American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1846-02-16

E4iCIi GluIliY was LN DO 3iil .lgu 10 TOUR l1jIt,
gates to the General Assembly. Nine Senator,
! we're TO be taken from tie Western, and sin
! from the Eastern Shiro, % 6e cho,en by Il
| Electoral College, to winch each county wa>
| entitled 10 send two; and the Governor was 10
be elected annually, by the Joint ballot of both
branches OF the Legislature, thus constituted
This was the government and his The compact
into which the people Of the different counties
Of tho State, through their delegates to tht
convention entered when the constitution was
! adopted, aud there is little risk in affirming
That II never would have been assentcd 10, buI
for those provisions, Tho proy!so TO the 5glh
! article Of the Constitution, the v role of which
has been already quoted, IS especially appIlca-
be 10 Tbs view Of the subject, So far p The
Eastern STORE is coH-"raet-tnat pTOviyu Is,
"'tlat nothing ia this Form of Government,
whch relates to tho Eastern Shore pa,uauarlY,
sh"!! AT amy time hereafter Oo altered, unless
,or the alteration aud continuation thereof, at
!"a- lNo.lnlrdS Of all the members ~ each
branch Of The General Assembly shall concur
Tho undersigned th,nS, shat the insertion Of
tins PROVISION, must have materially int Jcnce@
tha Delegates FROM the Eastern Shore, IN CIV
inL their assent 20 The constitution, ana that TO
violate il, by cnaulnr iblt instrument IN any
ether way than the mode prescribed, would be
breach Of tho CJBipJC. for which there could
be no excuse.
Bat if, as the advocates Of d convention as
ser., the restriction IN the seth article, is only
applicable TO changes OF the constitution by the
| Legislature, whence is derived the power to
that body TO cali convention for that purpose
If the Legislature can itself, only alter the in
slrument in the mode prescribed, how can they
confer power over it, 10 another? they cannot
/ ynKal,,
which they do not possess themselves, because
this would be doing indirectly what they are
prohibited from doing directly,--a mode of ex-
erc-ing power, which the undersigned could
| not think Of recommending.
II however, i. be said, that the convention is
not itself to form constitution, but to recon-
mend such alterations or notifications TO the
| General Assembly as to them may seem eTpc-
dent, then we respectfully submit that the la
! Dor and expense attending such an assembage,
would mosi probably be thrown away, as there
| is no reason - believe, that such recommends
tons coming from 4 convention, would ne more
| likely To find favor with the Legislature. than
! suHgcstUns mado in u different way II on the
contrary it. bo the des'gH that new cDusttu-
| ton, or alterations IN the present CoasLjtutIDR.
are 10 be adopted by the convention, and SUBJ
united directly 10 the people for their ririca-
ton or rejection, and Tins underline authority
OF Il Legislature, expressly restricted 10 the
mode OF changing that instrument, then we
submit, the attempt IS to procure irom lho Lee
| gisUiuIe by EdiTeyugn, tina. which ~ terms
they are clearly prohibited from doing directly
and consequently It is asking them to violate
the oath whch they took, when they qualified
| as members.
There is ano her view Of the subject, which
the undersigned think, cannot fail TO have great
weight IN considering the propTiety of calling
a convention 10 remodel, or form new con-
Gttuton, whether the subsequent action Of the
| Legislature 10 give It efficacy, is contemplated
or not. Phe State at this time is oppressed
with an enormous debt, and the people with
patriotic devotion to its honor, are InakIng eff
forIs to pay it, which, notwithstanding the vi
tuperaton of those, who from interest, or TO-
norance of the circumstances, are unsparing in
their denunciations, must hereafter, and when
their efforts are crowned, as they will be, with
success, secure for them the praise, which their
exerlions SO richly merit. 1t is at this menent,
and when from the experience of the past year,
there is every reason to hope and believe, that
the fair fame of Che State is about to emerge
| from the cloud that has obscured it, that this
! CislracLing subject of thorough reorganization
of the government is thrust upon the public at
tenton The undersigned cannot but think,
that the fierce struggles for ascendancy, which
will unavodably convulse the State, if Z con-
vention is assembled to patcel out and distribute
again it's political power, will necessarily have
a most disastrous influence upon the noble sa-
criGces now being made to meet our pecuniary
engagements. They cannot conceal from them
selves, and they would be deficient in the duty
they owe their constituents who placed them
in their position of responsibility if they did
not declare their belief to be, that the design Of
much the largest number of those, who are
pressing this subject OF convention, is to
change the basis of representation from the
present mixed basis of population and territory,
TO one founded exclusively On numbers.
| That the purpose of the reiormeFs by means
of convention, is to have representation ac-
cordng TO population, the undersigned think
sufficiently apparent TO justify them in sound
ing the alarm. Such an alteration in the con-
stitut,on, would break down all its guarantees,
and place the weaker sections of the State en-
trely at the mercy Of the stronger.
Assuming this to be the case and there can
be no doubt that such would be the general i'm
preston, who can estimate how violently the
public mind would be agitatcd, or the depth Of
the resentmcnts which such q contest would
engendnr. Can there be doubt then, That in
the Whirlwind of the political warfare, when
mems passions would become intlamCd, and
section arrayed against section, that the efforts
now makUg To rescue The State from disgrace
would be utterly paraIized' The undersigned
are full Of apprehension, that the commotion,
and strife, the dIssonsions, and heart bunnhg,
the convection of the violation of pghted en-
gsgements and solemn compact, which a move
nent of this sort would kindle in the public
mind would render poweress, and Intellectual,
the abors of the PATRIOTIC and the good, who
are endeaVoTlng to wipe oat the ignominy,
which infdelity TO our pecuniary engagements,
permanently continued, must entail upon u.s.
They think that il is the na IT of wisdom rs