Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-05-24

uDon any other basis. IL could never have bee
. adopted, it would never hsTe been ratified
upon any other understanding. ID
States would have endured anarchy, distracte
Councils, and all the evils of The ola confedeTs
tion, aggravated teDfold, before hey woul
have sure Serei themselves to any sysiem 4
which the Federal Government, and least G
sil, the federal exeeuiive, was clothed wit
me constitutional power OF coercing them b.
force Of srns They entered into a constiiu
uonal Union, depending for ts psrmansnc
upon The COED faith and COED feeling of q
members, asd deriving its strength from thsi
consent only. They did not abandon them
serves to the bsyonets Of military degpotisn
en- .hronsd upon popular majority.
Buf, illegal and unconstitutional as was To
war which The proclamation summoned on
fe-tion a the country to wsge against To
ether, the eauses and purppsss Of that war
made it chiefly obnoxious to the people Of Ma
rvlaud and OF the slave States Cf the Dor
DR.. i was a war OF propsgandism sn'
of sectional aggression and domination
Il was war Of the North upon th'
South It was q war In which the dom
inant section bad seized unon the name anr
the flag and resources and powers, ofthe Gen
sraI Government, and was sbusing them for il
own ends, and FOR the permanent establish
ment Of itp dominion over be other sec
tion It was a war, to the unhOlg purposes
Of which ths sacred associations and mem
ories OF the Union were prostituted, and ii
which its honored name vas taken In vain.
L was q war waged against people Of ou'
own name ana blood; who sought peace and
kindly relations with us, and who asked only
I to be let alone aud to be permitted to covers
themselves Il could bring no good, for il
could end only in the defeat Of the invaders oi
the ruhiueation Of The invaded, and in either
case the Union, which orr fathers eft to ~
must be at su end. Subjagated provinces could
not be sister States, and Federal Govern
ment, pr0fesssdlT Republican, msiutsining its
authority by armies, could not be other than
the worst and most unpTincipled and uneon-
I trollable Of despotsms. TIE South bad en-
! trenched Itself upon the principle Of sels-gov-
Z ernment. L had offered to negotilte, pescea-
7 blv, and hon5rablV, upon al matters Of COM
mon property and divided interest. claiming
only that three millions Of people had right
! to-threw Of a Government BY which they 40
J longer desired to be ruled, and to live under
/ another Government OF their own chooting.
Unless she American revolution was a crime,
I the declaration Of American independence a
/ fslsehcod and every patriot and hero OF 1776
a traitor, the South was right and the North
1 was wrong, upon taat issue. The people Of
I Maryland, therefore, could bsVs but one choice
Z In such a contest, and while as devoted to the
4 Union and IS loyal to the Constitution, as the
people Of any Of the thirteen States who bad
formed the one or who had pledged themselves
Z to the other, they could not but throw the whole
( weight Of their sympsthias upon that side to
I uhich common interests and Institutions in
7 clined then, and with which they felt that the
right and the truth were. Nor was it q mat
I te. Of sympathy merely. The breach OF tha
] Constitution involved in the c0srcive policy Of
the Administration. was q breach OF their
rich g. ani not less than an unlawful aggras-
sion UPON the rights OF the Southern people.
: It vas an overthrow Of the principles Of free
I government, ard could end 10 nothing but an
/ ignon nous aDnihilstion Of the noble institu-
tons OF the Republic.
I The people o. Maryland were summoned TO
take part, az sldiers, En- the strife, and "a cit
liens they were asked TO contribute their
means 70 is prosecution, and were to bear
their sdsre Of itT unconstitu ional burdens;
. their stake il toe struggle, therefore, was one
of politicsl and f-Prsservaticn. Thev were
BY every impulse Of right and sslf-Tespsct, to
make every pr test sgsinst the wrong 70 their
brethren, sBd the oppression t. themselves,
which their situation and circumstances would
permit. To The rtquisltion upon them for
troops, 10 iake part upon The side Of the Gov
| eTnuent n such a strife, their answer, II they
could have given it with their own voice,
wsuld have beez an instant and indignant re-
fussl
I{s deeply to be regretted that the response
Of BIS sEcelielcy, the governor, should have
fallen 50 Far short. in this regard. o. the man
/ w aud Hs,rietic spirit with which the COVER
Bars of Virginia North Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentuck7 and Missouri threw back ths Insult
ing proposition OF the Administration. IN
deed, toe committee are unable 10 determine,
I from The correspondence with which The gov
er1or has furnished the legislature, whether
. bis ezcollsnsY does not stir contemplate com
plving win The requisiti0n as made His le'-
ter Of April 20.h, 20 the Secretary Of War, is
the only one which gives a key 70 bis inten-
tions and n tAst be merely announces that he
thinks t "pru3ent 10 decline (for the pres
en;)''-n0t hecauss n the illeEaiity and wick
/ ed1sss Of ths demand and tbs disgrace which
The State would incur from acccding to it
/ BIT on recount Of the then alleged disordsrly
condition Of the militia thsmselves.
i Your committee are not prepared to admit
+ the accuracy Of the stutenen. made by the
E governor in the letter referred TO- to tAs effect
+ that "the principal part Of the Organized mili-
tary fOrceso Of Balimore took part with the
{ @disordsrlv element" In the affair Of the 18th
Of April. On the contrary, they have every
assurance and eVsrF reason to believe that the
organlzed military Of Baltimore, under the di-
rec,ion OF the constituted authorities, and 10
im licit obedience TO their orders, did all that
could have been expected from brave men and
good citizens 10 preserve the public tranquil
d y. But " ether The hasty statement Of the
executive be well or ill-founded IN that partic-
uisr, The determination Of the State o. Mary
land, upon the question Of furnishing her quo
ia ef militia 10 make war upon the Southern
States, ought not, 10 the opinion Of your CON-
mittee, 70 rest a momen longer upon any such
collateral and accidental issue It becomes
the sslf-respect Of the STATE that she should
speak cut openly and decidedly upon the point,
and the question should no longer be left de-
pendent npon what may be hereafter regarded
- "prudent" by the executive. For this pur-
pose, your COMMITTEES have prepared and re-
ported resolution, which is spp-Aded to this
report, and the adoption cf which they respect
/ fully recommend.
Il lie but iustics to the executive of tbe
Safe to observe, in this connection, that hi1
excellescy appears 10 have been misled, in his
action upon the rsouisition Of the United States
Government, by the two letters Of the Seers-
tsry of War, dsted April II, in which thai
. gentleman informs him that "ihe troops to he
raised ia Maryland will be needed for the do
fsnss Of TIE capital and Of the public proper
" in that State aud neighborhood." f'fhere IS
no intenton,n the Secretary adds, "ot renew
Ing them beyond these poiats." In conformi-
tv with this information, the proclamation II
the govsrnor-of which he has not furnished 4
copy to the general assembly, but which 4
matter OF public neutrality-suspicious. his fel-
low citizens TO The same effect, and holds oc
the idea that troops from this State may be fur
nished for ths purposes indicated Yonr con-
mi.fss would be happy 10 persuade Themselves
that IN suggesting the possibility Of its being
prudent" at any time, for the Maryland
= quota % be furnished 70 the Government, BIZ
eIcellsncy could only have contemplated tbeh
employment, in any contingency, for the lin
itsd purposes in question. But it does not be
COM the house Of delegates 10 allow them
= selves 70 b deceived BY any such intimationi
T. from TIE Government. ss These which imposed
= upon The governor. Toe proclamation Of Mr
E Lincoln, und'r which the troops Of MARYLAND
has been cailel into tbe field, is directed "a
has already be,n obssrved) againHt the Be-
ceded States and hone other. The militia wer
. summoned e. sXecue the laws aud suppress
unlasfui combinat,ons in South Carolina
/. Georgia, Flsri1a, Alabama, Mississippi Lon
isiana and Texas, and sot In Maryland or To-
District Of Columbia. TIE very rsquIsitiol
, OF TIE SECRETARY OF War upon The governor, j
J 10 direc. and absoliss oonradiction to the 40
sursncs contained 10 bis letter The one ask
for troops TO be used in the S uth, and not a
the federal capital, the other declares tia
lhsiF employmsnt, at the federal capital sbl
not 10 ths South, is tao only purpose eontem
. plated.
Ols of two things, therefore, is perfec.i
! clear. Either toe Government had called on
! troops under tie prstenes of needing them n
ore purpose, while intending 70 use ihem 70
sH0ther, or it contemplated employing a por
ton Of thea a. Washington, az 3 guard aud
reserve, bat 10 aid, a, the sane tine, of il
offensive movements % toe south Of the Psto
= mae 10 the one case, It can have no olain
upon our confidence; In the other, we shoul
= Be fslse 10 ourselves and to free institution
: IN we were 10 hesitate about refusing it on
, cooperation. Whatever destiny the people o
, MARYLAND may Be able or willing 20 share 70
themselves, now OF hereafter, the eomnitts
, W-uli be psined 70 believe il possible that
: single citizen Of this State could be forced 0
persuaded 30 take part. directly OF indirectly, i
the slaughter and subiugation of eur sou her
brethren and the over hrow of constitutions
Cow rament by usurpation and brute force
the Government desires 70 put an snd 10 4
doubts az 20 the safety OF the capital, it can d
50 It a word, By putting an end 70 It's OWE pHr
: poses q coercing TIE South.
N What the committee have already suggsste
: IN regard 20 The character and purposes Of th
: conflict, which Nr. Lincoln has inauguratet
. under the pretsBee of elforcing the laws, is 8
: msnifsstly and indiEpgtably eorrobora'ed b
: discourse since the legislature Was eonvoEe,
! thst The commiftes cannot disehsrgs thsi
duty without abiding 10 that course In thi
I connection. References is especially had {
, the nroclamati0n OF the % OF NAY calling OF