the past as evidence of its truth. No man more
sincerely and more highly appreciates than I do,
the characters of those public officers, with whose
services we have been favored. One of them
now in office, I have known intimately all my
life, and my confidence in him, is as great, as is
my confidence in any man that lives. It is be-
cause we have such men, that we are now espe-
cially called upon to be circumspect, because no
one can believe they are to live forever—or that
all their successors will certainly be as faithful
as they have been, and hence, none can suppose
these alterations are now made from any such
want of confidence in these officers.
But, sir, we may not have always such men
as these and we may have difficulties in making
these changes from the very fact that such
changes would then confine suspicions—we may
be as unfortunate in the selection of our agents,
as some of our States have been, and we may
have years of useless regrets, and thousands of
wasted dollars as the price we pay for the sad
experience of having confided incautiously to im-
aginary ideas of human integrity.
Sir, I know it is unfashionable and unpopular
in this Convention to refer to our ancestors as
authority on the science of government; we think
we have made such improvements in our day,
that we scarcely give them credit for any thing,
but I shall incur the risk of quoting from their
opinions even to this Convention. When the
declaration of the Delegates of Maryland to the
world, of the grounds of their resistance to the
British government, and their ideas of free gov-
ernment, they exclaimed, "who are a free peo-
ple? Not those who were governed justly and
equitably," but those who lived under "a gov-
ernment so constitutionally framed and guarded
as prevented their being governed in any other
manner."
Let us bear this in mind, and no longer con-
fide to any man such unrestricted power over
your treasury and over your credit, leaving the
whole to his honesty and judgment, but so frame
our organic law, that whatever may be his dis-
position, he will be restrained from acting other-
wise than duty and fidelity require.
The question was then taken on the amend-
ment of Mr. BOWIE;
And it was rejected.
Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER then moved to amend
the first article bystriking out in the fourth line
"three thousand," and inserting in lieu thereof
"two thousand," so as to fix the salary of the
treasurer at $2,000 per annum.
Mr. SPENCER moved for a division of the ques-
tion; and
The question was accordingly stated to be on
the motion to strike out.
And being put,
It was agreed to.
The question then recurred on the motion of
Mr. JOHN NEWCOMER, to fill the blank with "two
thousand."
Mr. DORSET moved to fill the blank with "fif-
teen hundred."
105 |
Mr. CONSTABLE moved to fill the blank with
"twenty-five hundred,"
The question was first stated to be on the mo-
tion of Mr. CONSTABLE, being the largest sum.
Mr, DORSEY moved that the question betaken
byyeas and nays;
Which being ordered,
Appeared as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Chapman, President, Mor-
gan, Blakistone, Dent, Donaldson, Randall, Mer-
rick, Jenifer, Howard, Buchanan, Bell, Welch,
Chandler, Lloyd, Sherwood of Talbot, Colston,
Williams, Goldsborough, Constable, Miller, Mc-
Lane, Bowie. Tuck, Sprigg, McCubbin, Bow-
ling, Spencer, Grason, George, Wright, Thom-
as, Shriver, Biser, Annan, McHenry, Stewart,
of Caroline, Gwinn, Stewart of Baltimore city,
Brent, of Baltimore city. Ware, Neill, Kilgour,
Anderson, Cockey and Brown—45.
Negative—Messrs. Ricaud, Lee, Chambers of
Kent, Mitchell, Dorsey, Wells, Kent, Sellman,
Weems, Dalrymple, John Dennis, Hicks, Ec-
cleston, Phelps, Dirickson, McMaster, Hearn,
Fooks, Jacobs, Gaither, Sappington, Stephenson,
Magraw, Nelson, Carter, Thawley, Hardcastle,
Sherwood of Baltimore city, Schley, Fiery,
John Newcomer, Harbine, Michael Newcomer,
Brewer, Waters, Weber, Hollyday, Fitzpatrick,
Smith, Parke and Shower—41.
So the amendment was adopted.
Mr. RANDALL moved further to amend the first
article by striking out in the sixth line the words
"two thousand" and inserting in lieu thereof,
"twenty-five hundred."
Mr. PARKE moved the question be taken by
yeas and nays;
Which being ordered,
Appeared as follows:
Affirmative—Messrs. Chapman, Pres't, Morgan,
Blakistone, Dent, Ricaud, Chambers of Kent,
Mitchell, Donaldson, Dorsey, Wells, Randall,
Kent, Weems, Dalrymple, Merrick, Jenifer,
Howard, Buchanan, Bell, Welch, Chandler,
Lloyd, Sherwood of Talbot, Colston, John
Dennis, Williams, Hicks, Goldsborough, Ec-
cleston, Phelps, Constable, McLane, Bowie,
Tuck, Sprigg, McCubbin, Bowling, Spencer,
Grason, George, Wright, McMaster, Hearn,
Thomas, Shriver, Biser, Annan, Stewart of
Baltimore city, Fiery, Neill, Kilgour, Waters,
Anderson and Hollyday—55.
Negative—Messrs. Lee, Sellman, Miller, Dir-
ickson, Fooks, Jacobs, Gaither, Sappington,
Stephenson, McHenry, Magraw, Nelson, Car-
ter, Thawley, Stewart of Caroline, Hardcastle,
Gwinn, Ware, Schley, John Newcomer, Har-
bine, Michael Newcomer, Brewer, Weber,
Fitzpatrick, Smith, Parke and Shower—38.
So the amendment was adopted.
Mr. DORSEY then moved to amend said article
by striking out in the second line the word
"comptroller."
Mr. DORSEY said:
That this bill in the second section provided
that the Comptroller and Treasurer might have
their offices at the seat of government. He had
been told, but he most positively denied the fact, |
