The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-04-20

We "have government" The blood of our
citizens upon our sidewalks bears witness TO the
fact, We 'have a government which will war
uponiIs dissatisfied subjects, rather than heark-
en- TO their complaints or redress their grievan-
ces, or concede anything TO their demands. II
Will shoot them down, but it will enter upon no
negotiation aud will make no COMPROMISE; and
the o'oooy consequences of its foolish and fatal
policy are before US. The occurrences of vester-
dag were but the first faint intimatons of the
wrath to come. The Dragons teeth are sown ur-
on the soil OF Maryland, and armed men will
spring up throughout our borders.
Tie details of the affair which has nInnosd
our city IN gloom and reused our neo-
pie "ilnoS' 10 madness will be found
eiSc"HeFe' Inc conduct Of the troops who
are guilty. Oh tniS massacre will be regarded bv
impartial men everywhere with disgust and repro-
baton; for whatever differences of opinion tbare
may be in regard to the extent and cbsroc+or 90
the provOcations offered to the soldiers if i. on
indisputable fact that they bore Themselves 1;,,o
towards in wantonly firing upon citizens who
were congregated at places far away from tbe
points at which any collision occurred. To tho
causes Of this sanguiuary ARRAY we need allude
but briefly. The people of our city have seen too
plainly that the federal government is abont
10 enter upon desperate upon the
States Of the remoter South, and that it has de.
termined to hold the border States in check by
placing them under the surveillance and in the
keeping of Northern troops, and under such cir
cumstances it is scarcely to be wondered at that
their natural Indignation overleaped all bounds,
Nor can We shut our eyes to the fact that the ca
tsstrophe of yesterday is in great measure the
result Of the mistaken policy which has condemned
the people Of Maryland to silence and inacton at
so momentouS a period. If they had been per-
mitted three weeks ago to declare their sentiments
not on any side issues or al an election held for
totally different purpOSe-hut directly on the
question of supporting the South or the North,
all would have been well. If they had decided
by fair majority upon adherng to the Admin
lstration and the Northern States, scarcely muir
muir would have greeted the Massachusetts troops
on their passage through the city; if they
had determined to abide by the action of Viz
ginia and the South, the North would have been
warned IN time, and her regiments would never
have sought to pass peaceably through Baltimore
on their murderous crusade against our brethren
We do not refer to this topic for the purpose of re-
elimination God forbid that we should speak one
word which is calculated TO divide those who
should now unite, heart and hand, to preserve
our soil from the invasion and our homes from the
dissertation with which they are threatened. But
the past teaches lesson which, if we are wise, we
VIII read and profit by. A perilous future is be-
fore US and it behooves us to prepare to meet it,
lest the legions of the North rush down upon US
and find us still as undecided and as defenceess
as they found us yesterday.