The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-02-02


our own citizens were affected interested, (the
Baltimore police bill, he thought in bill where
persons from the North said to be Interested
1t was proper, and should vote for it,
Mr.. kMMELL expressed his qualification that the
| Senator from Allegany for once agreed with him.
The amendment was adopted by ayes Is; Nays,
as follows:
Yeas-Messrs Blackiston, Bradley. DuvaI. Ora
hame, Heckart, KimmelI, Lynch, McKaig, Nuttle
| Smith, Townsend. Whitaker, Yellott-l3
Nays-Messrs. Brook, president, Dashiell, Frank
lin, Goldsborough, of Talbot, Stone-5.
Mr.. ELLIOTT moved to amend so as to REQUIRE
the company to keep their principal office of bust
ness and for the transfer of stock in Baltimore city
adopted.
The bill was then read through second time and
| ordered to be engrossed for a third reading.
Mr.. MCkAlG reported bill concerning the Ches-
apeake and Ohio Canal Company, which was order
eh to be printed, and also $50 extra copies for the
| use of the Senate.
The bill to compensate the committee on the code
appointed by the last Legislature was passed.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
There We're number of petitions and memorials
presented during the morning hour.
| The bill appropriating S45,000 to Otho Scott and
/, Hiram Mccullough, for codifying the laws OF the
State, S22,5O0 each, reported from a special
committee on the subject, and read first time.
On motion of Mr.. DENNTsoN, of Baltimore, the
bill was made the special order of the day for Fri
day next. There was good deal Of interest mani
Tested in this bill.
THE BALTIMORE BILLS
The hour of twelve having arrived the House
proceeded to the consideration of the order of the
| day, being the bills known the Baltimore bills
The Clerk proceeded to the second reading of the
first OF these bills, being the bill repeating such
portions of the Code as gives to the Mayor of
Baltimore the right of calling out the military to
| suppress insurrections &C.
| MIR. KRAFT, on the conclusion of the reading of
the hrst sentence, moved to strike the enacting
clause, and proceeded to address the House in per
sonal explanation of his motion last week for DELAY
in the action these bills. When he asked for the
| delay he did so to obtain time for reflection and
| for that purpose only. He had no KNOWLEDGE of
any purpose on the part of the City Council of Bal
timore TO take action on the police question, and
had acted in good faith. He made this explanation
| as due to the courtesy shown to him by the House
| and not in answer toanY outside clamor. There was
no doubt that the dominant party had made up
their minds to pass these bills without amendment
| they have been adopted in caucus, and are to be
| forced through here whether right or wrong
| When judge has made up his mind in case how
futile it would be for advocate to waste his time
IN argument. So with regard to these bills: he did
| not hink it worth his while to make anv attemnt
| to amend or defeat these bills, or to waste any
| time in their discussion. So far therefore as he
is concerned he did not intend to make any serious
| opposition to their enactment. He believed them
to be unconstitutional and should vote against them
The majority have the right to act on their own re-
sponsbility in this matter. There is, however, enc
| authority to which they can appeal to which he
| would look with confidence
Mr.. FoRD of Baltimore county, as one of the
party who are expected to take the responsibility
in this matter, prepared to meet that RESPONSE
blilty, believing that they were demanded for the
peace, good order, and prosperity of the CITY of
| Baltimore.
Mr.. DENNIS. of Somerset, wanted to know if
these laws are to be forced through this Lepisla-
| ture because an irresponsible caucus had adopted
| them, without discussion. He wanted some solid
and substantial reasons for the passage of these
| laws. He wanted some better reason than that
they are the results OF a midnight assembage with
locked doors. DE wanted to know whether these
| productions of band of disappointed politicians
| were to be forced on the city of Baltimore-that
"God-torsaken and God -accursed cty''-as she has
been styled by gentleman on this floor. He
| wished gentlemen to state the reasons why these
bills are deemed necessary.
Mr.. fREANER would give the gentleman some
reasons, if they were desired, for these measures
would point him to the victims who sleeping in
| their graves, the victims Of Baltimore violence.
would point him to the man who now sits on the
| bench of the Criminal Court of that city, | would
point him to the banded ruffianism of that city.
would point him to the fact that the officials of
| that city are IN close cOllusion with the outlaws
would point him to the docket of the Criminal
Court, where hundreds of indictments have laid for
years untried. | would point him to the crowds of
villains now parading the city of Baltimore, over
| whose heads indictments are hanging the masters
| OF the city. With regard to the alluSion made
to ne as being the author of the declaration that
Baltimore a GOd-torsaken and accursed citv
| have desire to shirk the responsibility of that
declaration.
| Mr.. Turner, of Baltimore city, asked on what
authority the gentleman thus spoke of Baltimore
| city.
| Mr. FREANER replied that he had not been in
| Baltimore much during the past three wears but
was fully convinced that no language could fully
| describe the condition of that citv
| MIR. TURNER said he could not attempt to con-
| vince man who had no ear to resson. He would
| however, caution gentlemen against preciDitate ac-
| ton on these measures. He looked with sad fore
6odngs to the results of these measures He feared
that they would lead to most deplorable events.
| They have been brought here blow at the Hon.
| Thomas Swa mn, man who has done more for the
reform than all his predecessors. and whose name
will be honored by the citizens Of Baltimore long
after those who traduce him are forgotten. A mora
pure and upright man never lived.
| Mr. KRAFT wished gentlemen to answer the ques-
| tion, whether it was intended to force these bills
through without amendment.
Mr.. BRIsCoE, of Calvert as one of the dominant
party, replied that it the intention to discuss
| these bills, as they would many other bills. His
| desire to protect Baltimore against herself and
he warned gentlemen from the rural districts. that
! they would never recover from their opposition to
these measures They here in the position of
apologistS for violence, bloodshed and fraud as
these bills are intended to protect al parties against
state OF affairs that is unparalleled in the history
| of the country.
| Mr.. DENNIS, of Somerset, was willing to assume
the responsibility of opposition to this measure
His record for ten years had shown him always on
posed to violence and fraud at elections. Had the
Convention, and on this floor ten years since mea-
sures for preserving the purity of the elections and
| the prevention of Frauds there would have been no
necessity for these measures, and the streets of Bal
| tmore would not have been drenched with the
blood et her citizens, as eXaggeratDglv described
| by the gentleman from Frederick The impura
! Judge spoken of with much rancor BY the GEN
| teman, it should also be remembered, was brought
INTO once by the Democratic party, sustained by
its Empire Club, and all that species of violence
| that the Democracy pretends to deplore That
party is itself responsible for all these evils
Mr.. KRAFT recapituated his efforts as a member
of the City Council in 1854, when he proposed an
! amendment to police bill 10 make them hold their
! offices during good behavior. He had scarcely
| made the motion before he was hooted at by the
| whole Democratic party, and the amendment was
defeated by Democratic votes. That journal which
had been most loud in its advocacy for these mea-
| sures, the next morning spoke of this amendment
as simply ridiculous. He was opposed to the taking
| OF the power of appointment out of fhe hands of
! the Mayor, as designed by these bills and also to
| the deprivation of the authority of the ifavor to
call out the military, well as to holding the city
responsible for damages by riots, without the power
to suppress them. Amend the bills in these partic-
| ulars and he will support them. lie intended to
make no fractions opposition to them, but would at
| the proper time propose such amendments as he
thought the rights and interests of the city impera
| lively requires. In conclusion. he disagreed with
his colleague IN supp0sing that any violence would
result from the enactment Of these bills. The only
resistance, he hoped and believed would be legal
| resistance, to be decided by the courts
Mr.. GORDON, of Allegany, replied to Mr. Dennis
relative to the charge that ten years ago the Demo-
cratic party had resisted all those reforms intended
to check these evils in their bud. IF the gentleman
was then representative of the conservative par
| ty, he was glad to find that he had now changed
| places with him. The Democracy now hold here
| the position of conservatives. and the gentleman
has placed himself in the position of defender and
| upholder of Plugs and Rip-Raps II we We're there
| ten years ago, we are happy to find that we have
! been regenerated during the past ten wears These
| deplorable events he admitted were everywhere in
creasng in all large cities, and had now reached
| such climax that prompt and efficient action was
| required for their suppression.
| In reply to Mr. Turner's eulogy, on the official
| and private character of Mayor Swami, he related
| the presentation of flag by the 'Flat Irons' of
| Cincinnati to the Grip Raps" of Baltimore when
| Mr.. Swami made speech to this assembled ru(an-
ism, and thus placed himself in close alliance with
! them. He then allEded 20 the fact that Judge
Stump was elevated by Democratic votes If he was
so elevated be would pledge that the Democratic
party of this House would remove him from that
place of power if the charges against lin were sus
tanned. He would ask the gentleman from Somer-
set whether he and his friends would 90 with them
in that measure.
Mr.. DENNIS replied. He was prepared to .ro f.
any proper measure of reform, and would 90 land
and hand in that as well as other action tnat
will in his opinion remedy existing evil He would
however, add with regard to carrying elections by
violence, that he considered the use of money, as
has been proved upon the highest iunctonaric5 of
the Democratic party at Washington, and in the
gentleman's own county of AIleganv as much 20
be condemned violence at the polls IC was
villainy in two forms, and he could see no differ
encp hptwpan them