18                The Maryland Constitution of 1851.             [396

legislature organized into two separate branches, and the
representation in the "Lower House" was made, equal
among the counties. In 1692 the legislature by law fixed
the representation from each county at four. This equality
of representation among the counties remained unaltered
until the Revolutionary War.¹¹

In 1776, when the constitutional convention assembled
to form a constitution for the State just emerging from
colonial dependency, the system of equal representation of
the counties was, engrafted upon the constitution, and each
county was given four delegates, and the town of Baltimore
and city:of Annapolis two each. In 1824 a constitutional
amendment was passed by the legislature which gave Bal-
timore City four delegates, so as to place her representa-
tion on an equality with the counties; but it failed to be
ratified by the succeeding legislature as the constitution
required.¹² A similar amendment was made in 1835, but
failed likewise to be ratified.¹³ By the amendment of the
constitution in 1836, Baltimore City, Baltimore and Fred-
erick counties were each given five representatives. The
counties of Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline, Talbot,
St. Mary's, Charles, Calvert and Allegany three; and the
remaining counties four each.

After 1840, representation in the House of Delegates
from the several counties was to be established on a given
ratio, having federal numbers as its basis; but Baltimore
City was limited to equal representation with that of the
largest county, and no county was to have less than three
representatives.¹⁴

In the judicial department of the State a complete reor-
ganization was urged by the reformers. The appointing of
the judges by the governor, and the tenure of office for
good behavior, which was found to be in practice equal to

¹¹ McMahon's History of Maryland, vol. 1, p. 465.
¹² Act 1824, ch. 115.

¹³ Act 1835, ch. 98.

¹⁴ Act 1836, ch. 197, sec. 9.