90               The Maryland Constitution of 1864.            [436

vote, and introduced a perfectly new class of voters hith-
erto unknown to the laws. The majority answer to this
last was that those citizens barred from voting had already
been practically disfranchised by laws of the National Gov-
ernment, and by decisions of the various courts, and that
the soldiers were not a new class of voters, but merely
citizens exercising their right of franchise under new con-
ditions. The entire debate was to a great extent along
these lines, and was sustained with exceptional brilliancy
by the minority members, Mr. Miller of Anne Arundel in
particular making a speech which showed great power of
logical thought and analytical reasoning. As usual, the
result was foreordained, and the provisions passed by the
usual party vote.²⁰⁹ An attempt of the minority to insert
a provision providing for new elections in those districts in
which there might be military interference was promptly
voted down.²¹⁰

From the entire absence at the time of the April elec-
tion, as far as we can see, of any such extreme views as
to the proper construction of the Convention Bill, it is safe
to judge that the people of the state had no idea of the
extent to which these measures would finally be carried.
The majority members of the Convention, however, with
rare acuteness saw their opportunity, and were quick to
avail themselves of it. Their action, to say the least, was
clearly revolutionary, and its justification or condemna-
tion at the present day depends upon individual ideas as
to the legitimacy of such measures in time of war, and
whether, as seen in the final results, the end justified the
means. It only remains to add at this point, that the final
draft of the new Constitution was adopted by the Conven-
tion on September 6, by the party vote of 53 yeas to 26
nays, 17 members being absent and not voting.²¹¹ After
the usual closing remarks by the President, the Conven-
tion adjourned.

²⁰⁹ For above see Proc., 602-4, 611-3, 670-81; Deb., ill, 1708-19,
1724-56, 1758-71.                 ²¹⁰ Proc., 672-3.                  ²¹¹ Proc., 770-1.