New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-05-11
REPUBLICANISM IN MARYLAND.
Addres. of Montgomery Blair,
Before tho Aayyland State RepHof'ed" C0"'e"''0"'
at Baltimore, April &c, 1860

which has assembled in Maryland. am deeply sensi
be Of the Importance Of the OCCASION ando the great
responsibility we have takenupon ourselves in inaugu
rating PARTY here which all who have faith in ad-
herence to truth and justice and constitutional obliga
ton as the sure of triumph in political con-
tests cannot fail 10 foresee will sway the counses
Of this Commonwealth of the nation. Ii is great
and holy cause the Republicans have undertaken to
sustain The sacred interests in their demand OF
them everywhere prudence courage, untiring ana I'M
selfish effort but especially in this and other southern
States where objects and principles are so gIVSY
nsropresented and are inperfeetly unders'ooa oy
large portion of the people, should we, while conSau'
10 our principles endeavor TO be prudent IN our con
duct. The great difficulty wlth men OF spllis III UI
position the danger Of being drawn INTO extravaganza
by the extrava gTuce with which we are sS'iieu anu
opposed We must guard against ths ana enuedNolt 10
disabuse the public mind OF its lfeISe" sC or
movement with which are ldntlhed oy dehhuhg our
posiiion in a manner which will put an emu
10 controversy. The measures OF the Ke-
publican party are rapidly accomplishing tris'
tive for this purpose First, the homestead law, TO
prevent the Authorization of the Territories by giving
Them homesteads to the free white race, and second
the plan Of procuring in some nelghbonng country re-
pion where the free people among us of the African
race may also, in accordance with the wise and hui
name counses of Mr.. Jefferson, be given homesteads
and country of their own These are measures look
ing 10 the separation of the free people of these dismi
lar races for the good Of BOTH and they meet the general
approval of all good men. The advocacy of them by
the Republican party will speedily silence the false
clamor against that maintain the equality OF the
negro and favor amalgamaon-a talsehOod which has
proved the most effective instrument to arouse popular
prejudice against us and which was plausible I'LL the
Republican party put itself on the Jeersonan pan OF
separating the races by these measures.
But while these proclaim that the Republi-
can party fosters the policy of the fathers Of the Re-
public in making the temperate regions Of America the
chosen home Of the white man. and make 1t preemi-
nenty the white mans party, must not be allowed
10 be said that 1t conempates any interference
with the relation Of master and slave. The time
will come when emancipation viii be effected
here and elsewhere as it has been in Pennsylvania
and others of the older States But with this the
Republican party has nothing TO do and the subject is
in fact much beyond It's constitutional jurisdiction
and actual power of the Federal Government to which
this contest relates as il is beyond the power and rs-
diction Of the British Monarchy. Every that
knows anything knows the truth of this assertiOn and
vet it Is by confomding the question of power over
what called the Territories Of the United States,
which by the very terms used in speaking OF them
conceded to belOHg TO the United States with the ques
ton of power the territory of Maryland, and
which the terms used equally demonstrate not to be-
long TO the United States that adversaries en-
deavor present in the attitude of conspTng with
external fanaticsm 10 war the rights of property
held by fellow-ctzens. There is nothing IN the
nature of the controversy in your history or mine
TO Justify such an imputaon. We simply hold 70 the
doctrines Southern forefathers taught us We are
they were, identified with the people here by inter-
est, by social relations by blood, and in my case
back TO the foundation of the city and Stale for my
maternal ancestor, Richard Gist, You may in the
annals Of the city, was the engineer and surveyor who
laid u Oft for Lord Baltimore. We not the men,
therefore, who likely 10 be wanting the true in
terests or just rights of the people of Maryland But
there is stil another mode of defining our po-
siton, which, in my Judgment we should aim
to accomplish in order eiectually TO dissipate
The prejudice against party and cause, which
isls m the minds OF large number of true and honest
men, not only this and other slaveholdng States but
u some extent in the Northern Staesthat is. by the
candidate 10 he chosen at Chicago. If we can induce
friends at Chicago 20 give us man whose career
has been passed among Southern people and has been
such as 10 assure them that Republican President,
whlleressng every Tt TO Afrcnize the Territories,
free white settlers only, will yet sfernly rebuke every
external effort 10 interfere with Slavery in the States
The selection Of such candidate will define our posi-
ton too clearly to be misunderstood by any intelligent
and honest man, and will do more for that object
throughout the country than any amount of speech
making. And think we have aman for the occasion,
whose name need not mention, although he has not
made himself prominent in politics of late years. Had
be done so, he would not have been the man for the
occasion, for II might have been thought that he had
sought 10 make himself candidate, and this would
have impaired that absolute confidence in his fidelity
which exists in the State in which he resides and in
other Southern States in which he is known and which
is required 10 give the Republican party
ganzatiOn eoeXtensive with the nationality
of its principles His retirement having been
vOluntary-for he would have both Sem
ator and Cabinet Minister since 1850 if he would
have consented to accept those satonshe has proved
himself exempt from the lust of Office, that prevalent
vice which 80 much impars the confidence of the peo-
pie in the integrity of public While it is true
that there i difference iii the principles upon which
he and the Northern men who will be urged as candi-
dates at Chicago would administer the Government,
yet il is nevertheless natural that his people and
those in the contiguous Free States VINO syInpathize
with them, less in their apprehensOns, should
feel more assured Of the safety of Their rghts-whch
are supposed be deeply involved in this contest
when committed 10 Southern man, especially when III
the hands of one whose integrity and strength of char
acter II universally acknowledged. With respect to
the State policy of the Republican party It's first mission
should be TO aid in Kidding the State of the rotten bo
rough sysem by which II is made "a minority Govern
Ineht, and institute popular sovereignty. need not
remind you of the fact that the Government of this
State II not popular Government in the proper
of the The people of this city have recently had
sufficiently -cOnylnClng reminder of this fact. IL
be instructive however, TO analyze briefly at this tiue
the organization under which live, TO illustrate It's
nature With this view, il may be remarked that the
county of Calvert, with white population of only
$3.50 souls in 1850 and which has probably not III
creased SINCE has equal power in the State Senate with
this great city, which had white population III 1880
of lao, &C. and contains probably 2O0 600 white
persons Ore white Of Calvert has therefore
more power in the Senate of the State than fifty clt
zens Of Baltimore. In the House of Delegates the
preBOnderance is not great but in that body
the voice OF one white in Calvert has more power
than ten citizens OF Baltimore. Six other
counties, with average white population OF 6,OO0,
have the representation as Calvert, giving each
of their citizens greater power than thirty Baltimore
ans in the Senate, and than six in the House of Dele
gates. The siX Other governing counties have white
population averaging little over 600 that each OF
their citizens have power in the Senate equal to 70
and IN the House Of Delegates greater than slX Bati-
mOTeaus. In comparing the power of the southern
governing counties with Baltimore City have taken