158 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [May 14,

Mr. Mills offered the following :

Ordered, That a committee of two be appointed to in-
form the Governor that the House now stands ready for ad-
journment until the fourth day of June next, and whether or
not he has any further communications to make to this body;

Which was adopted.

And Messrs. Mills and Morgan appointed said committee.

After an absence of some time the committee returned, and
reported that they had seen the Governor and that he had
no further communications to make.

Mr. Chaplain presented the following:

We, the undersigned, who voted in negative upon the bill
entitled an "act to ratify an amendment of the Constitution
of the United States," on its final passage, enter this protest
to the proceedings by which the following substitute which
we intended to offer for said bill, was not, and could not be
brought before the House for its consideration, on account of
the moving of the "previous question," and its being sus-
tained in a spirit of manifest injustice to us, calculated to
place us wrong upon the record. The substitute which we
proposed and intended to offer was :

A bill entitled, an act proposing certain Articles of amend-
ment to the Constitution of the United States, when the Leg-
gislatures of two-thirds of the several States shall call a con-
vention for proposing such amendments, and making them
valid according to the fifth Article of the Constitution of the
United States.

WHEREAS, Serious and alarming dissensions have arisen
between the Northern and Southern States, and especially
their rights in the common territory in the United States,
and whereas it is eminently desirable and proper that those
dissensions, which now threaten the very existence of this
Union, should be permanently quieted and settled by consti-
tutional provisions, which shall do equal justice to all sec-
tions, and thereby restore to the people that peace and good
will which ought to prevail between all citizens of the United
States; Therefore,

Resolved, By the General Assembly of Maryland, two-
thirds of the Legislatures of the several States concurring,
that a convention be called for the purpose of proposing the
following Articles as amendments to the Constitution of the
United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purpo-
ses as part of said Constitution, when ratified by the Legis-
latures of three-fourths of the several States, or by conven-
tions in three-fourths thereof.

ARTICLE 1. In all the territory of the United States now
held or hereafter acquired, situated North of latitude 36°
30y, slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment