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421] The Convention. 43
on the particular portion of the State in which slaves were
most numerous.
In regard to the second part of the report that popula-
tion alone could not be taken as the basis of representa-
tion in the House of Delegates there was a division in the
convention. There was both a sectional and a political
interest against recognizing population as the basis of
representation; sectional, because it would have thrown
the smaller counties in the minority in future legislatures,
and political, because it would have given the State to the
Democrats. This latter event the Whigs, who were in
the majority, wefe determined to prevent.
There were two views held in the convention in regard
to representation between which a compromise had to be
made. The first was in favor of a system of representa-
tion on a population basis for the whole State. The sec-
ond favored representation on the basis of population for
the counties; but restricted Baltimore City to a represen-
tation equal to that of the largest county.
In some of the southern counties during the contest for
seats in the convention, the question of secession was dis-
cussed.13 It was decided in event of population being
taken as the basis of representation in the General As-
sembly of the State, that there should be engrafted on the
new constitution a provision, which would enable the
Eastern Shore and southern Maryland to secede peaceably
from the State, and unite with Delaware or Virginia. The
time of secession was to take place whenever the interest
of these sections seemed to require it.
For this purpose Mr. T. H. Hicks, afterwards governor
of Maryland, offered an amendment to the Declaration of
Rights providing, " That any portion of the people of this
State have the right to secede, and unite themselves and
the territory occupied by them to such adjoining State as
they shall elect."14 One of the members of the conven-
13 Debates, vol. i, p. 156. 14 Debates, vol. i, p. 150.
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