St. Mary's gazette., 1863-11-19
Governor Bradford's Reply 70 President
5.R i'H'ra Lincoln.
The Difficulty Befween the State and the
Military Authorities.
STATE OF MARYLAND, }
EXECUTIVE DspARrMnar,
ANNAPOLIS. November 3, 1863 J


His Ezcelleney. Abraham Liincoln,
President Of The United States:
SIR-Yours of the I'd instant, 10 reply
to mine of the 31s. ult.. reached ule to-day
after l had already read it in the Balti-
more papers Of this morning. Ysur Ex-
eslleacy has in this respect the advantage
Of me, for though following your example,
| shall send duplicate of this to the
Press. the probabilities are, looking to re-
cent events. that the military authorities
will not allow its publication
When l wrote to you on Saturday last.
had not been able TO procsre copy Of
the military order ia reference to the
al, ction, end acted merely on the rumors
of its character. When saw it, as did
for the FIRST time on Sunday / found it
evea more Objectionable than rumor had
rclreseutsd it; and when I vas shawn on
'salssssane day copy of your letter to Dir
Swann, in which you trust there is no
just ground for the suspicion he had ex-
pressed. and declaring that you fel,
mortified that shere could be doubt
upon this point Of your (his) Inquiry"
which poiut was suggestion bJ Mr.
Swami, ''that the election about to- take
place vii: be attended with undue iutsrfer-
ence on the part of persons claiming to
represent the wishes Of the Government"
rested satisfied that should receive from
you prompt eountermand of the order 10
question. /
III the sending out of one or mere regi-
nea,s of soldiers. distributing them among
several of the counties to attend their
places OF election, in defiance of the knowa
laws eft the State prohibiting their pre-
sei,cc; ordering military officers and Pro-
vost Marshals to arrest voters guilty, in
the epiniou Of such officers, of CERTAIN Of
fences; and msnacing Judges of Elections
with the power of the military arm in
ease this military order was not respected
Is not an undue interference" With the
freedom of elections. | confess myself
unable to imagine what it is. The prr-
port Of your Excellency's remarks. il, yorr
letter to INC. is confined chiefly to justi-
fication of the exclusion Of disloyal voters
from The polls by ,means Of the sdniipistra-
ton Of All oath Of allegiance. Without
stopping to analyze the particular oaih in
QUESTION. it may be sufficient TO say that
this clause of the order is by far the least
Objectionable OF the three.
Ii ary who were once citizens Of the
United States have been guilty OF such
conduct as justly DISTINGUISHES them, let
them take the Consequences. | for one
have not iEtcrfered and shall not Interfere
TO prevent it. But Insist that the Judges
whom the State has provided are tho ex-
elusive judges os the question OF such
citizenship. aud that they shall be allnwed
to exercise their own Judgment upon that
question. and shall never cease to pro-
test against any ai;eiept of the military
power, in loyal State. to control that
judgment-ani cspecislly against the Use
ut any threats tcudins'to coerce an oh>cr-
vance by ihese judges of any law which
sucsa power shall undertake 20 prescribe
The FIRST and taird section of the order
are the most remarkable items of che ar
bitrafy authority it assumes. The FIST
places all persons supposed 10 have given
'..aid and comfort or encouragement 60
persons engaged 10 the rsbelliun. and
those who ''do not recognize their alaegi-
ahce to the United States" at the n.,:rcy
of : si,iIitsry officer aud Provost Marshal,
aud orders the latter to arrest them when
approaching the polis.A &C.. aud the
third clause i'tiia.tss to the Judges OF
Election, in very unmisiakable terms. the
dangers they incur in case they disubey
the military authority. These sworn .s.i-
GERS af the Law have pew law prescribed
to them in this military order. and for dis
ooed'sncs OF which they are to be reported
To 'fLese headquarters" and mus, OF
course, take warning Of the cons. q uer,ces
that will ei.sue.