54               The Maryland Constitution of 1851.             [432

existing government of the source of power in the State.

The amendment of Mr. Presstman was taken from the
Declaration of Rights of the State of Texas, and appears
in the constitution or Declaration of Rights of several of
the states.⁴⁷

It was at this time that Mr. Hicks moved his amend-
ment to the Declaration of Rights, which provided for the
right of any portion of the State to secede from the other.⁴⁸
The amendment of Mr. Presstman was amended so as to
give the majority of the voters the right of changing the
constitution, but in a legal manner, and was adopted.⁴⁹

The 9th section of the report of the committee on the
legislative department declared that, " No priest, clergy-
man, or teacher of any religious persuasions, society or
sect, and no person holding any civil office of profit under
this State, except justices of the peace, should be capable
of having a seat in the General Assembly."

The Rev. Mr. Chandler, of Baltimore county, the only
clergyman in the convention, made a vigorous attempt to
abolish the first section of the clause, which he regarded
as entirely unnecessary and unjust. In defence of his mo-
tion to " strike out" Mr. Chandler said that, " Equal rights
and privileges to all" was a principle advocated by the
members of the convention, yet the same gentlemen calmly
unite their strength to blot from political existence a nu-
merous and influential class of citizens as wholly unworthy
of all confidence and even dangerous to the community.
" What great offence" he asked, " what crime have this
class of citizens committed, that they should be deprived of
one of the dearest privileges of American-born citizens—
that of eligibility to office? Have they committed treason?
Have they been guilty of highway robbery? Are they

⁴⁷ Maine, Dec. of Rights, 2d sec, 1820; Massachusetts, Preamble
to Constitution, 1780; Vermont, Dec. of Rights, art. vii, 1793;
Connecticut, Constitution, art. i, 1818; Virginia, Dec. of Rights,
2d sec, 1820; Indiana, Constitution, art i, 2d sec, 1816.

⁴⁸ See ch. ii, p. 43.                                   ⁴⁹ Debates, vol. i, p. 186.