The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-02-26
BALTIMORE
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2e. 1859.

last Wednesday evening" struck very
curious production. 1t had a certain appearance
of fair intention coupled with weak action, charac
teristic of The present chief executive officer
of the city. The indication most apparen t
was a consciousness, that under irresistible
influences, improper nominations had been made
which were secretly repented of, and the object
was to cause the Council either to do, what the
MAYOR had lacked nerve to accomplish, or to as
sumo more than the responsibility which ordinarily
rests upon advisory bodies. The MISUNDERSTOOD
duties of the Council in Convention. certainly
comprise all and more than all suggested to
Them by this Message of the MAYOR; for while he
seemed DESTROYS to limit their coordinate action to
the police nominations, it extends of right TO
every joint appointment. The Message was as
follows:
40 the Honorable the Members of the First
and Second Branch of the City Council:
GENTLEMEN In making my nominations for the police
am therein governed by sole desire to provide good
and unexceponabe men in all parts Of the city In the
discharge Of this duty have been Obliged in the absence
personal knowledge to lean upon Marshall in whom
have confidence and the recommendations accompany
ing the various applications. The subject impor-
lance and with the frank avowa mistakes may
been committed in the list submitted, would beg your
honorable body to lay aside all restraints and lend your
cooperation in making the corps efficient circum
stances viii permit Representing you do all sections
of the city, doubt not that your cooperation in this
behalf will be attended with benefit to the parties in
terested With great respect, your ob't servant,
THOMAS SWAMI, Mayor"
Our neighbor of The american on Thursday
seemed quite carried away by the enthusiasm
excited by this undoubted evidence of the good
intentions of the MAYOR, upon which it commented
thus:
"THE MAYOR AND THE PoLIcE-The following commu
nication from Mayor Swami, which sent into the
cure the thorough efficiency of the police must
meet with the warmes approval The Mayor states the
ground upon which his nominations have been made
and whilst admitting the possibility that mistakes have
been made invites the Council their best efforts in
detecting all improper nominations and in cooperating
with him in making the force efficient as possible The
proposition does honor to the Mayor and If the Council
acts dscreety and wisely in the matter much good may
be effected
Alas, for the bright antcipations of our neigh
Dor, hardly dreaming that it was to furnish another
illustration of the familiar philosophy, that we lit
tie know what day may bring forth. The ''Hou-
orable Body addressed by the MAYOR took an
unfortunately literal view of his gracious permits
sion "to lay aside all restraints" and came to the
unexpected conclusion that the efficiency of the po-
lice corps would be very much promoted by the
circumstance of discontinuing Deputy Marshal
greved the spirit of our gentle neghbor we quote
from its yesterdays editorial columns:
"During the past year have been compelled to record
the shooting down of several police officers the
prompt fearless and energetic performance duty
because they dared to assist in bringing to punshment
those who persisted in rampng the laws and rights
of their fellow citizens. We record what
most as fragrant an outrage in the rejection by the City
Council of the nomination of Deputy Marshal Manly
His rejection had previously been decreed by the associ
aes and companions of those who murdered Benton Rig
don and Christian Fischer and it would that ma
lory OF the Councils have succumbed to their dctaon
When the behests of such needed in striking
down an officer who had no superior in the whole Depart
men we fear that the present orderly condition of the
city cannot be maintained through another political
pagn. 1t step backward that it will be difficult to
retrieve as his fate will be regarded warning others
to be careful how they give offence to the powers
creed his fate Marshal Many's great offence eff
forts to bring to punishment the murderers of Christian
Fischer and his testimony, which materially contributed
to the conviction of Duvall the party who fired the
tai shot,
ltthus appeared that "the restraints, which the
Council felt itself called upon "o lay aside" were
those of decency and respect for law and order and
that under the ''previous decree of the
associates and companions of the assassns now
under sentence, in our Jail, it perpetrated the
outrage of rejecting an officer who was vouched
by The american to have emo superior in
'the Department" 1t did not seem to strike
va
subject, as that the MAYOR of the city of Balti-
more, under the influence of his fellow potentate
and fast friend-the Mayor of Federal Hill was in
wiling the sacrifice of MANLY, by broad hint that
the whole list was very much at the Conventions
disposal. Certainl y-as no one knows the Ma
YoR's mind so well, and no one is so proud to
make known all its information on that point, as
1he Americon-we must, rs we do very cheerfully,
acquit His Honor of any design, not an
nounced in its columns. In fact. the step
ping of the Council outside of the limit
prescribed for them in the message, to strike at
Mr.. NATHAN T. DUsHANE while it tended to mega
tive the idea Of Mr.. SwANN's completely in the
rejection of MANLY, very much strengthened the
view THE American took of the causes which led
to that disgraceful act. Mr.. DUsIIANE, so far as
we know, had not given any other reason, for the
action of the Convention in his case, than the
fact, that he was of the panel which convicted
DUvALL. There seemed consistency about the
whole affair, pointing TO but one conclu-
sion-that the friends of n convicted felon, had
more influence with the Council than the MAYOR
himself backed by public opinion. An effort
had already been made to procure the removal
of MANLY. That falling, there was an attempt TO
abolish his Office, merely TO get rid of him.
Probably, all these efforts were less pressed be-
cause it was known, that better opportunity of
vengeance would offer itself, when his nomination
should come before the Council. The confidence
with which these men calculated upon this result
was only equaed by the triumphant malgnty
with which they pursued even so remote n
no MI tl,n ,i,t,o e
Juror-Sitting under oath to hear and decide by
evidence. Well might The american characterize
this as an outrage-almost as fragrant as the muir
der of BENTON and RIGDoN, and look forward with
apprehension to the recurrence of the next period
of political excitement. But it seems that the
Indignation of our neighbor-or something else
has happily had the effect to arrest the terri
BILE wrath of the Seventeenth Ward The Council
last evening, recalled its previous action, as will
be seen by our report, and Marshal MANLY and
Mr.. DUsHANE are still to be permitted to serve their
country. Under what compromises this result
has been brought about, we are unable to tell
What guarantees the government of Sandy Bottom
has exacted from the City Government, only the
high contracting powers and their friends can
reveal. 1t may be that the whole thing was u
mistake, and that the Councils had blundered into
supposing that Mr.. SWAMI meant something by
his letter-when, in fact, he meant nothing at all.
1t may be that the ''parties interested" whose
'beneft'' seems to have been the principal object
of Mr.. SWANS solicitude, have succeeded in har-
monizing the discordant elements by some of those
appliances of terror persuasion, which are occa-
sionaly efiectual in municipal troubles But be
all that as it may-it is quite clear that our neigh
Dor became vrtuous justa day toe, soon, and began
the 'ice-water treatment before the condition of
the patient actually required it. The failing,
however, Cleaned to virtues side," and as The
american does not often sin from that leaning, we
will not be too hard with it for the single trans
erosion.
Two important measures were before the Coun
ellis last evening. One, an ordinance introduced
by Mr.. BEAcHAM, for extending the width of Light
street, by filling up portion of the Basin along
IL