252 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [Feb. 5,

incumbent upon me to guard the peace of the community by
every means in my power, and the result of the election
shows that I had no wish to resort to the military, unless
driven to it by the most urgent necessity, and to prerent
anarchy and bloodshed, which, as Governor of the State, I
was powerless to control.

THOMAS SWANN.

Also, the following semi-annual statement of the Anna-
polis and Elkridge Railroad Company.

[See Document P.]

Which was read.

The Speaker laid before the House the following communi-
cation from the President of the Baltimore and Potomac
Railroad, in response to an order of the House.

[See Document Q.]

Which was read and referred to the Committee on Internal
Improvements.

Mr. Neilson presented a petition from a large number of
the citizens of Baltimore, in favor of a modification of the
present Sunday Law ;

Which was read and referred to the Select Committee on
subject.

Mr. Jones submitted the following message:

BY THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES,

February 5th, 1867.
Gentlemen of the Senate:

We send herewith a copy of an order adopted by this
House on Saturday last, explaining the reason for the change
in the time to which this House proposed to adjourn in their
message of the 1st inst. This House regretted the necessity
for the change, especially as your Honorable Body had ad-
journed before we had an opportunity to interchange messages
upon the subject of the change of hour :

"Ordered, That it be entered upon the Journal that the
reason for the reconsideration and change of the time to
which this House had proposed to adjourn, as stated in their
message to the Senate of the 1st inst., was as follows, viz :
It was deemed by a majority of the House important to the
public interest, in order to remove all doubt as to the legality
of the election of Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, to
repeal the law requiring that election to take place on Wed-
nesday next, a bill for which purpose had passed the Senate
by a suspension of the rules, and at the time of sending the
message to the Senate it was not doubted that a like suspen-
sion of the rules would allow the majority to pass the bill