be the work of a committee clerk or any body
else, unrevised and unexamined either by the
Convention together or a respectable delegation
from it at least.
And in this consisted the difference between
the proposition of the gentleman from Baltimore
county, (Mr. Howard,) and his own. The gen-
tleman's proposition makes no provision what-
ever for any examination or comparison with the
original, or for correction of errors. A copy is
to be made by direction of two gentlemen, who
of course, will employ aclerk; indeed, it is bare-
ly a power to employ a clerk, without any author-
ity to any portion, even of this body, (to do what
the whole Convention ought to do,) to examine
and compare the drafts and to see that they con-
form to the enactments upon our journal.
The ground he had taken in committee and on
the opening of this debate in the House, was
that this was altogether irregular and improper
and he still stood upon that ground. The order he
had drawn up with a reluctant assent went as
far as he could go. That order professed
give the revising committee of seven, ample authority
to compare and examine the copies when
made and to correct any errors. By the way,
the article passed a short time since, has not
been placed in the hands of the revising commit-
tee, although the order of the House expressly
requires it.
The object of an engrossing committee was to
correct errors, if any, and report them to the
House. It appeared to him that any one must at
a glance perceive the difference between the pro-
position of the gentleman from Baltimore coun-
ty, and that from the revising committee, in
their practical effect.
Mr. TUCK. Will the gentleman tell me what
is the meaning of an engrossed copy—a cor-
rected copy?
Mr. CHAMBERS, Certainly, a correct copy in
a fair legible hand. I ask in return, if the gen-
tleman ever knew or ever beard of an engrossing
committee acting after the final adjournment of
the body which appointed it, or indeed without
reporting the result of its labors to the body?
Mr. TUCK. I don't know whether I ever did
or net.
Mr. BOWIE. Does this order of the gentleman
from Baltimore county, [Mr. Howard,] do any
thing more than authorise the committee to sub-
mit the constitution to this convention as its act,
or that the instrument shall be sent to the revis-
ing committee simply?
Mr. CHAMBERS. I say it assumes, and erroneously
assumes that it is here in a condition to
be signed. Its language is, "ordered that Mr.
TUCK and Mr. GRASON, be instructed to deposit
the engrossed constitution after its signature by
the president and secretary, in the office of the
clerk of the court of appeals for the western
shore."
Now, what is to be done? Two things. One
is to obtain the signature of the president and
secretary, and the other is to deposit it in the
clerk's office. These two gentlemen have no
other, no further authority, |
Mr. BOWIE. I suggest then that some resolu-
tion or order should be offered to bring up the
subject.
Mr. CHAMBERS. There is an order offered. I
am endeavoring to show the difference between
that and the one which gentlemen say is exactly
like it; that in one case we confided a large au-
thority to seven members of this body and in
the other we are to take this unintelligible mass
of papers and scraps., sign and file it.
The PRESIDENT. The Chair thinks the order
which passed on Saturday last on the subject has
been faithfully complied with.
Mr. CHAMBERS, (in his seat.) So am I,
Mr, HOWARD. I said it was not necessary to
have more than two members on the committee,
and there was no necessity for continuing the
whole committee. The order ran in this way:
"Ordered, That the articles of the Constitution,
which have been adopted, be referred to the Re-
visory committee."
There might have been the words in it "for ex-
amination." "And that the engrossed copy be
deposited in the office of the court of Appeals."
That resolution he had understood, passed the
Revisory committee unanimously. The gentle-
man said it did not meet his approbation. He
(Mr. H.) had remarked that the Convention
could adjourn to-night, if they could pass the
resolution. That was the communication made
to him, (Mr. H) Now, the main feature of the
two papers did not differ. They both contem-
plated the same object—that was, to leave a
committee of two having nothing to do but to
compare one piece of writing with another, and
see to the general arrangement of the Constitu-
tion. Those were the circumstances under which
he had offered the order. It, therefore, much
excited his surprise after doing so, to find the
gentleman from Kent, (Mr. Chambers,) rise in
his place, and oppose it. He (Mr. H.) could not
suppose, for a moment, that there existed any
desire to threaten on the part of gentlemen.
They were unworthy of it. He could not account
for it in any other way than by supposing
that the information was incorrect. He sup-
posed the proposition did not meet the approba-
tion of gentlemen.
Mr. CHAMBERS said:
He must reiterate what he had so often said.
There were a thousand points of difference be-
tween the two propositions. He adhered to the
position he had originally taken. His resolution
gave to a respectable committee of this body the
authority to compare and correct errors, the or-
der of the gentleman gave no such authority and
pratically left it to the engrossing clerk. He
would ask his friend from Queen Anne's to say
whether that was not his original objection em-
phatically urged in the committee room, and also
to say whether the resolution he had prepared
did not give authority to the revising committee
as he had stated.
Mr. HOWARD observed that this was an expla-
nation more than any thing else. He would say
a word or two in reply to the gentleman from
Kent, (Mr. Chambers.) He must say that a |
