position, if it should not be withdrawn, he only
wished to be understood as preferring it to the
plan for which it was proposed as a substitute.
If it should be adopted, he should then bepre-
pared to vole for any other instead of this, which
should appear to him more acceptable.
Mr SCHLEY signified his willingness to with-
draw the proposition if it could come up again
to-day, as he expected to leave to-morrow.
Mr. CHAMBERS suggested that it could bereach-
ed by a reconsideration, if the question should
be decided.
Mr. SCHLEY thereupon withdrew his amend-
ment.
Mr. MERRICK moved to amend the section by
striking out to the word " rule," inclusive, and
inserting the following:
" The members of the House of Delegates
shall be apportioned to the several counties of
the State and the city of Baltimore, in conformity
with the following rule. "
The amendment was agreed to.
On motion of Mr. MERRICK,
The second section was further amended by
adding at the end thereof the following :
" And the Legislature shall, at their first regu-
lar session after the authoritative promulgation
of each decenial census of the people of the Uni-
ted States, declare by resolution the number of
Delegates to which each county and city in the
State may be entitled, according to the basis
herein fixed, and the returns of said census."
The question then recurred on the substitute
amendment of Mr. FIERY.
Mr, STEWART, of Baltimore city, asked the
yeas and nays,
Which were ordered.
Mr. JENIFER. I would ask the gentleman
what is the result of that ratio ?
The Clerk read the column of the table hereto-
fore given.
Mr. JENIFER said that the principle of repre-
sentation by counties, simply having been aban-
doned, it was only left to adopt a system regard-
less of those considerations, in looking over
all these plans, that given in the fifth column
of the tabular statement, agreed very nearly with
his views upon the subject of representation. He
would have the representation restored to Balti-
more and Frederick counties, making seventy-
five instead of seventy-three. He would then
proceed to increase the minimum representation
of the counties, from two to three representa-
tives. There would be nine counties receiving
each an additional representative, making in all
eighty-two. Baltimore city would then have ten
members, Frederick county six, Baltimore county
six, and the other counties in proportion. He
should consider that as a more equitable distribution
of the representation, than any plan pro-
posed. If the gentleman moving this proposition
would adopt that, he had no hesitation in saying
that he would vote for it.
As to the principle of the representation, .it
was the result to which he looked. If the various
counties and Baltimore city, had a proper re-
presentation, he would be satisfied with the means |
ay which it should be accomplished, whatever
they should be called. If it was upon popula-
tion, or upon federal basis, it made little differ-
ence. if the result was the same. The basis was
not established upon the aggregate population,
not exclusively upon territory. There was no
fixed principle, but it was a matter of compro-
mise. One gentleman might agree to the result
from entirely different motives from those which
would actuate another. He wished to do justice
to every county—to see every county fairly re-
presented in the House of Representatives, as
well as in the Senate. If the representation in
the Senate, as it now stood, was not fair, he was
willing to make a compromise, and to give an in-
creased representation to a larger county. But if
the principle of territory should be departed from,
he should fall back upon the report made by the
minority of the committee, submilted by the gen-
tleman from Kent, (Mr. Chambers.) He should
prefer giving Baltimore city ten or even twelve
representatives in the lower House, than to give
it two Senators. The great principle would be
infringed the moment the senatorial powers were
touched. Baltimore city was as much entitled to
four Senators as two, should the present basis be
broken down as regards the Senate.
He would therefore be ready to support the
proposition, to return to Frederick and Balti-
more counties the representation, making sev-
enty-three in all, giving Baltimore city ten,
which would be one for every two wards, and
bringing all the smaller counties up to three rep-
resentatives, making the total number eighty-
two, This was the compromise he was willing
to agree to; because he desired that the Constitution
should be of such a character as would
take away just cause of dissatisfaction from all
parts of the State.
Mr, J. said, make what constitution you please,
some would be dissatisfied. The extremes of red
republican doctrine, of representation according
lo numbers, and the anti-deluvian system of no
change, he placed in the same category. Yet the
latter had its advantage. Maryland had flourish-
ed and been happy under the present Constitu-
tion. But a change, a reform was demanded at
our hands—he was for gratifying that expecta-
tion.
Mr. MERRICK said:
That he had been willing to allow Baltimore
city two Senators, because the great amount of
business in a large and growing commercial city
required the attention of more than one man.
He did not perceive any greater violation of
principle in this, than in giving the city a single
Senator.
If the territorial plan were strictly carried out,
the county would have one Senator, and the city
none at all, independent of the county. He was
willing to give two Senators, but if in making up
the plan for representation, it was found best to
give but one, he should accept the plan as an en-
tirety. If the Convention thought differently from
him, let this provision be stricken out, but let
it not be made an objection to the whole scheme.
The question was then taken on the substitute |
