Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-02-07
4lnlitital.
LIGON AND THE SECRET
ORGANIZATION. -

IOf EhNOh Ll1ON AND lHC SEChEl
ORGANIZATION.
| HOUSE OF DELEGATES,
| January 22d, 1856.
To His Ercellency the Governor Of Maryland:
IR:-Tbe select committee appointed to con-
slider that portion of your Excellency's message
which relates to secret political societies have the
honor to enclose to you copy of the resolutions
adopted by the House Of Delegates, and respect
fully ask from you such information as you may
possess in reference to the inquiry instructed to
be made.
have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
Excellencys obedient servent,
| A. KENNEDY, Chairman.
1.-THE following is the reply Of the Governor to
the above: i
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
ANNAPOLIS. Md, Jan. 90, 1856.
Hon. A. Kennedy Chairman Of the Select Committee
to oon, referred much of the Message Of the
Executive, related to Secret Political Societies.
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your note of the 22d instant, en-
closing copy of the resolutions of the House
of Delegates, of the 10th instant, and re-
questing, in compliance with one of said re-
solutions, that [ would communicate to the
committee, such information as [ may pos
sess, touching the existence of secret politi-
cal societies in this State, and Of the nature
and character of the secrets they preserve.
That [ may occasion you no delay in enter
ing upon the discharge of the duty imposed
upon you by the House Of Delegates, I has
ten to make you prompt reply.
[ beg leave in the first place to express to
the Committee my sincere qualification, that
the popular branch Of the Legislature, has
seen fit thus promptly to respond to this por-
ton of my message, and to institute an in
vestigation relative to the matters therein
briefly considered. The subject is one of
great magnitude, in every point of view, af-
fecting most deeply the honor of the State,
as well as the peace and good order of socie-
ty, and unquestionably demands at your
hands, the most rigid and thorough exami-
nation.
sincerely hope that no time may be lost,
and no proper effort spared, in eliciting the
: truth, in relation to the subject matter Of
, the proposed inquiry. --... ....
, [ regret to perceive from the language Of
the resolutions Of the House, as well as from
the debate to which they gave rise, that
some misapprehension seemed to exist in
the minds of some of the members of the
House Of Delegates, as to the particular So
cieties intended to be embraced by that part
of the message referred to your committee
The existence of secret political combina-
tions in our own, and other States, has be-
come matter of such public notoriety, that,
with my clear and decided convictions of
: their dangerous tendencies, [ felt it my i'm
perative duty, as the Executive of the State,
to bring to the notice of the Legislature,
and through that body to the people of the
State, the opinions entertained by me of the
: policy Of encouraging associations for politi-
cal purposes, so pregnant of mischief to the
common veal.
I thought the language employed, for the
purpose free from all ambiguity; it was GER
tainly intended so to be: and was as much
surprised at finding myself misunderstood as
l was at learning that the fact Of the exist
ence of such societies was any longer mat
ter of doubt or uncertainty. | hope, how
ever, that in this communication [ may be
more fortunate, and that your committee
may be at no loss to discover to what politi-
cal societies I referred, or the purposes for
which it is alleged they were instituted.
I intended in the part of the message re-
I ferred to your committee respectfully to call
/ the attention of the representatives of the
0 people to the fact Of the existence Of any ano
all secret political societies Or combinations
e and to express the opinion that, in my judg
r ment, such associations of themselves are
e calculated to produce great evil, and are in
d consistent with, and injurious to, the health
n full action of Republican Institutions; ano
I that when the purpose of such societies is tt
reduce large portion Of the people to tht
condition of slavish submission to their Sc
J, cret edicts and DEGREES, and to exclude from
: all honorable preferment the Catholic anC
r the naturalized citizen, because a Catholic
and the naturalized citizen, they become
0 dangerous in the extreme, and should awak.
en- the deep solicitude of every true Ameri,
L can in the State.
am credibly informed by large num-
ber of citizens, that in their opinion and be-
D lief, there exists now within this State nu-
merous societies of secret character, whose
object and purpose is to prevent the election
or appointment to Office of any person be-
longing to the Roman Catholic Church, Or
who is not native-born citizen Of the Uni
ted States; and that in such secret associa-
tions, councils or lodges, oaths, pledges and
obligations are administered to effect this
: object.
The existence of such unlawful combina-
tions throughout the States has been repeat
edly charged in the Congress of the United
States, in the Legislatures of one Or more
s of the States, and by a large portion of the
press and people in every section Of the