necessary that every member should be here,
when the Sergeant-at-Arms is sent out we
are locked in. That is parliamentary law.
And I have known even in my day and in
the city of Annapolis, the members of the
Legislature to be locked up in this hall for
more than an hour awaiting the return of the
Sergeant-at-Arms with absentees When we
get to that great city of Baltimore, I imagine
that it will be time to adjourn sine die when
he comes hack, if lie is to collect all the ab-
sent members.
But my friend from Howard says we are
not to play school boys. We are to remain
here. My friend from Washington answered
him when he said he knew members here
who bad declared that they would not live
here, but would go to Baltimore, and hence
this necessity of the Sergeant-at-Arms taking
the railroad track, and sending a deputy to
take the boat line, in order to catch them
somewhere.
The argument that the Legislature of Mary-
land and the people of Maryland expected us
to remain here in Convention has been so
successfully stated by the gentleman from
Prince George's that it is unecessary for me
to say a word about it. The lawyers have
talked over that thing among themselves,
and I am very well satisfied with the legal
points which the gentleman from Prince
George's has made.
Now what are the advantages here? Here
is a comfortable hall. Here is the State
House of Maryland. Yonder is the Library,
and gentlemen will not presume to say that
the Convention can move the Library to Bal-
timore. The State Library must stay where
it is. The Law Library in Baltimore may
suit some, but does not suit all. The
printing is done here, and is required by law
to be done here. And last, but not least,
there is another very interesting building
here—the Treasury, [Laughter.]
Another thing, I am not authorized to say
it, but I take upon myself to do so, that
owing to the great and onerous duties that
devolve upon him, the Comptroller of the
State will feel almost necessitated to remain
here. I know something of his duties, as
connected with my own department, and I
tell you 'that the President of this Conven-
tion—I do not speak for him, but say what I
think as a member of the Convention—will
feel it necessary that he should remain here
to perform his other duties as Comptroller of
the State. A removal would be a great in-
convenience to him, and to all connected
with and doing business with his depart-
ment.
The Clerk of the Court of Appeals is a
member of this body. He has to be here.
And now, speaking for myself, as Adjutant
General of the State, I feel that my duties
require me here. By an act of the last Legis-
lature the militia system of the State is to he |
reorganized. It is a great and important
duty and work; and in order to do it I must.
be here as much as possible and take sug-
gestions from whom I can, and frame, so far
as I can, with the aid of the Commander-in-
Chief, a Militia system for the State of Mary-
land.
There are three members that will be put
to serious inconvenience. I believe that
every gentleman here can give some aid
in framing the Constitution. I have waited
in the hope that gentlemen would adduce
their good reasons why the Convention should
be moved to Baltimore. I have not heard
one, except on the score of expense, and on
the score of accommodation. As to accom-
modation, we are not advised that we can
have any at Baltimore. Even those which
have been suggested are not equal to those
which we have here; and as to expenses, the
$5 per day which I am to receive by the law
of the State as a member of this Convention,
is that upon which I must live, and for
which I must give my undivided attention
to my duties as a member of this Conven-
tion.
Mr. DANIEL. I rise, not to make a speech,
as the subject, on both sides, has been so
well ventilated. We have heard the argu-
ments pro and con; and especially as there
have been more speeches on the side with
which I differ than that which I favor, think-
ing that it will conduce to the despatch of
business, I move the previous question.
The motion for the previous question was
sustained.
The question being stated on the adoption
of the amendment submitted by Mr. Miller,
the yeas and yeas were ordered; and being
taken resulted—yeas 51, nays 35—as fol-
lows :
Yeas—Messrs. Goldsborough, President;
Greene, Hebb, Thruston, Miller, Harwood,
Bond, Henkle, Stockbridge, Stirling, Daniel,
Cushing, Berry of Baltimore county, Hoff-
man, Parker, King, Ecker, Earle, Pugh,
Briscoe, Turner, Parran, Dail, Johnson,
Smith of Dorchester, Hodson, Schley, Gallo-
way, McComas, Hopper, Russell, Sands,
Sykes, Chambers, Blackiston, Hollyday,
Lansdale, Peter, Berry of Prince George's,
Belt, Marbury, Lee, Brown, Wilmer, Bil-
lingsley, Morgan, Horsey, Mullikin, Nyman,
Davis, Purnell—51.
Nays—Messrs. Wickard, Robinette, Hatch,
Kennard, Brooks, Barron, Abbott, Thomas,
Audoun, Larsh, Smith of Carroll, Swope,
Wooden, Jones of Cecil, Scott, Todd, Car-
ter, Noble, Keefer, Markey, Annan, Baker,
Cunningham, Schlosser, Hopkins, Gale,
Dennis, Valliant, Dellinger, Negley, May-
hugh, Sneary, Smith of Worcester, Farrow,
Murray—35.
So the amendment was adopted.
Mr. STIRLING. I move to reconsider the
motion just taken |
