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282 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
viz, from 1659, the assembly consisted only of delegates; and from that
period, the right of making, proxies or appearing personally, wholy ceased.
Yet it was not until 1681, that any restrictions appear to have been imposed
upon the people in the choice of delegates. By the proprietary's ordinance of
6th September, 1681, the same qualifications were required for delegates as for
voters; and these were kept up, as to both, by the same Acts, until the
Revolution.1
The qualifications of a member of the HoiTse of Delegates included,
besides the other requisites of a voter, the possession of an estate of £500
instead of thirty. The time of election was the first Monday of October, in
each year; the mode was viva voce; the judges of elections in the counties,
were the sheriffs; in Annapolis, the municipal authorities; and in Baltimore,
its commissioners. The polls might be kept open for four days, and at
their closing, the judges transmitted their returns to the Chancellor of the
State.
The House of Delegates consisted of eighty members, of whom four were
chosen by each of the nineteen counties of the State, and two by each of the
cities of Annapolis and Baltimore.
"Until 1650, the delegates were elected for hundreds or settlements; and
the warrant for each assembly specified the number to be elected for each
hundred. There was no regular delegate system before this period; and perhaps this arose from the existence of the right then generally conceded to the
freemen, of appearing in the assembly in person or by proxy. It was not
until 1659, when the Lower House was made to consist only of delegates, that
its organization became regular. At the session of 1659, four delegates were
called from each county; and from this period until 1681, with one exception,
the summons permitted the election of two, three or four delegates in each, at
the option of its people. In the latter year, the number was reduced to two,
by the proprietary's ordinance; but in 1692, after the establishment of the
royal government, the constitution of the Lower House was regulated by law,
and four delegates were again allotted to each county. The right of representation thus established upon the basis of equality amongst the counties,
existed without alteration until the American Revolution."2
Frequent and vigorous efforts were made from the adoption of the constitution, to change this system of representation, for one founded on the basis
of population; but the shore jealousies operated to defeat such a change.
This shore jealousy is strikingly manifested in the convention of 1776 itself.
A proposition was made on the 3d of November, to insert an article in the
Declaration of Rights, acknowledging the right of either shore to separate
from the other, when it should deem it to be for its interest. It was amended
to give this right, whenever sanctioned by a majority of voters in every county
on the shore desiring to secede; and, in this amended form, it received seventeen votes, all of which, save one, were given by the Eastern Shore delegates.
1 McMahon, p. 443, etc. 2 Ibid.
| Title | History of Maryland - 2 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000313 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 282 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. viz, from 1659, the assembly consisted only of delegates; and from that period, the right of making, proxies or appearing personally, wholy ceased. Yet it was not until 1681, that any restrictions appear to have been imposed upon the people in the choice of delegates. By the proprietary's ordinance of 6th September, 1681, the same qualifications were required for delegates as for voters; and these were kept up, as to both, by the same Acts, until the Revolution.1 The qualifications of a member of the HoiTse of Delegates included, besides the other requisites of a voter, the possession of an estate of £500 instead of thirty. The time of election was the first Monday of October, in each year; the mode was viva voce; the judges of elections in the counties, were the sheriffs; in Annapolis, the municipal authorities; and in Baltimore, its commissioners. The polls might be kept open for four days, and at their closing, the judges transmitted their returns to the Chancellor of the State. The House of Delegates consisted of eighty members, of whom four were chosen by each of the nineteen counties of the State, and two by each of the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore. "Until 1650, the delegates were elected for hundreds or settlements; and the warrant for each assembly specified the number to be elected for each hundred. There was no regular delegate system before this period; and perhaps this arose from the existence of the right then generally conceded to the freemen, of appearing in the assembly in person or by proxy. It was not until 1659, when the Lower House was made to consist only of delegates, that its organization became regular. At the session of 1659, four delegates were called from each county; and from this period until 1681, with one exception, the summons permitted the election of two, three or four delegates in each, at the option of its people. In the latter year, the number was reduced to two, by the proprietary's ordinance; but in 1692, after the establishment of the royal government, the constitution of the Lower House was regulated by law, and four delegates were again allotted to each county. The right of representation thus established upon the basis of equality amongst the counties, existed without alteration until the American Revolution."2 Frequent and vigorous efforts were made from the adoption of the constitution, to change this system of representation, for one founded on the basis of population; but the shore jealousies operated to defeat such a change. This shore jealousy is strikingly manifested in the convention of 1776 itself. A proposition was made on the 3d of November, to insert an article in the Declaration of Rights, acknowledging the right of either shore to separate from the other, when it should deem it to be for its interest. It was amended to give this right, whenever sanctioned by a majority of voters in every county on the shore desiring to secede; and, in this amended form, it received seventeen votes, all of which, save one, were given by the Eastern Shore delegates. 1 McMahon, p. 443, etc. 2 Ibid. |
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