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Democratic Congressional Convention

Summary

Unfriendly account of the Democratic convention for Cong. Dist. 6 in Hagerstown, which finally adjourned to Frederick without nominating either Roman, Maulsby or Syester after 34 ballots.

Transcript

DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CONVENTION – The Democratic Congressional Convention met at the Court House on Wednesday, the 9th inst., at 10 o’clock AM, and made a temporary organization. A committee was the appointed to name the permanent officers and report rules and regulations for the dispatch of business. At this stage of the proceedings the hostility and want of confidence, which the friends of the respective aspirants for the nomination felt for and in each other began to make their appearance. One of Mr. Maulsby’s friends moved that the committee consist of two delegates from each county and that the Chair be authorized to name one additional member. This was objected to at once by one of Mr. Svester’s friends, for the reason that it would place the organization in Mr. Maulsby’s hands as he had Carroll County and thirteen fourteenths of Frederick. – It was voted down and then the Committee of two from each county was appointed. This Committee retired but could not agree. The Convention waited and waited but no committee made its appearance. A motion to adjourn to 1 o’clock PM was made and carried. The delegates thereupon dispersed, wending their way to the hotels and drinking saloons, principally the latter, which were patronized in the most liberal and encouraging manner imaginable. Many, if not all the delegates, together with a great many outsiders, has arrived in town on the previous evening, and has commenced their experiments upon Democratic whiskey, and by the time of the meeting of the Convention on Wednesday morning a number were ____fully drunk. We saw one promising young Democrat attempting gallantly to steady and support one of the columns of the Portico of the Court House. Another got lost in the Court House Yard around whose enclosure he was wandering in a most confused state of mind. He would make a ______, as he supposed, in the entrance, but would suddenly find himself brought up against a stone wall. He would then reverse his locomotion and ___ his exit next intercepted by the walls of the Court House of which he would turn his head and give in the most profound wonder. Whether he ever succeeded in making his exit without resistance we don’t know. The last we saw of this specimen of Democracy he was standing as quiet as he could and making a wondering survey of the walls of the building against which he ___.
When the Convention reassembled the rule could not be adopted in reason of a dead lock ___ _____ to Frederick county had held no Convention by each district had sent here the representatives it was entitled to in County Convention. This entire body consisting of 12 members were entitled to seven votes, but how those seven votes were to be cast was the trouble – Three of the 12 delegates were in favor of Roman the rest were all in favor of Col. Maulsby. The majority contended that representing the majority of the people of Frederick county, they had right to poll the entire seven votes. Carroll county agreed with them in this ___ of the question. But Allegany and Washington refused because this would give Maulsby 1 vote additional. The Convention could not decide and the ____ would not decide when Frederick and Carroll voted 12 votes one way and Washington and Allegany 12 the other – They wrangled and quarreled over this point from one to four o’clock P M. Then an adjournment was had for one hour to enable the thirsty member to take drink or drinks we presume. At __ o’clock the Convention again assembled, as recommenced its old wrangling. This they kept up till eight o’clock at night, when the Frederick Co delegates agreed among themselves that their delegation should cast one vote of the seven the county was entitled to for every six votes, and ½ a vote for every three, and ¼ a vote for every two votes, reserving to the majority the right to cast the cotes of the absentees. After this was agreed to the Convention adopted its rules and commenced work by nominating candidates to be ba