42               The Maryland Constitution of 1864.            [388

mittees, authorized on April 28, were appointed on May 4,
and to them were at once referred the many suggestions
that had already been made by various members, as to
provisions to be embodied in the new Constitution. On the
same day a committee of six from the Baltimore City
Council, three from each branch, presented unanimous
resolutions passed by that body, inviting the Convention to
hold its sessions in Baltimore, and offering to engage a hall
for that purpose at the expense of the city. There was a
short debate as to the advisability of the step, it being
urged that Baltimore would be a much more convenient
place of meeting, for the Eastern Shore members in par-
ticular. Although the contrary ground was taken that it
would be illegal to move the Convention from Annapolis,
yet motives of expediency really prevailed, and the invi-
tation was declined by a non-partisan vote of 51 to 35.¹³

On June 2 an unsuccessful attempt was made by several
members to reconsider this action, but nothing further came
of it.¹⁴ On May 12, Mr. Kennard, of Baltimore City, made
the report of the Committee on Rules.¹⁵ This report em-
bodied the usual rules governing legislative bodies, and
was finally adopted with slight amendments on May 23.¹⁶
Provisions for the Constitution were required to be passed
by a majority of the members elected to the Convention,
but this was afterwards changed by motion of Mr. Cushing,
of Baltimore City, to a majority of those present.¹⁷ The
minority strongly opposed this, claiming that, as fifty mem-
bers would make a quorum, twenty-six out of the ninety-
six elected could thus put a final provision in the Consti-
tution.¹⁸ The first vote on the question was adverse, but
being brought up again under a slightly different form, it
was passed by a vote of 47 to 33, though several of the ma-
jority opposed the measure. The majority based their

¹³ Proceedings, 19-21.                       ¹⁴ Proc, 147; Deb., i, 300-1.

¹⁵ Proc., 46-56.                                                        ¹⁶ Proc., 90.

¹⁷ Proc., 109-10, 115-8; Deb., i, 180-5, 202-12. ¹⁸ Deb., i, 181.