tee will report. If we adjourn to-day to meet
on Tuesday next, members can have a day or
two at home, and most of us have pressing
business at home. I voted against the motion
yesterday. We have gained one day by wait-
ing; but we might nearly as well have gone
then, for anything that we have done or are
likely to do.
Mr. KING. If we do adjourn, let us have a
day at home, and not be all the time upon the
road.
Mr. MCCOMAS offered an order, regulating
the attendance of members, as an amendment
which the President voted not to be germain
to the subject, and therefore out of order.
Mr. STIRLING. It is very true, as the gen-
tleman from Cecil says, that we have made
very little progress The only way to make
progress is to stay here and not adjourn. When
a body of this size gets together, it is impos-
sible for it to do anything definite at once.
We have all got to get acquainted, to get
settled to talk among ourselves, before we
get to a definite point. The more we stay
here and stay together, the sooner we shall
get to that point. Every day we adjourn,
we lose so much time, and must take a fresh
start to come to the point again. If the
Convention stays here, the committees will
proceed much more rapidly in their work,
land will bring something before the Conven-
tion. But if we keep on adjourning we shall
want just as much time when we come back
for the committees to act, as before we ad-
journed. It think it is perfectly proper for
us to adjourn over Saturday. I think one
day out of the week may fairly be given to
the inembers to go home. Beyond that I
certainly do not think we ought to go. If
we adjourn to-day, and adjourn over Mon-
day, we lose two days. I think that will
absolutely prevent any of the committees from
reporting on Tuesday; and I verily believe,
if we stay here on Monday, we can have a
report from some of the committees on Tues-
day. I sincerely hope the Convention will
stay here now, just as much as if they had
plenty of business belore the ordinary ses-
sions of the Convention. Whether we have
business or not, I am always willing to ad-
journ over Saturday; but I am not willing to
adjourn over any other day of the week.
Mr. PUSH, My only objection to the gen-
tleman's amendment is just this; that I
would prefer staying here until to-morrow,
and then adjourning over until Tuesday,
There are a great many members of this Con-
vention to whom it is a very important mat-
ter that we adjourn we should adjourn until
Tuesday. They are not benefited equally
with the members from Baltimore city; for
if they go home at all there is no way in
which they can come back and be at the Con-
vention on Monday. Their only chance
would be to stay here all the time. But if
we adjourn on Saturday, over to Tuesday, |
we can go home and return so as to be here
on Tuesday . If we adjourn only from Fri-
day to Monday, it will effectually keep us
here all the time. We should have to re-
main here Saturday and Sunday, it would
be no benefit at all to members who are
obliged to go beyond the city of Baltimore.
Mr. TODD. If the object be to let members
go home, it would be necessary, in older to
accommodate some of us, that we should ad-
journ to-day. If the Convention does not
adjourn until Saturday, it would be utterly
impossible for my delegation lo go home.
The only way in which we can reach home is
to go to Baltimore to-night, and take the
steamboat to-morrow for the Eastern Shore.
I therefore hope, if the Convention adjourns
at all over one day, it will adjourn so as to
afford us an opportunity equal with those
who are nearer.
Mr. STOCKBRIDGE. I am opposed both to
the original motion, and to the amendment,
I hope that we shall continue in session all
the time until our work is done, unless we
adjourn for very grave reasons which I do
not see at this time. There are some mem-
bers of this Convention, that, whether we
adjourn from to-day until Tuesday or from
to-morrow until Tuesday can go home, and
be back to meet us again on Tuesday morn-
ing. It seems to me that it is hardly fair
toward such members of the Convention that
we should make these long adjournments. If
the committees would continue together dur-
ing the adjournment, so that our work would
be progressing as rapidly in committee as if
we had not adjourned, my objection would
be removed. But if the Convention adjourns
the committees go with them; so that noth-
ing is done, and we meet on Tuesday morn-
ing precisely where we separate to-day.
Some of the members can go home on ad-
journments for two days; others cannot.
The only way is for us to remain at our post
all the time, unless there are grave reasons
for adjourning, and to go on from day to day
until the final adjournment when we can all
go together. That seems to be perfectly fair
to all the members of the Convention, and I
hope that course will be adopted now and
Hereafter.
Mr. KING. When committees have made
their reports, members will want time to de-
liberate upon them; but until the committees
commence to make their reports, we ought to
remain here. If we go, the committees go.
But after the committees make their reports,
we could take some days perhaps.
Mr. CUSHING. I hope that the Convention
will adjourn only over Saturday and until
Monday morning, excepting for grave rea-
sons. We should come here from day to day
until our work is done; or, if we adjourn
over Saturday it should be only until Mon-
day morning. Some of the committees meet
on Monday morning. I was notified of a |
