The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-07-03
BALTIMORE.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1861.

Our opinion of the Administration and its
,,nroations. and of the conduct of its officers and
troons among u.s. is or ought to be, by this time,
vol enough known. We shall not be msunder-
s,ooI, therefore, when we say that we regard
their agency in the expressions which have crushed
onr free institutions, for the time, as almost
,nsritorious in comparison with the utter and
urfathomabe infamy of those of our own people,
nv whom and whose ialsehOodS they have been
rerpatuaIly bounded on. We have reason 10 be
satisfied that in nine cases out cf ten of individual
outrage or more general and public wrong there
has always been some carefully concocted scheme
of fraudulent maliGnity gotten up in our own
midst to infaine the mind of the government and
stimulate its vindictiveness. Nor do we speak with
exclusive reference to what has taken place in
Baltimore. We believe what we say to be true,
in regard to the whole State, and the aggressious
of the government upon private right and public
liberty in every part of it. Our advices from all
ouariers of Maryland assure us that such is the
fact and we do not think there would be any
difficulty whatever, at this moment, in naming
the domestic prompters of the crowning outrage
which has stricken down the constituted authori-
ties OF the Sllte dLnOLB OURSELVES, III lne 1nQSI OF
their honorable usefulness. The functions of an
ipformer are the synonym of baseness, all the
world over. even when he tells the truth; but it
is impossble to characterize in decorous language
the unutterable degradation of those who dishonor
even the profession ofthe spyby making it the pimp
of malice and fasehood. We do not propose, at
this time, to enter at large upon subject which
needs no discussion, for men with the simplest
instincts of integrity Nor is it at all needful to
impress upon the public memory instances which
are quite sure not 10 be forgotten. ltoccurs to u.s.
however, 10 illustrate, by way of example, the
course ola single current fabrication.
All our readers will remember, most probably,
the remarkable publication made by Gov. Hicks,
in reply to the official communication of the Mayor
of this city to the House Of Delegates, in which
Mr.. Brown asserted and maintained by the most
unanswerabe proof that the Governor had Off
ciaIly authorized the burning of the railroad
bridges on the night of the 10th of April Not
being able to rebut the unhesitating testimony of
several witnesses of the highest integrity, who
were present and heard the authority given with
their own ears the Governor endeavored to get
rid of his difficulty by cooking up silly case of
probabilities, and chiefly by attempting to show
that the attack the Northern troops in Balti
more, and the burning Of the bridges were all
"part Of the secession programme" and a portion
of the "details matured" to "precipitate Maryland
into rebellion against the General Government, and
thus render our State the theatre of war; 1t is
needless to say that tie Governor puerile evasion
Of the issue of veraciiy which he was unable to
meet mortified even his own friends. 1t never
theless furnished the starting point of SANDER
which, nursed and repeated by demagogues and
conspirators, has at last been impressed as fact
upon the willing credulity of the Government,
and has chiefly contributed to its belief in the ex-
isence of conspiracy among our people, which
the Board and Marshal of Police were charged
with encouraging. Now let us look at the facts
The charge, we repeat ia one of a conspiracy to
attack and murder the Northern troops on their
passage through Baltimore: the Police Board and
Marshal of Police conniving thereat, and intend
ing to hurn bridges, &c, &c, SO to throw the
State inextricably into rebellion and civil war
On the 25'h Of April 1861, some weeks before
the publication of the document referred to. and
before the necessity for getting up a conspiracy
had arisen, Gov. Hicks had occasion to send a
message to the Legislature, at the opening of the
special session. II contained a statement Of the
troubles of the 10Th of April, and especially this
paragraph:
Goa Friday last detachment of troops from
massachusetts reached Baltimore, and was at
"tacted By an irresponsible mob, and several per-
sons on bo.h sides were killed The Mayor and
"Poiice Board gaze to the Massachusetts, troops all
the protection they could qford, acting Nth tie
utmost promptness and 6ragery. But they were
'powerlesS to restrain the mob"
Now let US what one of the parties most in
tereS,ed and most likely to know, thought of the
conduct Of our 'treaSonable' authorities on the
occasion. The following is the card of Captain
Dixie on the subject, taken from the Boston
Courier: