Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-03-22
Judge Handy on Governor ni,ks.

vestigating committee" published III the
| Weekly Sun of the ID instant, certain
statements made by him with reference
to the interview had with him on the
10th December last, us commissioner
from Mississippi to the State of Mary
land He refers to declarations, which
he says were then made by me, as con-
stituting. in part, the ground Of his be-
lief that plot was then on foot to pre-,
vent the Inauguration of Mr. Lincoln,
as President, by an armed force and his
statements, as published in the !" alb
stract," are these
Judge Handy said to me, among other
thugs, that lincoln and Hamlta aroatd
nerer be installed into office. reminded
him of what the constitution said about
one State entering into an agreement
with another, and he said he had watch.
cd that poiut, aud did not intend to vio-
late the constitution. | asked him how
he would obviate the difficulty. lie said
they wanted Mississippi to go out say
to-day. Maryland Tomorrow and 50 on
till all the States south of Mason and
Dixon's line were out, aud then they
would form u Southern Union" &c.
deem it proper thus publicly to de-
clare that the statement of the first sem
tencc of this quotation is wholly untrue,
and that | never said to Governor Hicks
. that Lincoln and Hapiin ncrer ,eoulcl
be installed into office" When | had The
interview with Governor Hicks, ! bad
not the remotest idea that any design was
entertained of preventing tae nstalla-
ton of Lincoln by force or by any other
means. The view taken in this State,
and that which distinctly stated t. Gov
Hicks, was, that all the slaveholding
States should withdraw from the Union
by the 4th March and by that step, be
in a position in which they could finally
secure their rights, by new guarantees
and compacts with the anti-slavcry States,
| if that 'eas practicable and if not, then
to " acquicsee in the necessity which inn
PEELED them to the separation" and cs-
tablish homogeneous Union among
themselves | said nothing to him which
could, but by the ciearcst misapprchen-
sion or the grossest poryersioD, be tortur
ed into the declaration that any idea was
entertained in the Southern States then
moving to interfere ,oith the Installation
Of MIR. Lincoln, as President Of the anti
siurery ,Stdtes, or Of Southern submission
States. Bat the especial object of my
mission was declared to be to invite the
operation of Mary land in the move
mcnt of separate State action, as the
means of securing our rights and of pre-
Serring the constitution and perpefuating
the Union and Me consultation, If practi-
cable or if not, to tho end Of establish
ing new corfedcracy separate from the
dynasty of Mr.. Lincoln. This was plain
BY declared by me in the address made
to large audience at the Maryland In
stitute, in the city of Baltimore, on the
evening of the same day of my inter-
view with Gov, II !, and in an address to
the people of my native county of So
merset on the LIST January. II will be
doubtless recollcctcd by many intelligent
gentlemen who heard these addresses,
and especially that at the Maryland In
stii ate, that the remedy which | adyo-
Gated was that above stated and that
this was the bnrtheu Of my argument
This is even apparent from another
part Of the " abstract" which is in these
( words
g Icould not conceive the necessity
for the hot haste with which Judge Han
dy pressed the matter. lie said all these
things must be done before the Ash Of
March, "--(what things be docs not Isen-
tom -" because they neeer intended that
Lincoln should haee dominion orcr them.
lie did not explain how that was to be
prevented, but believed it could not be
prevented otherwise than by violence.
That and all The other things taken
together (Which things he docs not
mention, "inclincd me to believe that
there was design on foot at the time Of
the sort They did not hesitate to say
that their object was to break up the
Union" And upon such reasons as this
it appears that the Governor Of Mary
| land came to the reckless conclusion that
was priyy to a plot TO prevent the in
stallation Of Mr.. Lincoln by force.
It is true that stated to Governor
Hicks, and declared boldly 10 both Of
the addresses referred to, thas Nississip-
pi would secedo before the 4th Of March,
and that the scccding Statcs did mt IN
tend Tint LiDeoin should haze dominion
orer them. The meaning Of this was set
forth in terms not to be mis.akep, and il
is apparent from his own statement that
we intended 10 be on If Mc Union before
the 4th Of March, and with the purposes
above stated.
+ declared TO him, and in tho public
addresses referred TO tho conviction that
the country was in state Of revolution
by the election Of Lincoln, upon the plat
form and with the designs Of his party
that nothing short of separate State Sc
cession would preserve the constitution
or afford a security for our rights, and o
settlement Of the slavery agitation once
and forever; that the disease was deep.
seated and radical, requiring the most
extreme remedy. and altogether beyond
hope from congressional committees and
the like; that unless the Southern States
seeded before the 4th Of March they
would quietly slide under the dominion
Of Lincoln and a subverted constitution.
from which subsequent cxtrication would
be difficnlt; that every effort " preserve
the constitution, shor. 81 secession, would