The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-09-26
Address to the People OF the State.
Platform of the Unconditional
Union Party.

nc people or maryland are not likely
longer to submit the policy of tho State
to dictation of the slaveholdings interest.
The free white men arc the people of
Maryland who henceforth will dictate the
policy of the State, and it Is the Interest
of the free people of Maryland, especially
of the free lador,ny people, that slave
ry should cease to degrade LABOR.
The existence of slave labor is a dis
turbing element in our social relations !;
i'll our industry; our poll les.
1t creates aud maintains class of pre-
tenders to aristocratic superiority over
their fellow ci liens, which now splits in
to a thousand fragments the social sys-
tenn Of the State, and subjects labor to
the contempt of those who have negroes
to work for them.
1t excludes the immigration of free la
Dor into the State, and drives from it a
very large proportion of is native sons,
carrying with them their enterprise, in
dustry and education to swell the power
of the West.
Ii depresses the value of our lands by
repelling the inves of the en- cr
prising men of the Free States.
II keeps our agricultural system below
thai of he ncighboring Free States, by
the wastefuness, sloth aud Indifference
inseparabe frolw labor, without hope of
reward or the impulse of bcttcring its
condition or any interest in the results of
economy.
It's disordcring Influence on The wealth
and prosperity of the State is shown by
the difference between the free and slave
counties ; the former lie nor,h of the
Sassafras and Patapsco, the latter south
Of those rivers.
The free counties con aimed in 1850
$50, Ia cultivated acres, while the slave
roun les had LII ,G23 but the free
lands we're valued at SIT 1851 ,Gl5, while
the slave lands were worth on.y 4l,779,-
GIG
The farms in the slave counties aver
aged l43 acres each, wor h So, 1873; the
free farms, averaged lOl acres each,
were yet worth S4,933.
The free land was worth S4S. So: TIE
slave land $23 81, per acre.
Thus is the relations of the Slave
States to the Free States wonderfully
brought home to our very doors, and
made manifest wi,hln the narrow limits
of our own S ate.
The contrast is the'more striking when
we remember the assessed value of taxa
Die property in the free and the slave
parts of the State $2l0,72S,457 in the
slave part of the State only SOS, S95, $50.
The free counties alone are assessed at
Ss4,927,9S5
It's political effects arc not less remark
able When slavery was established it
was merely form of labor its con in
hance or ex;inc ion was question of po-
litical economy alone.
When it Was endowed with poll ical
power it became an instrument of amb-
ton !; and the vast aud unexpected ex-
tension of the cotton cultivation has made
it an instrument Of Immense power. To
cmancipa.e the slaves is to destroy this
power and to do that is Treason to those
who rule by it.
But it is not the owners of slaves only
who rule by Its power it is politicians
who own few or no slaves, who speak in
its name, and subject the very owners of
the property to their dictation.
1t is from this class of political adven-
turers that the rebellion has proceeded
it is this from whom the most virulent
opposition to emancipation will proceed ;
and we shall hear them in defence of
their instrument of power refusing the
slaveowners the liberty of changing
slaves for Uni cd States bonds.
This spirit of jealous domination has
seized on the State Government, and, in
the interest of slavery, has subjec ed the
majority TO the dictation of The minority.
The Government of this State consists
of p Senators, "A Delegates and Gov
ernor.
Each county or ely sends Senator
aud the number of Delegates named in
the Constitution.
The State is divided by the Patapsco
and the Sassafras rivers mo a Northern
and Southern potion, of which the
Northern is divided into eight counties,
the city of Baltimore being on the foot
ing of county politically, aud The
Southern in fourteen counties.
The Southern portion has, therefore,
IA Sena ors, clear majority of the Sen.
ate. In the o. her branch it has 81 the
Northern 40 members of the House of
Delegates.
Tie sou hern portion needs only 4
vo es, then, to give it ma ority of the
Delegates, and the control of the Legis-
lature.
Its veto in the Senate, if applied to
measures of interes in other parts of the
State, always suffices to secure the prac-
tical control on measures of common and
vital interest to The power or privileges
of the southern portion.
The white population in the Northern
is 3s5,G43; in the southern portion $780,
275: three.fourths, therefore, are in the
North and one-for,h in the South Of the
State.
1t is this one. fourth of the people of
the State who hold the majority Of the
Senate and the power to control the
House of Delegates. "a.
In the North 9,G4l white persons
have Delegate; in the South 1881
white persons have Delegate.
In the North 47,205 white persons
IL n