The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-02-17
THE BALTIMORE CITY GUARD AND ITS



Light Division NJ v The memorial is signed by Maj.
Gen Seuart and Brig Generals Watkins and Egerton,
the committee appointed to present tito the General As
semby and the resolutions by Gen Egerto Chairman,
and Maj Thos Steuart, Secretary of the meeting In
the memorial and resolutions objections are made to
portion OF the recently adopted Police Law, and to the
Act of Assembly by which the Baltimore City Guard was
incorporated. Concerning the Police Law, we have
nothing say the Guard is subject by charter the
direct call Of the regularly constituted civil authori
ties which of the civil authorities shall have power to
make the CALL the Legislature can determine without our
advice dctaton. We have, however, word to say in
reply to portions of the memorial and resolutions, in
which organization is rudey assaed
The memorial calls the attention of the General Assem-
bly,
Frsy. To the unconstitutional, unprecedented md i'm
po6G charactfae exclusive and 0dons @
offences delinquence and the mschievous tendency to
pendent mcaed military organizaton as that Of the Bal
more City G9atd charter or military organization
o e To- the v G S Of t s section d
sd article Of the Constitution the obvious PropT
g Of a p of the spa a Sc gm% @ 4
municipal purposes hut in case where no one can pre-
3s
this view of the subject your Honorable Body asked to
Public Local title, City Guard sections S9 7i9 both
inclusive"
success which has attended the Guard since it OBJ
the history the military OF Baltimore the charter
ITSELF and, together with its present condition. furnishes
the best proof that the charter is not impolitic The
believe, be confidently eferred to. Of Exclusive
and odious privileges which we possess but one men
toned, that of total exemption from all penalties for
offences delinquences. These officers ought to know
that though, the Adutan General in his last report
the statutes of the State fairly brse with penal
ties for performance of military duties, the laws in
fictng them are dead-no exemption is needed, no
penalties enforced In the First Light Division,
of the companies has occasions refused obed
ORDERS and to this day penalty has been visited
upon it any notice taken of its action. The Division
ordered few years since to attend the funeral of
Gen Bankhead u S. A; the Guard and platoon of
ed for the funeral of Gen. Walbach four companies
of them the Guard, obeyed. similar order issued
for the funeral of Lieut. Wabach two companies, the
Guard and another, obeyed We have yet to hear that
penalties have been inflicted in either Instances
of neglect to obey orders could be easily multiplied
Courts Martial are obsolete When has zone been order
ed One of the last, il not the last, tried Capt Wieg
horst and Lieut. Sachs several years ago, and the fines
imposed RENTED. Previous to the law of 1858
companies left their regiments and Joined regi-
ments of different when they proper
1t has been but few days since two companies
formed in Baltimore county have been mustered into
the Light Division, the members of which, must,
by law, be residents of Baltimore city, AT meeting
of military held in our Armory some months since,
Captain of of the rifle companies stated publicly
that no returns of parade, etc. had been made the
Adjutant General and that consequently the
panies of the rife regiment could not draw on the
city for the annual appropriation When the Generals
have attempted either heartily successfully to correct
prevent punish irregularities denquencies oerces
it will be time talk of exemption from penalties
odous and exclusive privilege have never heard OF
any penalties inflicted for refusal neglect obey orders
issued during the excitement attending the publication of
to issue orders, and allowed to resign And compa
MES paid attention to orders received Where were
| the courts -martial?
| We have really two privileges. The charter renders
| US independent of every other military organza
ton, whether it is penalty to serve in the Light
| Division, for exemption from which are to be
enved leave to the Generals to decide and gives us
power issue annually hundred certificates of hon
orary membership, at ten dollars EACH which exempts
the holder from jury duty during the current year
We have shown that in practice penalties do not exist
and the trainers of the charter thought of
| 8 lOSt--neV-
thought of them at all The privilege of issuing such
the Eagle Arllersts since 1885, and has been
sidered 0dious privilege to be taken from
Them although until 1885, that company alone had that
power. The exemption from penalties amounts to moth
ing the issue of what call Jury certificates
not considered "odousn when issued by company in
the Light Division, and few days other companies
officers the meeting which the resolutions
adopted, and the committee appointed have applied
for this same 'odous" privilege. The company, whose
the applicants With one breath they ask the Legisla
ture to take the privilege from with the next to give
it to them. The exemption" is nothing; the issue of
jury certificates they have shown is not odous in their
and that believe is the 'thorn in the side" The
largest best equipped most united most effective militia
Light Division was an incubus of which, by no means
the lighest part portion of the officers commanding
it, We got the charter, paid dues to the Regiment,
and withdrew and thanks to onr own efforts, and the
friendship of many of our citizens, have prospered
The memorial says it is privilege not to belong to the
Light Division Generals Steuart watkins and Egerton
tell the Genera! Assembly the community and the Divis
ion that it is desirable not to be under their command
that it is privilege great enough to be "odous" Then,
gentlemen-resignl We believe that your resignation
now would benefit the military of Baltimore more than
any law the Legislature pass. You unasked have
| confessed that it would be favor.
The memorial speaks of the repugnance Of our chart
err to art g. sec Al Of the State Constitution That sec
ton reads thus: Corporations may be formed under
general laws but shall not be created by special act
cep for municipal purposes, and in cases where in the
judgment Of the Legislature the object of the corporation
cannot be attained under general laws 1t is well known
to every connected with the volunteer sodiery that
the greatest trouble the companies have want of means
to pay their expenses Several States have made such
provision for their volunteers that this want either does
exist is seriously felt but in Maryland. the
volunteers have worked for nothing and found them
Selves and the working of the system has been unmiti
gatedly bad There noninay in the Light Division,
artillery, cavalry, two infantry, and rife regiment
comprising two brigades. The artillery regiment has
really but company; cannot what the force of
the cavalry regiment is whether it exists at all or not
the two infantry regiments have five companies and the
rifle regiment four five. If these companies all
full and completely equipped, the force would be small
enough bit unfortunately such is not the The
three Genera ought to be best able speak of the cond
don of their command The truth would not be accept
able coming from and perhaps be deemed unconrte-
As have said want of means is great cause
| Of this weakness We wanted means-how were we to
get them At the time the Guard obtained its charter,
for long time before, aud since the military organiza-
ton was looked upon as unnecessaryas something that
didn't pay and with the exception sometimes made of
two three companies piece of trifng only worthy
mechanics, objected decidedly to their employees
| joining the companies and altogether the mill
| tary at heavy discount.
At the session 1858, Captain Weston of the Guard
obtained the passage of an act empowering the city to
sumo money, not exceeding 5000 annually, to those
companies which should meet certain requirements of
the law. For year 5000 granted to the compa
by the city since that time 800 has been appropr
aed yearly. When Captain Weston began to work for
the BILL many military men told him his efforts would be
useless; and thoroughly convinced that his time
obtained from them was slight indeed But this law,
with the S1o0 included, has not given military force
that begins to be what it should be Public opinion was
and is, the thing needed, and amount of egsla
ton supply its place Laws, to be effective in this
country must be public opinion formulated because their
enforcement depends on the pubic and not on authority
independent of it, and relying force. We determined
try build up public opinion in favor of good mill
tary organization and public opinion which would sup
port The first step would be get clear of wrecks
| and dead weight. The regiment to which belonged
was emphaticaly dead weight, and others can easily
be mentioned-they may possibly occur to some who
read this article We believed that lift shown that
an organization existed which had life in it that was re-
table, composed of good men; and was in Short such
organization have endeavored to make that
the public would have confidence in tthat in course of
time would look differently, and that the peo
pie Of Baltimore at first changing their opinion with
gard to organization only, would get IDEAS and
build up and support regiments of which they might be
proud We needed greater revenue than we had. How
to get it? By general law Under the excite
ment caused by the John Brown raid, military companies
forming throughout the State; and that with other
| causes has rendered the necessity of reliable
force evident but two years ago could not calculate
that these things would happen. Does any believe
that years law would have passed the Legsla
ture appropriang annually at all approaching the
amount needed or evyng tax for m tary purposes
The law of 1858 thought to be immense favor
that would not be granted; nothing
propriated by the State special tax levied As for
fines for not doing militia service the law imposing them
| dead the paper it was printed We wanted
public opinion to make any law on the subject VITAL.
The precedent had been of obtaining from the Lee
gslature permission issue limited number of jury
Certificates" at fixed annual rate While the number
ofpersons thus made exempt would be too small to inter-
fere with the of justice the amount obtained would
be important And here would say that have
attachment to the jury privilege for its sake but
want it to raise necessary revenue We did not ask
it in order obtain exclusive privilege viii be
glad every company in the city get but at the
time made movement it absolutely necessary
that something should be done if the city of Baltimore
to have military force at all, and for many reasons
which have not time here to state, the pur
| sued we thought to be the best
To show that purpose honest, we will state that
appropriations obtained under the Law of 1858 by
companies entitled them. In order that the law
might be rgidly enforced commanding officer
| proposed to officer of the Independent Greys,
| that if thatcompany failed to meet the require.
| ments of the law, and would press the enforcement
of the law, would divide appropriation equally
with them go still further If general law will
give the revenue much trouble will be saved W
independent body and obtained permission
asked Our fellowcitizens the officers engaged in the
have abused them Our object Legitimate and no
effective, general law giving to the volunteers
could have been passed If such law could have been
obtained the heads of the military should have known it
| and urged its passage.
In the fourth resolution it is said that the charter was
purposey applied for at the close of the session of
THE italics those of the resolution We prefer
believe that this statement is mistake. The bill
read in the House the first time February 12tleave