. There is no
train connecting with the evening train from
Annapolis. If I want to go home, I must go
to Baltimore city and lie over there another
night and take the morning of the third day
to complete the round trip. So that really
what the gentleman from Howard stated is
the actual fact, that when he has occasion to
make a round trip it takes him three days, in
view of the circumstance that he is neither
the President nor a Director of either of the |
railroad or steamboat companies and cannot
control their hours, if I am to follow the
existing arrangements of steam travel, it
amounts to that; and I do not think my
friend would be so discourteous as to dis-
mount me from the iron horse.
Mr. BERRY of Baltimore county. How far
is it from Ellicott's Mills to the Relay House?
Mr. SANDS. It is six or eight miles, with
no public conveyance at all. I should have
to foot that over a very bad road.
Mr. BERRY resumed: The difference be-
tween my friend and myself is that he is a
lawyer and I am a merchant, or have been,
and I thought I would lake a business view
of the thing, and see if he could not possibly
come here under three days. I think I have
demonstrated successfully that he might walk
here in ten hours if he tried. It is his mis-
fortune and not my fault that lie has not a
vehicle to take him to Baltimore or wherever
he pleases; but I know this, that the Legisla-
ture of Maryland at its last session provided
$5 a day for members of this Convention;
and it was a fair bargain between the Legis-
lature and the parties who offered themselves
for election here and were elected, to give
their undivided time to the service of the
State.
Mr. SANDS. I dislike exceedingly to inter-
rupt the gentleman, but I am sure he will
pardon me. I am not making this a question
of expense at all, for I said in the beginning
that I was perfectly willing to keep an accu-
rate account of my expenses and hand the
balance over. It is not a question of expense
at all.
Mr. BERRY of Baltimore county resumed:
I do not think the Legislature asked the gen-
tleman to keep an accurate account of his
expenses and hand over the balance; but it
did ask of him, and the people of Maryland
demand of him, his entire and undivided
time, in perfecting, so far as it is possible to
do so, the organic law of the State lo be sub-
mitted to the people. Upon this matter of
convenience and expense, I have heard of
another case. It has not been promulgated
here, but I absolutely heard a gentleman say
that if he came down here it would cost him
$21 a week: that he could not come without
his wife, and if he brought her he would
have to pay $21 a week. (Laughter.) Are
not these things ridiculous? When they go
to the people, I think they will laugh at such
an idea. In the day when they come again
before the people and are exceedingly anxious
to be returned by the people to any office in
a body like this, the people will laugh at
their calamity.
There has been a good deal of play upon
the duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms. Mr.
President, you know very well that that mace
in the hands of the Sergeant-at-Arms is a
serious matter. You very well know that if,
at a time when a vote is to be taken, it is |
