54               The Maryland Constitution of 1864.            [400

Granting the fact that they should lose their slaves, the
owners naturally desired to obtain some sort of compen-
sation, and the minority never abandoned one form or other
of this idea. This might be effected in two ways—by the
state, or else by the nation. As state action could be
controlled by the Convention to a great extent, while any
reliance on Congressional action would be fallacious, the
minority insisted on this former measure. "On the other
hand, as already stated, the spring campaign had been
fought on this very question, with the result that nearly
all the Union delegates were pledged against it with the
exception of those from Baltimore and Howard counties,
but even these were merely instructed to procure national
compensation if possible. Also a majority caucus held in
Annapolis on April 28 at the beginning of the session
unanimously decided that the Convention was bound by
the popular verdict to emancipation without state com-
pensation.⁶⁰

The minority nevertheless firmly maintained that slaves
were or had been private property which should not be
taken for public use without compensation.⁶¹ The ma-
jority either denied this in toto or else held that slavery was
a "nuisance," and no payment should be given for the
abatement of it.⁶² Other arguments were brought forth
by the latter, including the statement that they were un-
willing to saddle the state with a large debt for this pur-
pose,⁶³ the Baltimore delegates in particular objecting on
account of the fact that while a large part of the conse-
quent increase of taxation would fall on the city, it would
receive a small portion of the compensation, owing to the
comparatively few slaves within its bounds. The majority
report of the Committee on the Legislative Department,

⁶⁰ "American," Apr. 30, 1864.

⁶¹ Deb., i, 596-721.                                              ⁶² Deb., i, 590-1.

⁶³ The slaves were valued at from thirty-five to forty million
dollars in 1860. Mr. Clarke's representative scheme of compensa-
tion involved a payment of about twenty-six millions (Deb., i, 656).