Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1861-01-31
PORT TOBACCO, MD

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low an estimate as that.
You think that those who are not with
the secesslonists are against them" That
is certainly very plain proposition and one
that will apply as we'll in a bad cause as IN
good one Your reference to the murder
of Messrs Gorsuch and Kennedy, of Mary
land, in Pennsylvania, does not justify re-
bellion in South Carolina. If itjustifes re-
bellion anywhere, it is in Maryland, for the
citizens murdered, as you say, were respee-
ted and honored sons of our State. We
have not asked South Carolina to redress
our wrongs with other people, and if we did,
it is doubtful if she would respond. Nary
land has always been tower of protection
for South Carolina against Northern fanati-
cism and as a testimony of her gratitude
for this protection, she wishes to dissolve
our Union and compel us to fight her battles
here on the frontier, and thus have our
''homes made desolate by the slaughter of
our fathers and our brothers, and our friends!
Your historical references to Peggy Stew
art'' and the respective ''tea parties will
hardly be regarded as argumentative or as
tending to ''settle our difficulties y neither
will your analogy Of the intolerable oppres-
sion heaped upon the colonies by the Crown
of Great Britain, and that heaped upon
South Carolina by the North, be admitted.
1t was not the people of England that the
Colonies resisted, because it was not them
that oppressed the Colonies. 1t was the
British Government that did it
Here, however, we find that our Nation
al Government has never. in single act,
oppressed the South or any portion of our
Republic, but that it has, on the other hand.
been a common protector of all Why,
then. is South Carolina in open rebellion
against the Constitution and the General
Government If my memory serves me
right, our great Revolution was not the re-
suit of imaginary wrongs inflicted upon our
people. nor did they complain especially on
account of grievous taxation. They de-
clared that ''taxation Uithout representation
was tyrannyr' That was the great princi-
pie. And now let me ask you if this is the
principle for which South Carolina is con-
tending? Has she not been represented 2.
Has she not stood in the Senate of the Uni
I ted States with a voice equally pQtent to.
that of New York and that Nhils BIZ, -hite
saepulat aes .set 1,fs Tssss;s & P'5-
Duration Of nearly four nillionsA Has not
even her slaves, which she regards as pro-
-perty been represented on the floors of Con-
gress? The property Of Northern men is
not represented in Congress. [ do not, my
dear Sir, mention these things to signifying
that they should be otherwise, but rather to
show that there is really no analogy between
the grievances of the American Colonies and
those of South Carolina, and to show that
every question has at least tuo sides to it.
Had the Government of England been to
our American Colonies what our Govern
ment has been to the South, as we'll as to
every other portion of our country, this day
migM have found us still under the British
crown. At all events, there never would
have been any rebellion against Gouern-
naent vhich nererdid us any harm. Where.
now, sir, is your similitude between the
American Colonies and South Carolina?
You say that the doings at Washington
Justify you in saying that the Constitution
is to be pushed aside, and that in it's stead
a military despotism is to be erected! As
a candid man, do you see any Indications of
this? There are but about seventy Federal
troops in the whole State of South Carolina
and the Government only intended to put
about two hundred and fifty more there, and
that not for the purpose of ''demolishing
Southern cities' and setting fire to the ruins,
but to protect property that belongs to you
and me as we'll as to any citizen in South
Carolina.
You cannot see any symptom of ''mlll-
tary despotism" in our Federal Government
If it were so, you would not now see nearly
all our Southern Notifications, which belong
to the Federal Government. together with
all the public property in the Southern
States, in the hands of those who have re-
belled! No, sir to use domestic phrase,
1.-The boot is on the other legw
Whoever will open his eyes cannot fail to
see that military despotism is brewing in
the South. Have not leading Secessionists
proclaimed that they intended and do in
tend, to have military despotism or what
is the same, ''a Consolidated Military Gov
ernment q South Carolina is said to have
more troops no,y than has the United States
Government scattered all over the continent
Where, then. sir, IS your military despot-
ism? A military despotism" may suit the
people of South Carolina, and however much
it may conflict with the Constitution of the
United States, they are welcome to one for
my part, but think there are too many
free white men in old Maryland ever to SUBJ
nit to one. Buff our Union is permanent
ly dissolved, how are we to get clear of that
military despotism which you deprecate
1t cannot be done Instead of ten or fifteen
thousand troops, as we now have. to guard
our Western frontier, we must have, when
divided and subdivided, hundreds Of thou
sands Of standing army Gin the aggregated
to defend our little garden spots. And let
ME here say, that if such a terrible evil does
befall us, those who are responsible will have
to stand from under!
And you think our Governor is very
wrong in not convening our Legislature ?