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188 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
recognition and protection of the rights and interests of each, as infused into the
Constitution, somewhat of the appearance, if not of the spirit, of a compact
between the counties of the opposite shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Notwithstanding the difficulties and perplexities which attended the labors of the
convention at that time, they proceeded to ordain for the State of Maryland
a Constitution or frame of government, which was a theme of just eulogy
to the eminent statesmen, who, in framing the Constitution of the United
States, borrowed largely from its admirable design. It was for a long time
considered a faultless model by the statesmen of Europe and America.:
By the Constitution, the State was a confederation of counties, each with
the same voice in the Legislature, without regard to population or wealth.
The House of Delegates was composed of four members -from each county,
and two from the Cities of Annapolis and. Baltimore. The Senate, composed
of fifteen members, was chosen by a body of electors of two from each county.
The governor and council were elected by the two Houses on joint ballot.
By this system, it will be seen, that the smaller and less populous counties
had as much political weight in the Legislature as the larger; so that by the
organization of the legislative powers, the Counties of Kent and Calvert, with
a population of nineteen thousand four hundred and one, were at this time
allowed as many representatives in the Senatorial Electoral College and the
House of Delegates as the Counties of Frederick and Washington with a
population of seventy-one thousand and fifty-six; and Kent and Calvert, each,
had double the number of delegates allowed to the City of Baltimore with a
population of eighty thousand six hundred and twenty-five.
The executive department was the creature of the Legislature, being
elected thereby, and most of the civil officers received their appointment from
the executive; so that the minority of one fourth of the people, having the
right to electr a majority of the members of the Legislature, controlled all the
departments of the government.
Since the adoption of the Constitution of the State the resources of the
western counties became developed, their fertile valleys densely populated,
until the operation of the government, as originally established, was to the
City of Baltimore and to the Western counties unjust and unequal. The
lower counties refused to grant the reasonable and just rights of the western.
Arraying themselves behind the strict letter of the Constitution, they disregarded the great principles upon which it was originally based, and its
inadequacy to the wants of the people at this time. They forgot the great
change the State had undergone in point of population, commerce and trade,
in the space of sixty years; and that a Constitution, which was republican in
an earlier date of our history, in consequence of that change, was anti-republican now.
The mode of electing the Senate was particularly objected to, and the
small number of representatives allowed Baltimore City. As early as 1807, a
1 Brief Outline of the Nineteen Van Buren Electors, p. 8.
| Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Title | 00000219 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 188 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. recognition and protection of the rights and interests of each, as infused into the Constitution, somewhat of the appearance, if not of the spirit, of a compact between the counties of the opposite shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Notwithstanding the difficulties and perplexities which attended the labors of the convention at that time, they proceeded to ordain for the State of Maryland a Constitution or frame of government, which was a theme of just eulogy to the eminent statesmen, who, in framing the Constitution of the United States, borrowed largely from its admirable design. It was for a long time considered a faultless model by the statesmen of Europe and America.: By the Constitution, the State was a confederation of counties, each with the same voice in the Legislature, without regard to population or wealth. The House of Delegates was composed of four members -from each county, and two from the Cities of Annapolis and. Baltimore. The Senate, composed of fifteen members, was chosen by a body of electors of two from each county. The governor and council were elected by the two Houses on joint ballot. By this system, it will be seen, that the smaller and less populous counties had as much political weight in the Legislature as the larger; so that by the organization of the legislative powers, the Counties of Kent and Calvert, with a population of nineteen thousand four hundred and one, were at this time allowed as many representatives in the Senatorial Electoral College and the House of Delegates as the Counties of Frederick and Washington with a population of seventy-one thousand and fifty-six; and Kent and Calvert, each, had double the number of delegates allowed to the City of Baltimore with a population of eighty thousand six hundred and twenty-five. The executive department was the creature of the Legislature, being elected thereby, and most of the civil officers received their appointment from the executive; so that the minority of one fourth of the people, having the right to electr a majority of the members of the Legislature, controlled all the departments of the government. Since the adoption of the Constitution of the State the resources of the western counties became developed, their fertile valleys densely populated, until the operation of the government, as originally established, was to the City of Baltimore and to the Western counties unjust and unequal. The lower counties refused to grant the reasonable and just rights of the western. Arraying themselves behind the strict letter of the Constitution, they disregarded the great principles upon which it was originally based, and its inadequacy to the wants of the people at this time. They forgot the great change the State had undergone in point of population, commerce and trade, in the space of sixty years; and that a Constitution, which was republican in an earlier date of our history, in consequence of that change, was anti-republican now. The mode of electing the Senate was particularly objected to, and the small number of representatives allowed Baltimore City. As early as 1807, a 1 Brief Outline of the Nineteen Van Buren Electors, p. 8. |
