The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-01-07

sovereignty of the State and highest rights of III
| citizen.
1t is unquestionabe that in those counties borderin
upon neighborng States, and in large and populou
city, as in every other in the country, which wthou
proper safeguards fraudulent have been cast at
our elections by dishonest persons who resident
and by non residents, who of course, not by la,
competent to vote and who take their chances secur
or mpuniy in the great crowd, in the fact of thei
| residence beyond Jurisdiction
IL has always been thus and it will continue to be-
growing EVIL OF great enormity, until thorough
hcient remedy shall up the root of it-shall proven
the use OF money or intimidation our elections shall
precisely define those who alone are competent to exer
else the elective franchise shall deter by adeouat
punishment any attempt by those so ascertaned
defeat and deaud the Just expression of the nonns
will To these should be added if the remedy IS to
coeXtensive with the evil provisions fol- the ascertain
ment OF residents within each election district ward
PecincI lor coslng on days of election, under penaIt
OF ine and the annument of its license each place FL
the sale of sprtuous and Intoxicating liquors. and which
OF all who should be shown exhibit arms or deadl
weapons near any place of voting who should attemp
| to hinder or obstruct free access thereto.
The condition of the arms and weapons of war belong
ing TO the State which have been from time to time re
celved IN the distributions by the Federal Government
from the armorers the State armories
rrederick and Easton shown in connection with that
Ihe AuJulant'General, are herewith submitted
BY the law, it at present exists the Adiutan
raj is required to furnish arms, when applied for ant
when available for purpose to all younteer nm;
formed companies At various times resoIutio1s bav
been passed by the General Assembly directing the fr
nshng OF stands of arms from the State armores to diff
1erent academies for the purpose of military drill or
companies in various parts of the State without requi
ring any bond for safe keeping return The result
TINS has BEEN the waste and sauandering of the nrh
arms without any corresponding benefit to the public
service and the useless stripping of the armores left finn
unprovided for cases of emergency
We have seen in events lately TRANSMITTING unon on,
own borders cause and warning prompt legislation il
this matter. -
Notwithstanding the requirements Of the first section
OF the ninth article Of the Constitution by which il il
made the duty Of the Legislature pass laws for the en-
roment of the militia provide for dstrictirp the Stat
he eff.
coufaSement OF volunteer corps by some mode which
may induce the formation continuation of at least on
volunteer company IN every county and division in the
Guy OF Baltim0re yet with the exception of the act al
1858, chapter 3l3 relating excusiveIv IN tb.t % az VI
has been passed by the General Assembly to this end "
At the session of 1856 effort was made Ia renraze
e litary; Dill was introduced, but not perfected
anu failed to become law by reason of the nress of
th0ugh certainly not more important business
s OF great Importance to security and the safety
OF our institutions that the military arm shouId he in
constant readiness for effective service and tbou1h tbav
are the most fortunate governments which never need
us we are admonshed that the best proven
1--WE OF disaster is the being forearmed against coming
respectfully invite your attention to this subject and
20 the necessity FOR thorough reorganization of the
State militia provision for the retaining always in the
state arsenas given number arms of each kind and
recall OF all arms heretofore distributed to academies or
companies in which they not now in actual use
have already taken such measures as thouoht the Ex
ecutve empowered to adopt and have collected and had
returned to the care of the AdjutantGenera here
siderable number of arms belonging to the State
have observed with satisfaction that in some of the
counties the permission granted free negroes to bear
Ir
cut Court and again call the attention of the General
assembly to the necessity, greater than ever for
in IN regard to the free negro population
III many OF the counties In the large city and towns
and in the counties in the Northern norton of the
s evii IS not felt as it is in the lower counties on both
SHORES, where the community is support their
dleness and vagrancy, and is subject to their nj erinp
and the i'll effects of their evil example on the servile
population. law which should REQUIRE every free ne
gro to be engaged in employment or business. m
De bound out under proper safeguards protection and
wages just treatment and the liberty Of chance and
npnn
of this State. fOf
The people of the counties upon the Bav have had
great reason to complain of the infringement their
rights anu lnvasons of their property by adventures
from other States who openly violate the statutes which
protect the privileges of citizens in the waters and
tributaries OF the Chesapeake The fisheries have always
been important: and great portion of the labor Of
securing and curing fish had to be done the shore
rights there were early settled and are rarely now dis
turbed But the tradein oysters one which
uvely recent and which has, since the of rapid
conveyance 10 The est are perfected grown an extent
and Importance hardly credible to those who have moi
seen me proofs Large numbers of families now depend
upon it, and the successful prosecution of This traffic
opened new source of wealth and employment to whole
communities. ~ ~
The General Assembly has at various times passed
laws promoting the use of improper instruments and
modes of taking them, by which as many more are de-
sroyed n the beds and has inhibited under severe pen
aities oil conscaton of the offending boats the taking
oysters within the waters under Maryland jurisdiction
by non and persons not thereto LICENSED or au
horlZed The validity of these enactments has been
upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States rs
Howard Rep which has declared the compeencv If the
tS
1i 10 render the protection needed for this interest by
reason Of the escape of offending vessels and the
dnlcuty OF detection The few captures that have been
made have been secured by the sudden appearance
officer, on board steam vessel which cut off the homes
OF escape, and this has suggested to me that most Ell
cient and complete protection to our citizens and tar
rights could be given by the purchase building of
small steamboat fitted for this service which manned
by proper officers could be always the alert and would
soon clear waters of these maraudng nruders The
expense of this would be far than eby reimbursed
10 he state Immediately and directly by the imposition
OF Trivial tax, or duty, upon the license to take
Withh named iinlts which would be issued only
to residents and without which. any person or boat
found so engaged would be liable to the PENALTIES now
imposed Some small tax for instance of few mills
per bushe would be gladly paid in return for such
cuslYe privilege and protection and there be just
reason why fund thus raised should devoted as
IN the case of the Tobacco Fund.- to the uphodng so i'm
portant an interest ~ "
By the provisions the Constitution no lottery was tn
be drawn in this State after April, 1859.
1t was thought that this provision, with the penal en-
acmens made against the sale of tickets in lottnras NOT
authorized by this State (which then received large
sum annually for the continuance of this traic would
suffice for its suppression But has been decided by
oil our Courts that these enactment apply and that
there is penalty punishment provided for the
ton OF this Constitutional prohibition 1t for this Gen
erai Assembly with whom the responsibility rests to
determine whether this prohibition shall vain and the
traffic in lottery tickets continue among u.s.
In June last, Emanuel Myers a citizen of this State
residing III carroll county, duly appointed agent and
torney for the certain runaway negroes who
residing there far from Carlisle proceeded TO
that place. and finding there the United States Com
missioner had shortly before resigned his place and that
there there to issue proper undr
the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 took the negroes peace
ably as he had right to do brought them into this State
and delivered them their owners in Frederick countv
Thereupon the Sheriff Of Cumberland county in Pennsyl
vania with warrant issued by Justice of the peace
IN pennsylvania upon the oath of free negro charging
Myers with kidnapping, into this State and at
westminster, concerted plan with the driver of the
mail stage from that place to Iittlestown, Pa.) by
boundary line decoyed by the false preence of let
ter held up for him. into Pennsylvania and there
but few rods from his house. whence his family witness
ed the outrage was suddenly seized by the Sheriff Cum
berland county who roughly treated bound him and hr
ried him to Jail at Carlisle.
An Indictment against Myers and others for
kdnapplng under certain Act of Assembly Pennsyl-
vana passed in 1917 and the trial continued the No
Vemoef term OF the Court. made application detailing
all the circumstances of the the Governor of Penn
syvania for nOtie lroscqui, which thought would be
the proper proceeding begun for such cause
and continued through such Incidents This was not
granted and considering the Importance of the rights in
VOWED to our citizens holding slaves which frequent
constantly aided, harhored, and protected ainst the
lawful claims of their owners thought due TO these in
erest TO appoint some eminent counsel to represent the
state al the ria therefore requested Jonathan Mere
dith, ESQ., of Baltimore, proceed to Carlisle as counsel
Tor TINS state to defend there her interests and afford
Myers.
The result of the trial was the conviction of Myers
alone under the act referred to which an, in
appears to have been framed specially with the intent to
evade the decision of the Supreme Court of the United
states IN Priggs case, carried up by the two
rights
those whose slaves fled to Pennsylvania ecapture them
without the hndrance of the State authorities or pena
laws An arrangement has also been made | under
stand, since the conviction by the counsel of MYERS
under which he has been discharged upon his own re-
cogn2ance, to appear for sentence; which will not
moved for since he has purchased to their
residence in Pennsylvania the slaves he had taken
under the guarantees of the Constitution of the United
States, The counsel for this State has out by my
direction writ of from the Supreme Court so that
the validity of the Pennsylvania act which presumes to
punish as crime the lawful recapture in that State
under the Constitution of the United States of fugtyes
from service may be tested in that Court and so that
rights which are of the highest importance to our
citizens, may be vindcated by the highest tribunal in
the land respectfully ask that you will make an an.
preparation, corsonant with the Importance the case
TO compensate the counsel for the State and discharge
the expenses incident to this proceeding.
The attacks of anatca and misguided persons against
property IN slaves and the warfare carried by certain
parties in the States north Of against the rights of c
Zens in those States which still retain the of
slavery were formerly confined few who were forced
10 content themselves with refusing assistance plac
ing obstacles in the way Of our citizens who proceeded
to those Stat under the guarantees of the Constitution
to recover their property. These attacks have now as
sumed the more dangerous shape only organized
political conspraces, to prevent the exercise OF that
right and OF refusing under penalties and political deg
relation the assistance their civil authorities: but the
supreme in of those States their Ierisa
ure has passed laws under which they ATTEMPTED
TO convict, and have succeeded in conycting and have
threatened with infamous punishment and confinement in
their penitenares, those Of citizens who upon law
full errand using the and appliances secured by
the law of the land have and taken
back to the jurisdiction, whence they had deceived
stolen the ugitives whose restoration is
teed by that law as their property grosser
no more complete and dsgraceful violation not only of
good faith but of solemn compact and sworn dutv under
it, can be imagined
Nor have the wilder of that sort stunned here W.