my family and friends. I remain here in
Annapolis.
As the chair has correctly observed, and it
is the same with this house as with all delib-
erative bodies—the actual business of voting;
upon propositions is the very smallest portion
of the business of the convention, I dare af-
firm that the actual business done here in any
day, by way of voting or otherwise, could be
done in a single hour. It is the necessary
debate arising from a courteous interchange
of views upon the different propositions, that
prolongs the session three or four hours, The
real work of this house, as of every such body,
ie done outside of it. How can it be done
outside of it; when the sessions commence as
early as ten o'clock? Can members consult
in the morning before that hour? I profess
to have received the greatest light upon many
questions from conversation with members;
not necessarily in committee; from the in-
terchange of views outside of the house.
I hold therefore that the best way to ad-
vance the interests of this assembly, and the
business upon our shoulders, is not by sepa-
rating and leaving our seats, but by remain-
ing here, and giving a close attention to bu-
siness, both in the house when it comes up,
and out of the house when it is under consid-
eration; that we should remain here every
day.
It is fashionable—it has been the rule, I
understand, with some members, from the very
incipiency of the session, to go home every
day; leaving us who cannot get home, under
the necessity of remaining here. The result
Is that we can hold but one session a day.
Yet they are the very members who generally
vote for evening sessions. When we come
here at night, as we did last night, we find
no quorum, because these gentlemen have
taken advantage of the facility of going home.
This is not right. If a part of this body must
go to Baltimore, as they have done, it would
facilitate our business to pass an order allow-
ing them to remain in Baltimore and tele-
graph their votes here.
I shall vote for the order offered by the
gentleman from Frederick, not because I
think it is the best arrangement we could
adopt, because I think the best arrangement
would be to meet at ten o'clock and four, and
hold two sessions a day—but because I think
it is obvious that at this rate we shall be here
as long as we have already been; and I am
personally and every way strongly interested
in not having that take place.
Mr. SANDS. I shall vote against the order
just offered, I have voted for several such
orders, and complied with their requisitions ;
and when I came here to meet the gentlemen
who offered them, I did not find them here.
We have made two efforts at evening sessions,
and in both cases they have died out of them-
selves. I am here at a personal sacrifice as
much as any gentleman upon this floor. I |
abandoned my business at home to come
here. I said at the beginning of the session,
that I should have to give up my business at
home or give it up here. I gave it up there,
and have remained here, and have always
been here to attend to business. I have been
here on several occasions, even in the day-
time, when we had to go away without a
quorum. To those gentlemen who have
sought this kind of popularity, I will say
that I urn willing that my presence shall be
compared with theirs, to show who has been
most diligent.
Mr. BARRON. I wish to make one statement.
During the sessions of the Convention I have
been absent three days only, and at the time
of the raid.
The PRESIDENT. The Chair will remind
the gentleman that the session of the Conven-
tion includes the entire day,
Mr. BARRON. Then you will have to de-
duct two evenings when I was not here.
Aside from that I have been here. Very few
gentlemen have a better record for attention.
I have very often seen gentlemen go and stay
a week, eight days or ten days, and then
come back; and they were the first to offer
this kind—the very first. I suppose they had
rested somewhat from their labors, when they
got back, and felt like going to work.
Mr. SCHLEY. It is a matter of regret that
the gentleman from Howard (Mr. Sands)
and the gentleman from Baltimore (Mr. Bar-
ron) should have seen in this order anything
having a personal imputation. I assure the
gentlemen of the Convention that it was the
farthest from me to arraign any gentleman.
Mr. SANDS. The gentleman is mistaken.
I had no idea that this order had any personal
bearing upon myself.
Mr. SCHLEY. I supposed so from the fact
that those gentlemen adduced their personal
attendance here, and alluded to the record of
their personal attendance here as a proof of
the impropriety of adopting such an order.
Mr. SANDS. Not at all.
Mr. SCHLEY. Then I do not see why they
made reference to their personal attendance.
I can very well imagine that gentlemen may
be absent for the greater part of the session
without any violation of their duties here.
Causes beyond their control may make ab-
sence necessary'.'. But there is a system here
that interferes with the business of the Con-
vention. It is not a system set up by one
gentleman or another gentleman, but by a
class of gentlemen whose regular departure
from the city by the afternoon train, works
an utter negation of every attempt of the
Convention to hold two sessions per day. It
was with that view that I fixed the hour
specified for the re-assembling after the recess.
It is not a convenient hour for me. It is not
that I want to meet here in the very heat of
the afternoon and immediately after dinner.
But it was at the suggestion of the President |
