Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-10-18


The bill was passed and sent back to the
Senate, where it was again considered, on
the 9th of March, and message to the
House was adopted, asking it ''to recede
from the amendments by which Anne Arun-
del, Talbot, Dorchester, and Caroline Coun-
ties were inserted in said BILL" The matter
again comes up in the House on the same
day and message in reply to that of the
Senate was adopted, wherein the House
concur in the request of the Senate, but
name only Anne Arundel, Dorchester, and
Caroline, omitting Talbot. The journal OF
the Senate does not show that that body ever
concurred in the adoption of Section 20 at
all, but only in an amendment in the follow
ing words:
Insert. between the words Baltimore
ana Counties Worcester, Somerset, Tai
bot Queen Anne's, Prince Georges, and
Charles (Which has been done only in the
title thereon, and in the 9Th section the
vote thereon being taken by yeas and nays;
and no vote being taken upon the passage
Of the 6W as Gn1eaded."
By this process Of passing and repassing,
amending, striking out, inserting, &C., the
bill seems to have finally been considered
perfected, and was allowed to rest, as we'll
as it could be supposed to have done during
the exciting scenes Of the close OF the ses-
sion. The first section of the law, as prln-
ted in the volume, contains the names OF
only St. Mary's. Calvert, Howard, Kent.
and Baltimore Countless" the 5th section,
the names of all the eleven counties named
in the title, and the other sections in which
the names Of the counties are given, mention
only ''St. Mary's, Calvert, Howard, Kent,
and Baltimore counties"
The 18th section provides that the law
''shall not 60 into operation, nor take effect
until it shall be accepted by majority of
the legal voters of ST. Mary's, Calvert,
Howard, Kent, and Baltimore counties,
cast at the next general election for the
President and Vice President of the United
States," and the 18th and 10Th sections un-
dertake to prescribe the mode of holding the
election and the manner in which, and the
time when the law is to take effect. Now,
it becomes an important inquiry, hoac and
vhere is this law to go into operation We
may readily imagine that our Legislative
Solons intended that the law should take
effect in each county respectively in which
the majority of the voters shall vote in favor
of the law; but as it issayorded, the law is
to 90 into effect IN all the counties if ma
iority of the votes cast n, all the counties
approve of the law. If St. Mary's for
whose exclusive benefit the law was intro
duced) wants the law, and ''the majority of
the votes cast at said election" in the coun-
ties named, should be against it, St. Mary's
is to be cut off from the benefit Of the law.
And SO with each individual county named.
But it is not very clear as to what counties
are to vote upon the law. Section II names
but the five counties, St. Mary's, Calvert,
Howard, Kent, and Baltimore. True, the
Goth section says: THAT Worcester, Som
erset, Talbot, Queen Anne's, Prince Georges
and Charles Counties are hereby included
in, and subjected to all the provisions of the
act as fully as if it had been so expressed in
the preceding sections. But this section,
cre1a tit aoas realty erer adopted, does not
upon the law, but only includes them in,
and ''subjects them 70 all its provisions.
" hat are the provisions Of the act? Why
the measures taken to regulate the free COL
cred population, not section submitting the
law to vote And the 18th section is cx-
press; "a majority of the legal voters of St..
Mary's, Calvert, Howard, Kent, and Balti-
more counties" Now is the Law TO 60 into
effect in Worcester, Somerset. Talbot, Queen
Anne's, Prince Georges, and Charles, with-
out q cote Of the people, or is it to go into
effect in all the eleven counties if the majori-
ty of the voters in the fre counties vote in
favor of the law! 1t will not do to say that
such and such things were intended. What
is the express language Of the law? That
is to govern. Doubtless the Trainer or franz
ers for it must have taken good many
hands to place it in its present shape) of the
law intended that the law should take effect
in each county in which the voters there
should desire it. But no language capable
of this significance is used. see the Sher-
iif Of Prince Georges has given notice of an
election to be held in that county, upon this
act, although that is not one of the favored
fire counties named in the 18th section
Again, as to the mode of voting. Wha,
words is the voter to place upon his ballot
Section 18 says ''That it shall be the
duty of the Sheriff of St. Mary's, Calvert,
Howard, Kent, and Baltimore Counties, in
ordering (?) an election of electors for Presi-
dent and Vice President, also to order (?)
an election for or against the acceptance OF
this act q suppose it is to be in the Sheriff
discretion, whether to order the election
'tor" or 'against' the acceptance of the
act,) ,eAicA said election shall be held By
endorsing upon tie ticket .tay the aforesaid
electors (one ticket it seems only to be used
the words for or against the act to appoint a
Board Of Commissioners for the better con-
troll and management of the free colored
population of St. Mary's, Calvert, Howard
Kent, and Baltimore Counties" All those
words Gncluding both for, and agains) are
to be upon the ticket (Query: Are the
words Worcester, Somerset, Talbot, Queen
Anne's, Prince Georges, and Charles te
be added?) The same words are to be pre-
scribcd for each voter, no matter upon which
side of the question he nav be. If he is fol