88               The Maryland Constitution of 1864.            [434

every twentieth year thereafter, the question of calling a
Convention was to be submitted to the people. Thus we
see that the slow conservative methods provided in the
old Constitution were done away with, and the final right
of the people to change their mode of government when-
ever it pleased them so to do, was fully recognized.

It should be said, to sum up at this point, that as far as
the organic law was concerned, the new Constitution was
a decided advance toward modern methods and systems of
government, and showed distinct results of the evident
wish on the part of the Convention, to have the Consti-
tution of Maryland conform, as far as possible, to the best
features embodied in the Constitutions of the other states
of the Union.²⁰⁵

. We now come to a most unpopular feature of the Con-
stitution, which contributed largely to the intense opposi-
tion that was aroused against it, and which caused it to be
ratified only by a very narrow, majority. This was, the
method and regulations under which it was to be submitted
to the people for their ratification.

As prescribed by the new Constitution,²⁰⁶ the Governor
within five days after the adjournment of the Convention
was to issue a proclamation, calling for an election to be
held in the city of Baltimore on October 12, 1864, and in
the counties of the state on October 12th and 13th. At
this election the vote was to be by ballot, and the question
to be decided was the ratification or rejection of the Con-
stitution. But it was further provided, that the test oath
prescribed in the Constitution for all future elections after
the Constitution should be adopted, was to be required of
all voters in the election on the ratification of that instru-
ment itself. Again, we have seen that the article on the
Elective Franchise required²⁰⁷ the General Assembly to
"provide by law for taking the. votes of soldiers in the
army of the United States serving in the field." In order

²⁰⁵ See Deb., i, 360, 394-5; ii, 1034-5, 1056, 1267, 1317-8, etc.

²⁰⁶ Art. xii, secs. 8-10.                 ²⁰⁷ Art. i, sec. 2. See page 71.