The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-09-30
The Vote on the Ratification of the New
Constitution Memorial to Governor
pra dford

Constitution Memorial to Governor
Bradford.
A mass meeting of voters of Calvert
county was held at Prince Frederick, on
Tuesday, September 18th. John Parran,
Esq, was chosen President of the meet.
ing, and VIM. j. Parran was appointed
Secretary. ''
The following resolutions, offered by
Daniel r. Ma gruder, Esq, were unani-
mously adopted:
Rcsolved, That we protest against the
imposition of the illegal test oath pre-
scribed by the Convention, at the election
which is to decide the question of the
adoption or rejection of the proposed Con-
stitution, and that we call upon the judy
es OF election to disregard the said illegal
mandate of the Convention.
Resolved, That we call upon his Excel
lency the Governor to interpose his execu.
tive power to enforce the obligations of
the existing Constitution and laws at the
said election, and not 20 allow the said
proposed Constitution to go into effect or
supersede the existing Constitution until
the same shall be legally and properly
ratified by the free and unrestricted suf-
fragc of the illegal and qualified voters Of
the State"
ResolUed, That committee of three be
appointed by the chair, to report to this
meeting memorial to the Governor, ask
ing his aid in the premises, to he signed
by the voters of the county, and that
committee be appointed to procure the
said memorial to be signed by the voters
and presented to the Governor.
B. Duke Bond, Daniel Kent and Dan
iel r. Magruder, Esqs., were appointed
the committee to prepare and report to
the meeting the memorial to the Govern
or; and they reported to the meeting a
memorial, which was unanimously adopt
ed, and committee, consisting of Daniel
r. Magrudcr, VIM. J. Parran and Octa.
vius G. Harris, Esqs., was appointed to
have the memorial signed and presented
to the Governor.
The following is the memorial:
To His Ercellency, augustus W. Brad.
ford, Governor of Maryland:
The memorial of the undersigned citi-
zens of Calvert county respectfully repre-
sents:
That the Convention to form new Con-
stitution for this State, which has lately
adjourned, has provided that an election
shall take place on the 18th and 18th of
October next upon the question of the adop-
ton or rejection of said instrument
That by schedule" attached to the
said proposed Constitution, the Conven-
ton has undertaken to provide that the
said election shall be confined, not to all
those who are illegal and qualified voters"
under the existing Constitution and laws,
bnt to those only who will consent to take
test oath, prescribed in the said proposed
Constitution and to the soldiers in their
camps, even beyond the limits of the
State.
Your memorialists do not suppose that
1t Will require any argument to prove that
the proposed Constitution cannot have any
validity or binding force until it shall be
ratified by the people whose act it is said
to be in the very first line of the said in
strument, yet by the above recited provis-
ions of the said "schedule" it is provided
that certain provisions of the proposed
Constitution shall control the very election
which is to be Eeld for the sole purpose of
deciding whether those provisions as we'll
as the otherprovisions of the proposed Con-
stitution, are to have any validity at all,
and to which the election may demonstrate
that the people are utterly opposed.