CHAPTER III
THE CONSTITUTION

The constitution was submitted to the voters of the
State, June 4, 1851, and was ratified by a majority of
10,409 votes.¹ The eight counties of the Eastern Shore
gave a majority of 1337 for the new constitution. The
counties of Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, Kent, Mont-
gomery, Prince George's, Somerset and St. Mary's voted
against its adoption.

The constitution pleased no one; but to many it was an
improvement on the old one, " a thing of shr,eds and
patches." Of the sixty articles of which the original con-
stitution consisted, twenty-five had been abrogated and
twenty had been so amended as to have retained little of
their original form. Altogether there had been sixty-six
amendments made.

Only twenty-two days intervened between the adjourn-
ment of the convention and the ratification of the consti-
tution. During this time the friends and opponents of
the new constitution kept constantly before the public its
merits and defects.

It has been stated that the people of the State adopted
the constitution of 1851 without a full knowledge of its
provisions. This statement appears to be entirely un-
founded. The text of the constitution was published in
the daily and weekly presses of the State. It was also pub-
lished in pamphlet form. Furthermore it was translated
into German, and published in the daily Deutsche Corre-
spondent, 2l paper having quite a reputation in its activity
for promulgating the public documents and laws among
the large number of Germans in the State.²

¹ See Appendix, p. 86.                ² Baltimore Sun, May 22,; 1851.