lature to elect a United States Senator, in 1843,
Mr. C. did not know that the gentleman of Queen
Anne's, (Mr.S.,) ever condemned that failure.
Indeed, he supposed—and he thought he had
some reason lor me suppostion—that the gentle-
man from Queen Anne's did not condemn that
failure. The House of Delegates had a majority
who were of the political faith of the gentle-
man, but that majority did not prefer that gen-
tleman for that high station; and Mr. C. had nev-
er heard, that the gentleman was dissatisfied at
the refusal of the Senate to go into the election.
But whether that gentleman condemned or not,
it was very certain the Senate was sustained by
public sentiment, and at the next election, the
majority of the House was of the same party
with the Senate, and has been ever since.
Mr. SPENCER said the gentleman from Somer-
set, in his reference to the session of 1842, had
mistaken the facts. There was no gentleman on
his, (Mr. Spencer's,) side, who did not regret
the failure to elect a United States Senator at
that time. The lower house was democratic,
and voted to go into the election, but the Senate
refused. He had always, privately and before
the people, denounced the course of the Senate
on that occasion.
Mr CRISFIELD said his memory was not re-
markable for accuracy; but he had supposed the
facts to be as he had stated them.
Mr. SPENCER. The gentleman is entirely mis-
taken.
WEDNESDAY, March 19th, 1851.
The Convention met at ten o'clock.
Prayer was made by the Rev. Mr. GRIFFITH.
The roll was called, and a quorum being pre-
sent, the journal of yesterday was read and ap-
proved.
THE COMMITTEE CLERKS.
Mr. HICKS, in pursuance of the notice he had
yesterday given, moved a reconsideration of the
vote of the Convention on the resolution hereto-
fore adopted, dispensing with the services of cer-
tain committee clerks.
The question was stated to be on the motion to
reconsider.
Mr. HICKS said he presumed it would be a use-
less consumption of time to say anything in sup-
port of this motion. The members of the Con-
vention had had the subject in their minds, and
were no doubt prepared to do justice towards a
number of individuals here, who could not make
their own defence." He was sure that it was un-
necessary for him to urge the propriety of the re-
consideration, for he believed it was conceded on
all hands, that the vote should be reconsidered,
in order to do justice towards individuals to
whom injustice would otherwise be inevitably
done. He hoped that the motion would prevail.
The Convention could then take such action as
it might think proper.
67 |
The PRESIDENT, (pro tem.,) stated the ques-
tion, and the negative vote apparently prevail-
ing;
Mr. HICKS desired to say one additional word.
He earnestly requested gentlemen to reflect upon
what they had done. The Convention, from the
earliest period of its session, had been constantly
in the habit of reconsidering votes upon subject-
matters which had been passed upon. Surely
no question could be more deserving of the calm
judgment and considerate action of the Con-
vention than this. It concerned individuals—
highly respectable gentlemen, for such he knew
them to be—whose characters had been implica-
ted by the action of this body—not designedly,
but not the less certainly. And he was sure that
there was sufficient good feeling here to prevent
injury being done to any individual in the State
of Maryland, however humble his position might
be. It was with this view that he had moved
the reconsideration. He was no more interested in
the matter than any other member of the Con-
vention. The only interest that he had was to
see justice done all. It was not a mere matter
of dollars and cents to these individuals. It was
a matter of character and feeling; and he was
sure that every gentleman who regarded the sub-
ject in this light would cheerfully vote to recon-
sider—to re-instate these gentlemen—to put them
upon an equal footing with their fellows in this
body—and then to take such further action as
might seem right and proper.
Mr. GWINN said, he thought that the Conven-
tion ought to retrace the steps it had taken with
reference to the committee clerks. He was
aware that the change had been made upon
grounds of economy—but it had been construed
as a public censure—and in justice to them such
an imputation ought to be refuted by the action
of the Convention itself.
Mr. JENIFER said that he had voted against
discharging the clerks; but as the committee had
reported that there was no business sufficient for
their occupation, and as the act had been done,
he could not see that any wrong had been com-
mitted whatever. No imputation was intended
by the Convention, and it had so declared. Al-
though he voted against discharging these clerks,
inasmuch as the Convention had thought proper
to do so, and as he believed there was not suffi-
cient business to occupy them, he should vote
against the motion to reconsider.
Mr. HICKS said:
That his friend from Charles, (Mr. Jenifer,)
was correct in saying that no reflection was de-
signed to be cast on the clerks who had been
discharged. He hoped he was not understood as
imputing to the Convention any such motive.
On the contrary, he had said, that he believed
the Convention had no such design. But he
would inquire whether it did not in fact reflect
upon these individuals?
Now, it was least in his thoughts, to charge
this honorable body with a design to reflect, as
he had before remaked, upon the humblest individual
in the State of Maryland; but did not this
seem to be a reflection upon the clerks who were
discharged? Was it not an invidious distinction |
