Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1861-02-21


eracy. TO meet at the Court House"
In obedience to this call citizens in suffl-
Gent numbers to fill the hall, congregated at
the place designated, and about half past l
o'clock, J. Ii. Gordon, Esq, called the meet
ing to order, when ]. n. Schlsy, Esq, was
elected President, Mr.. Logsdon Of Mt. Savage,
Vice President and r. J. McKaig. jr,, Sec
rotary.
Mr. Gordon then stated the object of the
meeting and offered the following series OF
resolutions:
Resolved. That we regard with peculiar,
n,;as the position achieved by the govern
mept of the United States among the nations
of the world and having been taught from
our infancy to regard it as the palladium oil
our liberties because Of its power to protect
II, against foreign foes and the guarantees
which its Constitution provides against inter
nal discussions, it is with deep SORROW that
we now behold its proud banner torn INTO
fragments, and the light ofits stars one alter
another disappearing, leaving only the stripes
to warn us OF approaching danger
Resolved, That we have been at all times
and now are willing to make any fair and
reasonable sacrafice to save the Union upon
th. principles of the Constitution, and l! our
Northern Sister States will adopt ana carry
out in good faith the Crittenden resolutions
we will be perfectly satisfied to see the Z mon
reconstructed Oh that basis with all the States
again united.
Resolved, That in our opinion it was the
duty of Governor Hicks to have called the
Legislature Of Maryland together immediate
" after the election in November last and
If that COARSE had been pursued, Maryland,
would have acted in such decided and at
the same time conservative manner as wonld
have contributed largely to the assembling OF
Southern Convention, which would have
prevented the Withdrawal Of the Cotton States,
and thereby avoided the dissolution oil the
Union.
Resolved, That there Is no power in the
Government of the United States to coerce
or compel the seeding States to return to the
Union, and the attempt to exercise any such
power would b. dangerous usurpation OF
authority, which would result in no good and
would only tend to convert our government
into military despotlsm
Resolved, That if all means OF reconstruc-
ting the Union shorld fail by the refusal OF
the Northern States to recognize the constltu-
tionol rights of the South, and if a final sep
aration of the Union is unwillingly forced
| upon us and if Virginia and the other Slave
States should unite with the Gotten States in
a new confederation then ~ citizens of Ma
rylsnd, we hold it to he our right and our
| interest: as well as our solemn duty, to cary
MARYLAND with Virginia into such Southern
cnnfsderacy rather than to see her united with
the Abolition States of the North.
Resolved, That ten delegates be appointed
bv Tins convention, to attend the Convention
to bo held in Baltimore on Monday the 18th
lust.
Mr.. Gordon then gave his reasons why they
should be adopted, denied the charge OF be-
ing A ,ecssionist, as had been ssnderously
reported in reference to him, and proclaimed
hin heart felt attachment to the Union and
the flag of our nationality the
Legislature against the charge of secession
tendencies. and asserted that they were unan-
imously, the Democratic and American rep
resentntives BOTH in favor of the Union.
When MIR. Gordon concluded, Gen. Nc
Kaig seconded the adoption of the resolutions,
mpanied with lengthy address. He
asserted that lie did not believe there was a
seccssonist in the county Of Allegany, that
We only differed in our views in reference to
how the Union was to he maintained, that
he had been charged with circulating seces-
sion documents, that it was not so,--that
the documents referred to we're not secession,
&c. He said that the Union was now dis
solved that he honestly believed that had
Gov. Hicks called the Legislature together il
December or early in January, they would
have prevented the dissolution Of the Union
by calling a convention Of the Southern States
and making a unanimous demand upon ouI
enemies of the North, to which, without
doubt, they would have responded lie said
nothing remained for us now but to deter
mine where we would go--will we 90 with
the sbolitionists, or with our brethren of the
South, that is the question now for us to
decide.
Whom the General concluded his remarks
D. Blocher, Esq, proposed as substitute
for the resolutions of Mr.. Gordon, the follow
ing:
Resolred, That in the opinion of this
meeting, no action whatever is necessa.
ry on the part of the people of this State
at the present time, and in the present
crisis; and that the people of Maryland
taking courage from the Peace confer.
ence now in session, and following the
example of tennessee and Virginia
should adhere to the Union, until other
causes hereafter arising shall Justify rev
olution.
And said that he was satisfied that the tint
for Maryland to act had not yet arrived
that the peace conference was in session ii
Washington, and we ought to wait until the.
, had finished their proceedings, and therefore
hs hoped his substitute would be adopted.
Gen. McKaig responded, saying that thu
| TesOlul0u VI MI pIpposoN W Wv
! nothing, aud that to do nothin; was seces
sion and argued to sustain this view Of tn
question.
Mr.. Gordon followed, stating that the res
olutions he had read expressed his opinions
: he was aware that they did not represen
the views Of majority Of the people Of AL
legany county, nor majority Of those pres
ent-that there was great many more per
sons present than he expected to see-he onl.
looked tor small gathering, bat he was 9lat
to find that they were complimcnted with
very respectable turnout of the citizens of AL
legany,--he said they did not expect thos
who differed from them to take part in thei
proceedings, and proceeded to read the cal
for the meeting that appeared in the Bulletin