399]           The Maryland Constitution of 1864.              53

and modern law, the Declaration of Independence and Con-
stitution of the United States, the writings of the founders
of the Republic, Supreme Court decisions, and various
enactments since the formation of the Union—in fact, every
conceivable authority or argument of any time or age was
skilfully advanced by the advocates of the respective sides
of the question. Although knowing the final outcome
would certainly be against them, the minority stubbornly
continued the fight till the last. They suggested the in-
corporation of provisions prohibiting the immigration of
free negroes into Maryland, or any contracts with or em-
ployment of such persons, and providing for the coloniza-
tion outside of the state of those negroes already within
her borders.⁵⁵

Also, Mr. Clarke offered a substitute to the emancipa-
tion article, which declared the slaves in Maryland free
after January 1, 1865, but on condition that the United
States Congress before that time should appropriate the
sum of twenty million dollars to compensate the owners
for their slaves.⁵⁶ This was of course opposed by the ma-
jority as it would in all probability have been a very suc-
cessful means of indefinitely continuing the institution,
and the amendment was withdrawn by general consent.⁵⁷
Mr. Brown of Queen Anne's offered another amendment
providing for state assumption of the duty of the comfort-
able maintenance of the helpless and paupers emanci-
pated, but this was voted down.⁵⁸ The final vote on the
article as reported by the committee was taken on June
24, and the provision was adopted on strict party lines by
53 yeas to 27 nays.⁵⁹ This action, so momentous in its
consequences, was but the fulfillment by the Convention
of the Unconditional Union victories of November 4, 1863
and April 6, 1864, and although it had yet to pass the same
ordeal of a further ratification by the people, slavery was
practically dead from that hour.

⁵⁵ Proc., 79-80.                   ⁵⁶ Proc., 210.                   ⁵⁷ Proc., 215.

⁵⁸ Proc., 219, 223-4.                                               ⁵⁹ Proc., 224-5.