The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-04-18
j.)ublir affairs.
Gov. radford's Reply to the
Stewards of the Central M. r..
Church of Baltimore,
STATE or MARYLAND,
acknowledgements.
AySAPOIIS, March 10th j SG3.

TO MtsSrs. Johu N. Buell. and otterS,
ttn.rards Of Central NJ E.. Churcb, &c.:
Geniiemen. Your let err of the 3rd
inst. has been received and | avail my
self of the first opportunity allowed by
other engagements to reply to it.
You commence by say ing that having
been by an OK ra ordinary order of Major
General Schenck deprived of the right
and privilege of holding public worship,
except upon conditions prescribed by
him, you feel constrained to make appli
cation tome for that relief and protec-
tion which is guaranteed by the Consti-
tuition and laws Of Maryland, and which
you say you are well persuaded is en-,
tircly within my power to afford
| have looked through your letter
with some interest and curiosity to ascer-
tain, if could, wha is the particular
relief aud protection which you have in
view, and which !, as you think, have
clearly the power to afford. But there
is nothing that indica es how or by what
process you expect ne to Interfere to
redress The grievance of which you cou-
plain. Under our system of government
its various coordinate departments arc
carefully scpara ed and distinguished,
and it is dis inctly declared by our Con-
sti ution that no person exercising the
functions of one of said departments
shall assume or discharge the duties of
any other" Such beng the case, 1t
rarely. if ever, happens that any personal
wrong inflicted upon the citizen is, in
the first ms ancc, proper subject OF
complaint to the Executive. That de-
partmcnt of the Government is not
adapted to the investigation, always
necessary to be made, determining the
character and extent of all such wrongs.
This is a duty confided to the judicial
tribunals, which can ascertain the facts,
apply the law, and provide the appropri-
ac remedy.
If. therefore, you have been wrong
fully outs ed from your place of worship,
or suffered any unlawful in eruption in
your religious exercises, the cours Of
the State are obviously the only tribu.
mails where all the circumstances can be
properly investigated, and your legal and
cons iiuional rights lawfully determined.
This view of the case might perhaps
relieve ME of the necessity Of further
reply to your communication but as it
would seem that ;hc same considerations
could scarcely have escaped your own
notice, and as you have gone with such
par icularity in o the full history Of your
association, aud of the alleged outrage
upon its rights, it would seem that you
may have expected that, if could dc
nothing more, might express sympa-
thy in your complaints and utter some
protest against the proceedings which
have led to them. l. is due, therefore
to you, and to myself, as well as to that
frankness | desire always to observe il
all communications with my fellow cti-
zens, that should take more parsictl-
lar notice of he facts you have brought
to my attention.
In making your statement you say
that you deem it essential TO a proper
understanding of the subject to rccur tc
the early history Of your separate organ
izat,on. Hence you advert to the pro-
ceedngs of the General Conference Of
your Church at Buffalo, IN May, 1860
and to an obnoxious addition which that
body made to the Discipline of the
Church, as the cause of your separate
organization in 1862 You refer, also
to the proceedings of The lay members
OF the Church, repudiating the new arti-
Gle of Disclplinc-the one in Baltimore
in December, 1860, and the other at
Staunton, in March, lS6l-and you
quo the action of the Baltimore con-
ference of Ministers, at the last men
toned date, as declaring that the action
of the General Conference referred 10
has sundcrcd the ecclcsias teal relation
which has hitherto bound us together as
one Church." Whilst these proceed
ings may, no doubt, be matter of inte-
rest in your Church history, neither hey
nor the action of the highly respectable
gen leman whose names you quote in
connection Herewith, have, as it APP
pears to me, any material bearing on the
subject of your complaint. liz
canhoi, however, forbcar saying that