St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1859-12-15
SELECTED MISCELLANY.
THE MEMORIAL or CITIZENS or BAL
TGMoRE TO THE GENERAL ASSEM-
BLY, OF MARYLAND ~ FAVOR OF
REFORM,
and Hor4. gC Delegate, Of Maryland :

Tho memorial of the NJ der-lEn'd. Ci;ic.n~
Of 3nl'imTr. respectfully rPr'ents:
That !Ir some v"arS past, there has bc"I
growing mp. IN tn,S immunity. among Ger
tlin porti ~ Dl it, iuhAht,rt- a 4ririt IT re-
uiatancc 10 ;he Law. and uf r'rk,'<sr"SS Ir
their open v,oAti'n, utterly subyrr>lvr # Cr'I
EnvrTnnel,t and fatal {" IT," security anl
l.eace OF r.CIo,v Your mem"ri,li~ts d" not
deem Il necessary. here. To- dwell upon all the
manifestations Il lhls spirit, or trace ~ pro-,
rcsS IuaI nurl ~ ~ developments have. m
happily, bec,'mc rmlrIrT OF history, aud have
not uuly impaired the prosperity sd SU!ird
tns god name OF BlIiim re. hut have trungAt
dish rnor "n tie State and shame up0a r"puh-
Ican institutions. Mort crnspicuru, Am"ng
'hs varied d"ir"uStrr'"nS Of the l,w!c>Src<N
referred 10. have been IL trcl%onah'e assaults
upon the right uf suffrIge--tl"t right Whrit
the ptopir ri N,r,hrd. wien last N C'nv-n-
tinH assembled. declared, ia the w"ri- nf their
revolutionary an.r''tITS tn bc the besi s.-cII-
iiy Of lIherIv. ard I"c foundation f Ill free
goVsfnnCi Your mc,n,riA!i>,S do Mt
Sp~4k the language Il pIftIsan~iIIp nr eXaI-
ScVItiur. whCE they deliberately aud sole ma
" rcpEeprnt - yrur Honorable B'=ij., that.
I.y the WItragc| uf which they cumIlaia. eve
~ cecti,n u,iensihy hr!A IA the CIy Of Bal
-Situorr. fr the il,t f,rr vrtrI has been mai
in greater os les degree. a n,bck.ry nnl mvr..
usuTp ,tinn. Actual Via.ca.cc. Is:n. !. u,.rI L.I
h!ossdy, has fnr the most part Controlled tie
polls on th~r "rCAsinu., CX.!uiuE thcr"-
fipm, ala ,sttnrr. thn uI:uTailLr! patton -!
Ihc voters, and rcudcri;. the srcc.,, ;h"r.fn -
nativr-bIn CIilh u>. Icr!lu.iN always. ard I"
great extent impossible. IL aid ~ actual W
olcnco and leh'ln5 - ~" >AJn" results. >y>-
trm oi in'm!l l4ti'u. el:aiiy criminal in IL
purposes and extensive N i'S operation. ha-
slieCtually ol"srd ;.c La,.ut-b,S I" the timud
the ng"l aul tie IirIn. tnat hy the
mctl.uj 80 tie uthrr 81 by "a" c"ncurr"n:c -
L,th ana l.y tie fraud t. when hah have
given lrrnS. Imi impu.ity. IN" people - thu
city, dtlr;I,: ~ p,hti, ii srntincutS with Tia
outlaws VII" rule thcm, hlv" been ~ rtirriual-
Is dIsTAucli<'d. rs u Auv uthrr Il ,ir~m bad
over roIne them. The ~ triA atoms. IV wi.Irh
tlIr-e grru wr rI-> nave been Prrpctrt;ci. have
b.'rn UNtrI.tLiInusly pIblc the mrINId IduL!>
composing tcim. t''r the most part. among the
most ahhnlr.c.l and desperate men III the
'nIn,nuuity. .tnIrc,l %itn repeated and aga
vair,l cs,urs, AID wciiku.wutrthr nuth. rite,
O. be 81. yet rhlnl nag I" all Iractlr..l purp"-
Ies, MT oH " !m.ru".tv. hu; protection and IA
vT. il viii not therefore lee matter "f sur
prise {" v",.r Honorable T.. dies. that ihrv
have hcoiiaird 1t u,dhiug III the arhi", rmrut
"f their ruds aud hat the Ir .>'rAii.r, II tl~
elective frA.Chi.r has L,en brought al nj
whenever Il was f'uui "Npc,iI"nt "r urcr,,,rt
even by the sa,riir- uf human li~
F"r u state "f thugs r-puguint Ia civili-
Eat"n and humanity, your IncnnrIa''>t-, an
der uTdInuS circumstances. would hardly
nre,: E"'lr,s> fr IN the legislature uf the
State. kirrsr'tirs, A. they do. in their
Sul!ri,udc f,r the enforcement nf the law and
tl,s . all r 'i-
and private right. a largo mai ritv of the
legal votcrS "f Baltimore" of aIi parties. they
would. IN less anomalous condition nj p"-
li.ical affairs, have that redress altogether H.
Iheir own hands. But the misfortune Of
their condIlinn Is. that in the contest le-
tween the law and its vinlators. the officer,
and ministers of the law lave been and
Continue openly arraycd against the law. or
secretly and efTcCiually engaged in under
mining il. With a system of criminal Justice.
which. amid all its defects has heretofore
been ample and efficient enough. when hon
esily administered to detect and punish
crime. the penal laws of the State have
ceased IN Baltimore tn be q terror To evil
docss. With a pnliCe force powerful enough
fOT every exigency, the lives AMI francI iSes
Of individuals aud the peace and order uf
the community are at the mercy Il banded
luIe - lAt. your tnculuTldl - =
respectfully represent AID asscvrrlic, and fnv
sorno years past. there has not been. any ef-
6cicncy or 6deii,y, within the c,SIr,ratc lin
Its Of Baltimore. in the administration or exc
eutIon Of criminal in>tice. preventive or re-
GTibutive. At election after election, the
god ciliE~ns Of thiS community have ap-
pealei, in vain, tn the utfirers of the law
EW relief and protection Their appeals have
been contemptuouSlv Slightcd, and tie trutl,
Of their complaints has bren over and again
ofFenriv+ly denied, in the face of dcmo'i>tra-
zion aid knowl-,ise to which nu ewes could
honestly be shut. Upon every succeeding
OCCASION the fNIihIes-ness and uericiency oi
the constituted authorities have been ma:c
Ennre and mo6e manifr~t. until AZ last even
ths uDs>k ef lnyalty has tevi' Ihrnwn "ff, and
thss--, a. whom the enforcement nf the laws
10 shsSussed. have sto'd forth in open cvus-