upon the ground that it would enable South
Carolina and Georgia to accept the Consti-
tution.
Mr. BELT. My explanation is that there
were two questions; the one was whether the
Constitution of the United States should fos-
ter slavery, and the other was whether the
slave trade should be permitted.
Mr. STIRLING. The record proves that it
was on the motion of a South Carolina man
that the slave trade was kept open. The
point the gentleman made was in regard to
the slave trade; he did not say & word about
anything else.
Mr. BELT. I am not now In a position to
argue this question and produce these author-
ities. But what I have said I stand by, and
I tender myself to prove it to both the gen-
tlemen from Baltimore city (Messrs. Stirling
and Cushing, ) and I will state before I take
my seat, that the gentleman from Baltimore
city (Mr. Stirling) knows that it, is so.
Mr. STIRLING. What does the gentleman
mean? I tell him I do not know anything of
the kind; and if he says—
The PRESIDENT. Gentlemen must abstain
from these remarks.
Mr. BELT. I did not mean anything per-
sonal.
The PRESIDENT. The Chair will not per-
mit any further discussion, but will check it
at this point.
On motion of Mr. HENKLE—
The Convention then adjourned.
THIRTY-EIGHTH DAY.
WEDNESDAY, June 22,1864.
The Convention met at 10 o'clock, A.M.
Prayer by Rev. Mr. McNemar.
The roll was called and the following inem-
bers answered to their names:
Messrs. Goldsborough, President; Abbott,
Annan, Audoun, Baker, Barron, Berry, of
Baltimore county, Berry, of Prince George's,
Billingsley, Blackiston, Bond, Briscoe, Brown,
Carter, Chambers, Crawford, Cunningham,
Cushing, Davis, of Charles, Davis, of Wash-
ington, Dennis, Duvall, Earle, Ecker, Edelen
Farrow, Gale, Galloway, Greene, Harwood
Hebb, Henkle, Hodson, Hoffman, Hollyday
Hopkins, Hopper, Horsey, Johnson, Jones
of Cecil, Keefer, King, Larsh, Lee, Marbury
Markey, McComas, Mitchell, Miller, Morgan
Mullikin, Murray, Negley, Nyman, Parker
Parran, Pugh, Purnell, Ridgely, Robinette
Russell, Sands, Schley, Schlosser, Scott
Smith, of Carroll, Smith, of Worcester, Smith
of Dorchester, Sneary, Stirling, Stockbridge
Sykes, Thomas, Thruston, Turner, Valliant
Wickard, Wooden—78.
The journal of yesterday was read and ap-
proved. |
ABJOURNMENT OVER.
Mr. SCOTT submitted the following order:
Ordered, That immediately after its final
action on the Declaration of Rights, the Con-
vention adjourn till twelve o'clock on the
sixth of July, and that until said adjourn-
ment the Convention hold evening sessions,
commencing at eight o'clock, P. M.
Mr. BROWN submitted the following amend-
ment :
Strike out all after the word "ordered,"
and insert—
"That when the Convention adjourns to-
morrow, it shall stand adjourned until the
6th day of July next, and that the per diem
of the members and officers be suspended
during said recess."
Mr. BROWN, said: I offer this in order that
those who are immediately interested in ag-
riculture may have an opportunity to go
home, and attend to their harvests now in
hand, I think that every individual here is
more or less interested in our harvests. But
as there is a scarcity of labor in this State,
all who are immediately interested in agri-
culture are required at home.
Mr. HOFFMAN. I hope there will be no ad-
journment at this time. We have been here
a long time and have accomplished very lit-
tle. I trust there will be no adjournment at
all, unless for two or three days at the farthest.
I hope neither the order nor the amendment
will be adopted by this Convention.
Mr. SANDS. I hope that at least we shall
not adjourn to-morrow. However, I rise
more for the purpose of correcting an erro-
neous impression that may go out from this
Hall, produced by language that we hear
constantly repeated here, that we have been
here this long and have dune little or noth-
ing. Now, I think that tends to poison the
minds of the people, and to sow the seeds of
dissatisfaction and discord among them. I
regret to find our friends here scattering such
remarks broadcast, and that too in opposition
to what I conceive to be the fact. Ten years
ago and a little over, a Convention assembled
in this Hall in times of profound peace, with
little labor before them. That Convention
was said to have been made up of the talent
and ability of this State. Yet they took more
than six months to complete their work.
Now, in this Convention we have a vast deal of
work to do; work that was never brought to
the consideration of the people before and
which is more interesting and important than
any that came before the Convention of 1850.
I hope, from the present appearance of things,
that another month will enable us to get
through and go home. And if we get through
in three or four months from the time we as-
sembled here, the people will be satisfied with
our work. I wish our friends would try to
disseminate among their constituents some
such views as these I have expressed, and |
