Weekly national intelligencer., 1863-10-01
MILITARY PROCEEDINGS IN MARYLAND.

In one of his letters on the military aDductlOn
of slaves in Maryland Governor BRADFORD ex-
pressed the opinion that while these violent pro-
oeedings were ostensibly carried in the name OF
executing law of Congress, (Which, however,
authorizes no such tbipg,) they were really insti-
gated with view to very different purpose. .
!. The. conduct Of the military agents who abduct
these slaves makes it plain that executing their
Instructions they are governed neither by military
Uonsiderations nor by feelings of philanthropy to-
ward the slave.8 That they do not proceedon their
mission under military principles, or for military
purposes, is made plain by the fact that they do
not abduct all the slaves suitable for military ser
vice who come within their reach, but make discr-
limitations in favor of some owners and against
others, according to alleged political partalities
That is, the execution of these proceedings is pI-
mitiue in its efsct-visting the loss of their slave
property on men who hold certain political opinions
gentlemen on the Eastern Shore Of Maryland, who
sustain the policy of the Administration, hare had
their abducted slaves returned to then, by the mtt-
tary-a course which would not have been pur-
sued if the slaves had been originally abducted for
military reasons And where the slaves of some
masters are thus left in bondage, while the slaves
of others taken for military service, tits equally
plain that no feelings of humanity toward the slave
enter into these proceedings which thus left as
much without the excuse of "philanthropy' as
they are obviously without the defence Of law e
Arbitrarily inflicted in penalty for certain opia-
ions supposed to be held by men who do not sup
port the Administration, (but who do nothing
against the Government, for if they did they could,
with the approval of all good citizens, be legally
tried and punished for dislcyaty,) these acts bear
all the marks of what Governor Bradford truly
calls the "law of arms" What wonder that,
under such circumstances, the Governor Of this
loyal Slaveholding State should be constrained to
write as follows
81 was most nxious, therefore, still am to avert
if possible such proceedng for have no hesitation in
saying that enforced it is, without The sanction OF
Congress- by the law of without precedent IN
any other loyal State and in the absence Of any imminent
military necessity it is calculated to inct irreparabe
damage upon the Union cause and alarming agltatng,
provoking and disgusting Unionloviog and Govern
mentsupportng ciEens beyond any thing that has lately
occurred in the State"
But, as if to place these violent proceedings in
still more odous light, it is now publicly avow-
ed by the original apologist of the project that the
slaves abducted from their masters and decoSed
into the military service "are not thereby made
free either in law or fact" Such is the opinion of
the Judge Bond who has SO strangely lent his ju-
dical name to the defence of this policy and it is
in comment on his opinion to this effect that Gov.
Bradford, in q recent letter, holds the following
significant language: ..sga. .ai
"f il 1.-THE act of July H. 1862 confers the power
claimed for it, it amounts have said in my previous
letter to practical emancipation of the most valuable
class Of slave property and would to great extent rem
der unnecessary the provisions for the freedom Of such
slaves, otherwise particularly enacted tbs true the
Judge denies this position and hardly AVOID sme
at the gravity with which he declares that this does not
in law fact emancpate the slave, but merely snists
in military serDee 1t might not be amiss tn have some
definite understanding upon this point in which the
poor deluded slave quite much the plundered
ter may be supposed to feel lively interest Ia IL in
deed proposed after coaxng ignorant and dependent
creatures into the military service OF the country sending
them from State to State TO fight her bates exposing
them to disease and death in every FORM TO send back
again into slavery those who may suryve the copfct
Such must be the purpose Of the Government Judge
Bond would seriously tell he does, that this
lstment win not in law or fact emancpate the slave"
This is severe criticism, but who shall say that
it is not just? And when any policy Of the Ad-
mlnlStrNbon DtcOmcb Hapio W SUM opJeceiono hVni
loyal men, (for we presume nobody will question
the "loyalty" Of Gov. Bradford, we submit that
it becomes the duty, it is the right, Of all good
citizens to expostuate with the military authorities
in Washington against the longer tolerance of vic.
lent practices which the Governor Of Maryland as
sures us are i" alarming agitating, provoking, and
disgusting our Union.loving and Government-sup-
porting citizens" Of that State What makes il
more insulting to the citizens Of this gallant State
is the fact that they alone are selected for such
punitive infections of military violence. The peo
ple of Kentucky are not thus harassed in the
property or their homes, and surely it is not mean
to mete out one measure ef justice to Kentucky
and another to Maryland Whether the interest,
Of the Government of loyal shareholders, or Of th.
slaves themselves are concerned in the solution O
this question, we can see no propriety nor right
fulness in such determinations as regards loya
Slayeholding Stntes, where the only difference be
tween them is the fact .hat one is stronger thar
the other, ind that in Kentucky there are NOR,
slaves who could be abducted and enlisted in ou
armies than there are in Maryland. We should
therefore, naturally expect TO see Kentucky rathe
than Maryland made the recruiting field OF thu
new policy for replenshing the negro regiments, !
purely military considerations had any thing to d
,v;th tba pnatter Rot In x,;ouu of fba stendfas