from 1806 to 1851 147

confined entirely to appellate work, a proposal
which in its essentials was later adopted. The
objections made were heard continually during
the next twenty-four years.

In 1836 the reforming spirit produced a re-
modelling of much of the governmental system
in the state; the Governor's Council was abolished,
and all appointments by the Governor were there-
after to be ratified by the Senate; but there was
no other change in the method of filling offices
as it had previously existed. At each succeeding
session of the General Assembly, however, de-
mands for further reforms came up for discus-
sion, and governors in their messages repeatedly
urged the calling of a constitutional convention.
There was strong opposition to a convention, but
this had nothing to do with the suggestions of
changes in the judicial system; it arose chiefly
from a fear in some counties of a reapportion-
ment of representation in the Legislature ac-
cording to the distribution of population as it
then existed.²⁹ The demands for changes in the
judicial system did not follow any such line of
division; there were Democrats in all parts of
the state advocating the election of judicial offi-
cers, for definite terms of years, and also advo-
cating a reduction in some way of the expenses
of maintaining the system. The state was in finan-
cial difficulties from debts incurred in the pro-
motion of internal improvements. In 1842, Gov-

29. The redistribution of representation to accord with the distribu-
tion of population had naturally been a subject of contention
since the shifting of population in the state began about the be-
ginning of the nineteenth century, and as the disparity of repre-
sentation to population increased, so the contention increased.
Scharf, History of Baltimore County and City, 118 to 123.