St. Mary's beacon., 1861-12-12
MESSAGE OF GOV. HICKS
10 fHs
U0lELATU11 or GAlxLAuD.


U011LAxU11 or llA1xLAuD.
Gesalesses IF he Gsaass
e esd cffAs Hesss Of Delegates.
have called together the General As
sembly Of Maryland in anticipation Of the
regular session in January. and it is pro-
per should briefly recount the events and
state the reasons which have led me to
that determination.
About the time at which Soath Carroll
| M passed her ordinance Of Secession, and
during several months thereafter, l was
impoEtuned to convene the Legislature.
It was urged, with great zeal. that the
people Of Maryland should hare an oppor-
sunity Of saying whether they would re-
main loyal to the Government framed by
our fathers, or join the seeded States in
their mad crusade against the continuance
Of the Union.
| 1t Was alleged that If the Legislature
should be convened it would either call a
sovereign Convention. or submit to q vote
Of the people the grave question whether
they desired such ConventioE to assem-
bic.
The strenuous effort to induce me TO
call together the Legislature having failed,
| was then earnestly desired to submit to
the people. by Proclamation, the question
whether or not they wished Convention
to be assembled. 1 declined to acoedc to
this request, because, under the Constitu-
ton. possessed no such power.
In thus persistently refusing to comply
With those propositions, ] am we'll aware
that assumed . grave responsibility.
But was satisfied, nevertheless, that
was but performing what. to the, seemed
to be clear and simple duty. AND for
the consequences was then aud am now,
willing to rely upon the justice and good
sense Of my fellow citizens: TO whom It is
due that explain. Is briefly % can, the
reasons which induced my course.
I believed that ! Was thoroughly ac-
quainted with the proclivities IF majority
of the members Of that Legislature. was
perfectly convinced that they desired Ma
ry|and to leap, no matter how blindly, in
70 the vortex of Secession. believed the
same to be true of the most of those
citizens who 60 persistently urged the as
sembling Of the Legislature. l was,
therefore, unwilling to allow that body al
opportunity 30 to misuse its great power;
not doubling that. in limitations Of the Leg
islstures Of then seeded States, it would
exert that power to the great detriment Of
the people Of Maryland.
1t 10 true that earnestly desired the
people to have an opportunity Of express
sing their will at the bsllot-box. in regard
to the position Of Maryland, and would
most cheerfully have afforded them such
opportunity il had possessed the cou-
stitutional power to do so in any other way
than by converting the Legislature.
But / could not trust that body in SO
momentous crisis. did net believe the
people could possibly have fair and free
expression Of their will under the provi-
sions Of any law for that purpose which
might be enacted by that Legislature.
was sure that through some jingle Mary
land would be forced to secede. need
not speculate here in regard to the mode
by which this would have been accom-
plished whether by the bayonet or BY
some equally cogent or persuasive process.
! merely assert that / believe the plane Of
the Seecssionists would have been accom-
plished if they had had the great power of
the Legislature to aid them.
was. during all that time. positively
convinced that . majority Of the people
Of Maryland did not wish the State
to sccede- They knew that the seces-
sion Of Maryland would attempt 70 car
y with Il the possession of the National
Capital: and knowing. also. that our
Northern and Western brethren could not
be expected to acquiesce peaceably 10 such
q step, concluded that our people we're not
insane enough to wish this State to be-
come one vast battlefield and our homes
made desolate.
continued, hen, to refuse to convene
the Legislature; l hoped that nothing but
tiSse was needed to cause even xealots
for secession to change their opinion or, at
least forbear their designs. In this, it
appears. l did not accurately measure
the extent Of their madness.
But / did not know how much I erred
in this regard until my eyes we're opened
/ ~ sssV O~SoskSAScU ~ &b8ktmCIS On t0G
18th Of April. and the subsequent events
connected with that REASONABLE outbreak.
/ then concluded that could not hope
to gain much more time in which the mis-
guided mob might zee its error. And,
whea Coleman Yellott, Esq., the late
Senator from Baltimore city, after i'd
visiug with the Board of Police Commits
siousrs. aud instigated BY the more promi-
nsns Of ths conspirstors. unlawfully issued
his .'Proclam.tion" for an assembling Of
the Legislature ut Baltimore. when large
aud active portion Of the Secession element
would be cougregsted, / knew It was time
for me to act. True. might shen have
called upon the President sf the United
States 70 quell the insurrsoGOu. bus this
would almost certainly have caused