The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-03-02
For The Cecil IYhig.
PoRr DEPoslr, Feb 9th 1861.

| DIR. EDITOR ~ observe IN he Democrat
Of last week. an editorial headed Political
Machiavelism." II is an article of some
length and OH reading it, | was compelled
10 say to myself surely this article is under
J a very appropriate head" The substance of
Political MachiaTelism runs through the
whole thing.
The Democrat says that the meeting or
| Convention Of the l4h inst, was no. proper
! ly allied but was the offspring Of "cunning
and trickery and secret circular is print.
ed, and gen,lcman's name WIN. H. Edcr)
! is subscribed to it to Justify the i,nputation
! | propose TO examine this article of The
| Democrat very briefly, to see how near an.
prozimates the Truth In order tina, we may
come out right, let us start right. 1t will be
remembered tina, there WAS a meeting held
at the Mary land Institute on the LIST inst. -
| The oliect Of that meeting ill also be re.
mcmbered. 1t VAS TO provide for n State
Convention by a revolutionary process. II
was so called-it was so spoken Of The
authority of the call Of that meeting will be
recolccted too, as well as the spserhcs which
were made and the resolutions which were
| passed at it. 1t is true that the Presidtnt of
that meeting stalled that its object was L" to
do all it could to preserve the true Union with
| all its national and federal features Bat if
such aras the object of that meeting. how was
| 1t that those Immortal defenders of the "true
| Union did repmiue the enforcement of the
laws, which is The only means BY which the
true Union can be preserved, especially in
= its national and federal features ?' And
they did not only repndiate the enforcement
Of the laws agains. rebels, but they did en-
dorsc their conduct. Is it not rather a novel
way TO " preserve the Union," 10 SUPPORT
| those who have destroyed it? They passed
no resolution conGeming disunionists. They
SAID not rora against the traitors. and
| thieves. and assassinS Of the South who have
broken the " true Union and who have IN.
furled the black flag of grim treason against
the best and treest government on earth =
And yet the object OF that meeting was "tc
preserve the trHe Union in all its national
| aud fe'lcra! features! Is it fact that those
true Union" men could see nothing to con-
denim in those who have dismembersd, as far
as they can, this great Republc, who nave
stolen the public property. who have out
ragged humanity. who have nsultcd common
deccncy and ciyililv, who have been guilty Of
the contemplate meanness to discard our
national AIRS, substituting those Of foreign
| despotism aud who have torn and insuled
| that flag which is near and dear to every true
American heart ? Those "true Union "
men Of the Maryland Institute, could curse
the republicans and aboitionists who passed
personal liberty bills at the North. but they
were ready to join III holy wcdlock with
| those Of tie South who have robbed and
plundered our treasury, and who have. while
under the awful responsibility of their official
oaths. plotted treason ogalnS! tn, true Union
in all its national and federal features. -
Aud yet those gentlemen, Mcssrs. Lowe,
McLanc & Co., were trying " to preserve the
true Union in all its national and federal
features J" They declared at that meeting,
that they would have no union with those
who adhere tohe Union against any and every
foe, but were perfectly willing to seal their dcs-
tiny with those who have re, ohfd 0eaint the
true Union" Thus We see, that so far
from being IN favor of the" true Union, they
were utterly opposed to it, because they were
ready to unite with g. our brethren (?) Of
| the South ")-,he only men who have DIS
| solved the - true Union - But those men,
Lowe d Co., are true Union men because
they 60 in for those who have gone out of the
Union !"
have thus noticed ut some length, the
sentiments and conduct of the leaders of the
| county Convention Of the l4lh inst, in order
'nat we may jud &c Of the propriety of the
" Secret circular" which appears in The
Democrat. We see that they uttered not n
single word against disunonists. but spoke
and acted in their favor, while they dc.
, nounccd, in unncasured terms. the real Union
mcn OF Maryland, with Governor Hicks
among them How then can We call them
! l,,tl
were dlsunions,s, as their words and actions
indicate, was it Improper for men who really
love their ,rholc country to issue circulars, or
TO do anything else which might tend to de.
feat The deep plots of designing men? I
therefore think that those who ISSUED circu-
lars. did their duty and acted properly :;
though ain free to say that those circulars,
did not meet my humble appreciation at the
time they were issued. And for this reason,
thought 1t would be best to let Lowe 4 Co.,
so on and do their work Of revelation, or at
least let them proceed as far as they could
and then put n ring IN their nose IF they
attempted to drag Maryland out of the Union
after any State, much less after South Caro-
lima. to resist them 10 The bitter end But the
friends Of law and order, thought they could
Kill the revolutionlsts with their own weapons
and they did do IT, With their own weapons,
Sir, the true Union men did compel the disor-
ganizers to slide from their revolutionary plat.
form and back down upon Union ground -
To prove this, get the proceedings of the
meeting in the Maryland Institute and then
get those OF the Convention OF the 18th inst u,
which was called BY that meeting and you
will then see how far those rcyolutionists
have retreated I do not pretend to say that
the " Secret circulars had all 10 do with
the modification Of the views Of the grand in
quest. 1t is quite probable that the cleo
tons in Virginia and Tennessee, exerted a
negative influence over those who would pre-
serre our Union by dissolring it.
But, Mr.. Editor, about the regularity of
the county convention Of the 18th inst, and
the irregulariiy Of that Of the l4th lust, the
Democrat says that the convention of the 18th
was regular it having been called through the
two county papers. But this is n mons rous
mistake. The Convention of the 18th was
not called at all No call for Convention
on the 18th ever appeared in either Of the
papers named 1t was held without any no.
tcc to the public. 1t is not known even that
secret circulars" were distributed authoriz-
ing it. So much for the Wanted regularity
of the Convention Of the 18th.
But there was cal in both papers, I be.
lieve as we'll as By authority of the Maryland
institute revolutionary meeting. for a county
Convention or the l4,h This is proved also
by the Secret circular in The Democrat, il
III a, IL a..