The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-03
MARYLAND.

| MARKHAM
| A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
| AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES,
| TO THE PEOPLE OF MARYLAND.
in the present perous condition o. public affairs II has
been very generally suggested that The Legislature should
be informally convened BY invitation OF tho President
Of the senate and Speaker OF the House OF Delegates
and thereby oppo tunity afforded for the expression
Of the opinion of the State and tile initiation Of proper
action regard to its duty in the present crisis The
necessity fer sucs p,oceeopg grows out of the solid
and OF the Cover nor in the present
alarming condition q national affairs
40 no not hesitate sn to aS hssn opinion oon
ncou I with that of virginia, it being al
mitted on all hands that our fortunes are ndssoubly
connected with hers We should then have moved pdri
pa&u with her. We the more fully convinced Of The
correctness Of judgment has been sustained
BY The of every other Staethe Legislatures
Of all Of them having either already met or are soon to
do SO under calls already made one after another have
the obectoIs maze by the Executive 10 the convenng
Of the Legislature, by the happening Of the events which
he minated would induce him TO act been answered or
removed But sooter has Objection been answered
removed than h. has invented Others whereby tho
viii Of the people may he defeated and their rights and
destiny subject TO the policy Of the black republi
CANS, which, il is believed, he has already
ditiona)y yielded Is II possible any ono can believe
that he is the only Governor OF SOU horn state
peen to understand the dlcultieS and emDarrassnents
OF the dn5Y
GOV Hicks 10 the people OF Maryland, dated January 3,
1851 The general purport OF that address Is evidently
designed to impress the public mind with the idea that
| the General Assembly If convened would forthwith
adopt measures Of secession In other words that they
would vote Mary land OF The Union and Southern
coniederacy. On these assumed premises terrible pic
ure Of horrors of civil war is held up intidate
the people of the State his Fxcecncy really believes
the charge he has thus nsinuaed AGAINST the General
assembly we canddly assert that we believe he tic
only intelligent within the state who has been
disturbed by such groupdles apprehension We should
be Just as willing to believe that tho true reason why the
Legislature not convened s that the Governor apprc
hends investigation to what has become Of the
money voted at the last session for the purchase Of
Public rumor has many reports with regard to this INIT
ter but we prefer to ascrbe his unwllngness to act
the interests Of the state demand he should do rather 10
| political than to moral delinquency.
We know what we say when we assert that there s not
member OF either branch Of the General Assembly who
would think Of assuming to decide for The people Of Na
~ land question like that suggested, the decision Of
which every one must concede belongs of right to the
people themselves We think It would be almost as pre-.
sunptuous for the Legislature TO assume TO decide that
question as for the Governor TO do 50.
If the Legislature convened would feel il TO be
its paramount duty to give to the people OF Maryland an
opportunity to declare their viii gard 70 The present
extraordinary state of affairs. hes nd not elect The Ic-
gslature fourteen months ag uc'e that question;
neither did they elect the Governor thr years to de-
the Governor has dared to decide t. While
against The wishes OF Maryland the pillars OF tho federal
government are falling around us; and new combinations
being 'ormcd, IL il not FOR either the Governor
Legislature to ray whore our State is to 60, or
with what portion Of the Union she will unto
her fortunef-it is for the people themselves TO do
cde But when state after state going from at the
South, and We may soon see every other sayehcldng
State out Of this Uron action the part Of Mary
land virtually annexation to he North and separation
from the South. The Governor, by preventing action,
1
the North We say that The people nf the State elected
him for no such purpose and thst he question L ono to
TH oI by Se fSP pHe ~
1t is contemplated by some persons that tho Iegsla-
ture has 10 power to call Convention u 50, then who
hasY Where does the Governor get the power
Article 10 Of the Bill of Rights provides "that for tho
redress Of grievances and FOR amending strengthening
and preserving the laws the legislature ought be
quently convened" and tho eighteenth section II the
article Of the constitution provides hat he the
overnor) shall rom time TO time inform the Iegsla-
1 OF
their such measures as he may Judge nccos
sary and expedicntv
The plain meaning Of these provisions IL that the oeis
lave branch of the government i intended to b. the
protection of the liberties Of the people The danger
from executive encroachrnent
AS to the power of the Legislature call convention.
The Court of Appeals in tlcr decision n III, Maryland
Reports, 472 in substance say they have thopower By
denying the power there is asserted ho absufdy that in
times like these when the Union "a cTumbrg to pieces,
when c,yil war IS pending when every other state is
lie surney on their backs and wait ro others lS docIio
her fate without daring 10 raise their own voice on the
subject Such Is the " mastery Inactivity" which the
Governor adopts and commend5 TO The ineilscncc prn
,'.nce ard manhood :. :. ,,.rr,.ro
The boF sssanpiins q the Governor a. to the coarss
Toked, are, We sure, utterly false, and oTe clalcd
oily by the assault made the cotton states in biz late
address, after the most sclcra1 assertions < devotion 70
the South and Southern interests declaring hs intention
\ TO live and die in slave STATE. Tho DISCUSSES m
that address are 20 tran. raTtnt that the aboh.
| tonists from Pennsylvania 10 Maine have shouted
| their appreciation 81 Governor Hicks, and Grod
guns IN honor Of his devotion t. Their interests. Aud
one state las already stnt bscS republican commits
| sion to counsel with him o. the affairs of Maryland
Can he expect that the people oC Maryland viii not also
see through his shallow prctcnCesl-hat Maryland and
tie South will not look boy ond the letter 70 The shirt
| true intent aud purpose OF LIS address.
Had not his EScclency cordcctndei to aesai the mo-
tycs and purposes Of the members Of the legislature
we should not have felt called upon g. make u $50 elu
sons to his address which has boon repeated IL most oc
s recent communication g. tho public 10 tbe people o.
Mary land desire TO say that We recognize h hon the
sovereign power Of tho state ana IL tho Govatror per
| ,stchu! Ieluses 70 car YOUR Legislature laNeNicr We
nave no Official authority TO DO 50. IA the people thcTn
selves the power to resist executive aud an other or
preston and we sha be among Tie s, g. surrender our
| ignt 20 act WIN ,hem IN ihe Executive aarn mus
Iost tie responsibility of debating thc policy y Mary
land unt the people may DO fourd to cNcrelc hoir re-
seNed lights q tct defence We aft L"' u"afe tat ~
ths moment when We arc fa~i drifting towards civil,
ard PERHAPS servilc That a siugc county in Tho
stato has organized and frctued for service and
arms enough 10 resist Thousand vel dfillcd aud vol
armed soldiers. Our property ana on yce So ,r il
know, are thus unprotected by mastery inaevitv.7
Win they awake and that lie State receives de-
rineIr Can they DO I Of, has The so Zen opportunity
advised aud counscllcd delay South Carolina on the ono
bend, and harmony and united action II tho border save
states on the other with view ir pessbc Il pgeserye
war failing in both purposes then 10 made united de-
fence against aggression and ~ arrrossors People %
annex you 10 the black rcputi.catsio the nggfcysors
ahd VII place you urder thor nas. may compel you to
aH thom IN forthcr violating the rights Of hc South
az "nmd YOU 10 an unjust, criminal anf pethhus scr
vic war VIII you consent 20 b. tqs annexed and thus
taUfHl'u W WiOng ana ppfHcfsioNf boGfcrhid ~ Tho
question " moral one there Is right and wrong 10
~ cons dtrod W fts question and Won naRt determine
wIcthu you VIII Join thoec who have stolen your no.
rciy tn3 murdered your citizens make common cirso
WITH Those Niosfe nov resisting like agur6ssong lou
| VII determine u without fc3r ard without delay.
Tie rt,rotsibty ri keeping tho border slave states
~ ~ divided Bow fairly Attributable 10 The Governor
q Ills state alone SIC may with r-oproty s1y We be-
Heye tht united action - m Tie saveloldng States
would before now have brought h5ort COMPROMISE aud
sotilemci of routcg anl nothing bit the voice II
Maryland n the proper timc nccpyTary have
cufed such untd acton Tho fierce abjltIonists s1w
ana Know hh hnrc" th.f feioicihss over ha tonduo,
III Governor llirk.
While VI adpi iat ee have no authority as officers o.
he Jerelrtrfc ~ cmS0.h tbe members thereof. vet,
constituting ga w0 - p1rt api parcel 81 tho people or
~ 'iatr We arc rncdy and willing ~ a. any act u
my rircft4d1rc icr cvpra~cn ~ The public viil Il
Nv lai X nd INDY - atahe eserV honorable Ok.
go un s0c tfff :. yfrveal o ftltu rrla ar'ng
!Ciba q ne tblitos.@ tpd ne, thgI1l. . u YIsN u