The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1861-01-19


forced to cross the upper waters of the Poto-
mac and to leave Maryland to her fate.
Your commercial emporium is within
some thirty miles Of this defenceless north
ern border without any obstruction to the
march of an enemy. except the brave hearts Of
of Maryland Sons. Your white population is
about six hundred thousand and you would
thus be brought face to face with o govern
mcpt, three of whose States nearest to you,
Pennsylvania, New York apd Ohio, contain
white population of near ten millions OF
people--to say nothing of other great and
powerful States Of the supposed Northern
government.
Should yon enter into a new conrclracy Of
the South the fist thing you would have to
do would be to drive the General Government
out OF Washington. | take it for granted
that the Government Of the North would still
claim to be, ard bear the title of the United
States of America, acting under and govern
cd by the present Constitution. Think you
that this powerful government would sink
away like whipped hound, at your bidding,
and retire from the prestige and advantages
it would enjoy from exercising its functions
at our present Capital Never! If human
nature can ever be read in advance, | repeat
it, never
lfyou attempt to drive the President. cleo
ted according to the form of the Constitutions
from the place assigned him by that Consti.
tuition for the exercise Of his high functions,
think you that the tccming Millions of the
North would not rush to the rescue of the
government? The North may be slow to
anger. but the gallant Southron may well
look to his numbers, his armor, and his
strength, when he meets the slower and cool
er courage Of the North fairly reused Into
action
People Of Maryland, ifyou ever desert our
present Union, remember that the cession Of
The District Of Columbia to the General Gov
eminent has left you no retreat except what
you can hcw with yonr swords Your seccs.
sion from the present Union is to close the gates
OF the Capital and to refuse to allow Congress
or the President to enter. 1t would be to sur
round the District of Columbia by foreign
State. To do this would be to leave those
who would still be in the estimation OF the
world the " United States of America to
abandon the Capital and surrender the
archlcvcs of the Government and the noble
buildings erected for its use, or to fight to
maintain them. Can You question the choice ?
Can you doubt it? 1t is the same blood
that flows in the veins Of the North as Of the
South ; and whoever knew Anglo Saxon blood
that did not know how to look calmly at the
flash of the sword If that blood has been
partly crossed by the German, the Scotch, the
Irish, and the French, do Won not know that
those races have been mp with the fore most in
thousand battle fields During our revolu-
ton, it was son of New England who nohly
declared, when placed at the head of the
Southern army, 81 will re.conquer Solth
Carolina or perish in the attempt: and he
did it. Courage is quality that belongs to
our country TO the North as we'll as the
South to the East as well as the West.
but suppose you saccced in driving the
General Government out Of Washington. -
W hat then? Created and supported by the
patronage Of the General Government, it
might revert to you as the original grantor.
hut what would 1t become? Would it not
be a waste and ruin What would be the
effect Of the destruction of the city Of Wash
ingtH on the adjoining counties Of Mary
land bordering on the Potomac! Just such +,
or nearly such, as the destruction of Balti-
more would produce on the value of property
in Baltimore county and other counties adj
jaccnt thereto. What would be the value of
your railroad to Washington. now the most
profitable of all our State investments!
If the city of Washington is to become n
waste and clumbllnc ruin may my eyes never
again rest on the noble pile devoted to the
government Of our country! May never
again behold the lofty monument being erect
ed to the memory of the Father of his Country
May my feet never hereafter tread the sacred
soil Of Mount Vernon No . fore you destroy
the Constitution and the Union, which arc
the true monuments Of Washington's glory,
let Virginia take his sacred ashes and com
NIT them to the pure stream Of the Potomac
Let Maryland destroy the lofty shaft on
which stands the peerless form of the mighty
dead Let Congress demolish the still loft
lei shaft now rising to his m,mory on the
banks of the Potomac, and order the return
Of every block of marble which has been con-
trihutcd by Foreign States in honor of his
name, with the frank acknow lcdgment that
his cuuntrymcn are no. worthy to behold a
pile erected to his horror because they have
to pieces the Government Of Liberty and Law
which he devoted his lifeto construct.
If Maryland were to join new government
of the SOUTH put it, people of Maryland
to your better judgment how long would
she remain a Slave State With no right to
demand from the North the surrender Of the
fugitive slave, except under Union and Con-
stiluion which she is supposed to have aban-
doncd. and with the certainty that her soil
would either be occupied by an enemy, or
else be the the battle field in all contests,
wars and invasions by the North this side of
the Alleghanies, would not policy, would not
interest, would not safety, force those of YOU
who own slaves to send them South for secuii.
ty where the labor Of the slaves has long been
more profitable than with you Under these
circumstances would you not in year or
two, of necessity, Cease to bc slave owners
And what would be your condition as a Free
State in alliance with the Slave States of the
South ! Would they trust you? Would
they love you? Would they treat you as
their equal! I leave the answer to your calm
and deliberate Judgment.
There is another matter feel bound to
state to you--though | do it with the deepest
regret | have the strongest conviction that
the cotton States. il they throw off their al
legiance 10 the General Government, intend
to form government, Of their own, and to re-
fuse to pass any laws prohibiting the African
slave trade and thus indirectly at least, to
sanction that terrible traffic. This they well
know would never be agreed to bv North
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky.
Tennessee and Missouri. I repeat, they well
know that the reopening Of the slave trade
would be resisted to the last extremity BY
the grain growing States have named. The
dreams of the seceders of the cotton States
look to far richer acquisitions and associa :