500 



MAEYLAND. 



Have you never given money to their agents ? 



Have you never given money, clothing, or provi- 

 sions for the purpose of aiding the emigration of per- 

 sons from this State to the South ? 



Have you never sent money, clothing, or provisions 

 to persons in South since the rebellion ? 



8. Comfort and Encouragement to the Rebellion. 



NOTE. Comfort or encouragement means advocacy, advice 

 in favor of. We aid the Rebellion by giving money, clothing, 

 and provisions; we give it comfort or encouragement by 

 our words. A man who has advocated the cause of the Re- 

 bellion, who talked in favor of Maryland going with the 

 South, who rejoiced over the victories of the Rebel army, has 

 given comfort and encouragement to the Rebellion. 



Have you ever given comfort or encouragement to 

 the rebellion ? 



Have you never, in conversation, attempted to 

 justify the course of the States in rebellion ? 



Have you never expressed a wish for the success 

 of the rebellion or its army ? 



Have you never in conversation discouraged the 

 cause of the Federal Government ? 



Did you rejoice over the downfall of Fort Sumter ? 



4. Disloyalty, 



NOTE. If the Judges are satisfied that a man is disloyal 

 to the United States, it is their duty to refuse his vote, for 

 such person is not a li legal voter" of the State of Maryland. 



Are you a loyal citizen of the United States ? 



Have you been loyal ever since the beginning of 

 the rebellion ? 



Have you never rejoiced over the defeat of the 

 Union army ? 



Have you never rejoiced over the success of the 

 Rebel army? 



When the Union army and the Eebel army meet in 

 battle, which do you wish to gain the victory ? 



NOTE. After interrogating the person offering to vote, the 

 Judges may hear other evidence to prove or disprove his 

 statements, and must be governed by the weight of testi- 

 mony. 



The result of the election was a majority of 

 more than twelve thousand in favor of holding 

 a convention. The number of delegates elected 

 was ninety-six, of whom sixty-one were eman- 

 cipationists and thirty-five opposed to emanci- 

 pation. In the election there had also been 

 involved the question of emancipation, with or 

 without compensation. Of the emancipation- 

 ists elected all, excepting three, were opposed 

 to emancipation with compensation. 



The Convention assembled at Annapolis on 

 April 27th. Eighty members were present, 

 and sixteen absent. Henry II. Goldsborough 

 was elected President, having received fifty- 

 eight votes. The following oath was admin- 

 istered to the members : 



I do swear, or affirm, that I will, to the best of my 

 skill and judgment, diligently and faithfully, without 

 partiality or prejudice, discharge the duties of mem- 

 ber of the Convention to frame a new Constitution 

 and form of government ; that I will support the 

 Constitution of the United States, and will be faith- 

 ful and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland 

 and the Government of the United States, any law 

 or ordinance of any State to the contrary notwith- 

 standing ; and that I have never, either directly or 

 indirectly, by word, act, or deed, given any aid, 

 comfort, or encouragement to those in rebellion 

 against the Government of the United States ; and 

 this I swear voluntarily, without any mental reserva- 

 tion or qualification whatever, so help me God. 



On May 12th, the Committee on the Declara- 

 tion of Rights presented a majority and minor- 

 ity report. The majority report consisted of 

 forty -three articles, all of which corresponded 



nearly with the then existing Constitution of 

 Maryland, except the fourth and twenty-third 

 articles, which were as follows : 



Article 4. The Constitution of the United States 

 and the laws made in pursuance thereof being the 

 supreme law of the land, every citizen of this State 

 owes paramount allegiance to the Constitution and 

 Government of the United States, and is not bound 

 by any law or ordinance of this State in contraven- 

 tion or subversion thereof. 



Article 23. That hereafter, in this State, there shall 

 be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except 

 in punishment of crime, whereof the party shall 

 have been duly convicted ; and all persons held to 

 service or labor as slaves are hereby declared free. 



The minority report approved generally of 

 all the articles contained in the majority report 

 except the fourth and twenty-third, respecting 

 which the minority say : 



That, with regard to the proposed fourth article of 

 the Declaration of Rights, as reported by the major- 

 ity, they are of opinion that however true is the prop- 

 osition that the Constitution of the United States 

 and the laws made in pursuance thereof are the 

 supreme law of the land, yet it has never been 

 deemed necessary by the statesmen who framed that 

 Constitution, or by those who framed the constitu- 

 tion of this State, or, in so far as the undersigned 

 have learned, by the framers of any one of the 

 numerous constitutions of the other States, to insert 

 amongst the rights and prerogatives of their citizens 

 any language enforcing the obligation of allegiance 

 to the General Government of the United States. 



Nor do the undersigned perceive the necessity for 

 a departure from the universal practice that has 

 obtained in all the States, and which practice has 

 been adhered to even in those instances where con- 

 stitutions have been framed in the midst of existing 

 civil war ; or for the voluntary offering of allegiance 

 to the Government, on an assumed condition of hos- 

 tility in the legislation of the State to the Govern- 

 ment of the United States. 



The undersigned also dissent from the adoption of 

 the 23d Article as proposed in the majority report, 

 believing it to contemplate a sudden, violent, and 

 most mischievous destruction of the relation of mas- 

 ter and slave, which, commencing with the earliest 

 history of the colony, has been maintained during all 

 the intervening period, with the regular and pro- 

 gressive advancements of the State in all that is use- 

 ful and honorable, and with a conviction of its use- 

 fulness and propriety on the part of our citizens so 

 deeply and universally felt, that they have carefully 

 prohibited by their Constitution, as well that of 1776 

 as that of 1851, any interference with this relation, 

 the rupture of which is now recommended by the 

 majority of the committee, without the slightest 

 preparation on the part of either master or slave for 

 the extreme change of condition so instantaneously 

 precipitated upon them, inflicting upon each very 

 serious and unnecessary injury and suffering, and 

 particularly upon the slaves, and in the absence of 

 compensation, iniquitous and unjust in the extreme 

 to the master. 



The articles reported by the majority, except 

 the 4th and 23d, were considered, and generally 

 approved on the second reading. The latter 

 were reserved for special consideration by the 

 Convention. On June 1st they were taken up ; 

 when Mr. Clarke, of Prince George County, 

 moved to strike out the 4th article, and insert 

 the following : 



The Constitution of the United States, and the 

 laws made in pursuance thereof, being the supreme 

 law of the land, every citizen of this State owes alle- 



