8 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [April 27,

Mr, Yellott, on the part of the select committee, composed of
the following gentlemen: Messrs. Yellott, McKaig, H. H. Golds-
borough, Watkins and Whitaker, submitted the following

ADDRESS:

Resolved, by the Senate and House of Delegates,

That the "extraordinary state of affairs" in Maryland and the
Republic, justifies and demands that we should adopt and publish
the following Address to the People of Maryland :

Under the Proclamation of your Governor, we have assembled
to act, according to our best judgments, for the true interests of
Maryland.

That Proclamation has declared the present to be "an extra-
ordinary state of affairs;" and all must admit the correctness of
that assertion. We have been convened to do all that we have
the constitutional authority and the mental ability of accomplish-
ing, to provide for your safety and welfare during the pendency
of the present unfortunate and terrible crisis. At the commence-
ment of our labors, we feel it to be our duty to you and to your
General Assembly to solicit your confidence in the fidelity with
which our responsibilities will be discharged. We are Mary-
landers, as you are. We have families, as you have. Our in-
terests are identified with yours. Our duty, our wishes and our
hopes will be to legislate for the true interests of all the people of
our State.

We cannot but know that a large proportion of the citizens of
Maryland have been induced to believe that there is a probability
that our deliberations may result in the passage of some measure
committing this State to secession. It is, therefore, our duty to
declare that all such fears are without just foundation. We know
that we have no constitutional authority to take such action.
You need not fear that there is a possibility that we will do so.

If believed by us to be (fesired by you, we may, by legislation
to that effect, give you the opportunity of deciding for your-
seives, your own future destiny. We may go thus far, but cer-
tainly will not go farther.

We know that the present crisis has materially deranged the
usual current of business operations in every department. We
shall devote ourselves to the duty of making this change as little
inconvenient as possible to our constitutents. We invite their
scrutiny to our every action. If results do not realise our hopes
and anticipations, we ask that you will, at least, extend to us the