Mr. BLAKISTON and Mr. BERRY asked and
obtained leave of absence.
Mr. BROWN asked and obtained leave of ab-
sence until July 6.
Mr. SCOTT. If the gentleman will with-
draw his motion to adjourn, I wish to offer
an order,
Mr. STIRLING withdrew his motion.
Mr. SCOTT submitted the following order :
Ordered, That when the Convention ad-
journs to-day, it stand adjourned till 12
o'clock, M., on Wednesday, July 6th.
Mr. SCOTT said: I was somewhat at a loss
to know whether it was better to call up the
order on the table or to offer a new order;
but I concluded to offer a new order, which I
think will meet the convenience of a majority
of the members of the Convention. I think
enough members will be excused, and enough
will be absent without excuse, to leave the
Convention without a quorum and unable to
do any business I think, therefore, that we
may as well adjourn, and allow our agricul-
tural friends to gather in their harvest. My
own harvest is not pressing upon me, for I
have been fortunate enough to have means of
gathering it without my attendance; but
there are others who are not so fortunate. I
think the Convention will bear me witness
that I have not been remiss in my attendance
here; and I make this motion to accommo-
date others rather than myself.
Mr. CUSHING, I hope the Convention will
not adjourn until the 6th of July. I think
the reason cited by the gentleman from Cecil
(Mr. Scott,) is at the best a very poor one.
if gentlemen choose to take upon themselves
the responsibility of absenting themselves and
leaving the Convention without a quorum, it
is their business and not ours. I think it
would be compromising the dignity of the
Convention to rote for this order upon such a
ground.
Mr. DANIEL demanded the yeas and nays,
and they were ordered.
The question being taken, the result was—
yeas 40, nays 31—as follows :
Yeas—Messrs. Goldsborough, President ;
Abbolt, Barron, Berry, of Baltimore county,
Berry, of Prince George's, Billingsley, Black-
iston, Briscoe, Brown, Carter, Chambers,
Clarke, Crawford, Dail, Davis, of Charles,
Dennis, Duvall, Edelen, Farrow, Gale, Har-
wood, Hatch, Hollyday, Hopkins, Hopper,
Horsey, Johnson, Jones, of Cecil, Kennard,
King, Lansdale, Larsh, Lee, Mace, Marbury,
Mitchell, Miller, Murray, Parran, Peter, Pur-
nell, Ridgely, Scott, Smith, of Carroll, Smith,
of Dorchester, Sykes, Thomas, Turner—48.
Nays—Messrs. Annan, Audoun, Baker,
Cunningham, Cushing, Daniel, Davis, of
Washington, Earle, Ecker, Galloway, Greene,
Hebb, Hoffman, Keefer, McComas, Mullikin,
Negley, Nyman, Parker, Robinette, Russell,
Sands, Schley, Schlosser, Sneary, Stirling,
Stockbridge, Thruston, Valliant, Wickard,
Wooden—31. |
As their names were called,
Mr. BERRY, of Baltimore county, said: I
have been necessarily absent from this Con-
vention, not on private business for one mo-
ment, but always on public business. The
Governor of the State, acting under the or-
ders of the General Government, has ordered
my absence during next week, and perhaps
for two weeks. I cannot tell when I may be
able to return to my duties, I shall therefore
vote "aye.''
Mr. HOPKINS said: I think the convenience
of so many of the members depends on this
adjournment, that we should not have enough
to do business if we continue in session. I
am ready to continue here, and would not de-
sert my post; but believing that we should
not have a quorum here, I vote "aye."
Mr. THOMAS. Excepting at one time, I
have never been absent unless for attendance
upon official business. But I am perfectly
satisfied, from the disposition I have seen on
the part of members, that there will be either
no quorum until the 6th July, or a bare quo-
rum. I desire upon the other sections of the
Bill of Rights, and in the consideration of the
article upon the Legislative Department, that
there should be a full House. I am unwilling
to come here day after day for a week, and
have no quorum or a large number of empty
benches. I therefore vote "aye."
So the motion was agreed to.
PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS.
Mr. CUSHING. I wish to make a personal
explanation in reference to a statement made
while I was out of the House, and again
when I was in it. The gentleman from Kent
(Mr. Chambers) assumed to animadvert upon
the number of years I have lived, as some
reason why the arguments I presented should
not have weight in proportion to the reason
they contained. That, I would suggest, is a
subject for my constituents, and not for any
man upon the floor of this House. If my
constituents considered me old enough and
wise enough to represent them here, I would
suggest that it is travelling beyond his legiti-
mate business for any member to reflect upon
that as a reason for diminishing the weight
of what I said. I have not and shall not
inquire the age of any gentleman upon this
floor. I will not say that the gentleman from
Kent is only fit to represent on this floor an
evanished past. If his constituents think him
of a suitable age to represent them, I will give
full weight to all the arguments he may pre-
sent.
My friend from Baltimore county (Mr.
Berry) thought proper to charge me with in-
consistency, as the remarks of the gentleman
were reported to me, because while a pro-
slavery man, I thought the fugitive slave law
ought to have been resisted in the streets of
Boston, and said that were I a citizen of Mas-
sachusetts, though it bad cost me my life, I |
