Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1863-02-06
AlarpIauN Affoirs.
REPLY OF MR. MADDOX, OF ST. MARY's
CO., TO GOV. BRADFORD's LETTER.
LEogARDrowN, Jan. 22d, 1853,

O4EIy tdTu'
DEAR SIR-To my communication of
the 9th Of January | received your re-
ply of the 18th instant-since which
time l have been confined to my bed, in
tending to answer at some future day to
your address; but the GAZETTE, received
this morning, surprised me by the publ
cation of our correspondence. Therefore
Ishall take the liberty Of addressing you
through the same medium--having the
same consent from you, Of publicity, that
you had Of ne.
You will excuse me when | say that
letter addressed to you through the pa
pers, under the same circumstances, will
compel me to touch upon matters which
might have been left out between US in a
business point of view--the only point
on which l thought proper to write
when entering upon this correspondence,
The first paragraph of your reply is
confined to a statement Of what l desired
from the Governor of Maryland, for the
purpose of protecting our rights in St.
> Marys county.
Had you stopped, in your reply to me,
at that part of the second paragraph
where you state that the " ordinary pro-
cess Of judicial proceedings would be rem
dered utterably impracticable on account
of the nature of tue circumstance which
surround US" | would have been as well
satisfied of your inclination to fulfil the
performance of your duty, as Governor
OF Maryland, as was Of the noble action
Of that distinguished jurist, the Chief JUS
tice Of the Supreme Court of the United
States, on the return Of the Marshal Of
the State Of Maryland in the Merryman
case. But unhappily for you, and for
the State you represent and her future
fame, you did not stop there. You went
further, and undertook to endorse the ac-
ton of an Administration-th ridicule
of the world-infumous to mankind. The
assumption of whose power, and action
under it, is disgrace to civilization--an
Executive violation of the sworn support
of the Constitution in the destruction of
the rights Of the people-the imprisou-
ment of citizens without proper judicial
authority--the suspension of the habeas
corpus---the midnight search of persons
and houses appropriation Of pro-
perty without an equivalent. All these
things, sir, you endorse in act, however
you may disagree with the Admins
tration in opinion What is your opinion
worth to the people over whose affairs
you rule, when you tell them that whilst
you differ with the Administration in its
shameless perversion Of the Constitution
and laws, you, nevertheless, are content
TO act with til
Mr.. Lincoln has said in his inaugural,
the 4th of March. 1861, " that he had
no purpose, directly or indirectly, to in
terfere with the institution Of slavery in
the States where it then existed He
believed he had no lawful right to DO so,
and he had 9A~inclination to do so Ar.
Lincoln at tt time was President Of tile
United State1the Commander-in-C Chief
of the Army and Navy Of the United
States. As military cbiaftan, I suppose
he knew his rights Do YOU, sir, plead
ignorance for him? or-as you are to
stand by the action Of the Administra-
ton, and do as it wants you, whether
YOU violate your oath Of office or not
will you tell me, sir, 10 which opinion Of
the Executive you adhere-the opinion
Of March 4th, 1861, or the opinion Of
January LIST, 1868? Read them, sir
You will find them so entirely different
that it will puzzle even your extreme
loyalty to reconcile them to that extent
as would entitle you to the credit Of con
sistent loyaltyin following both Further
still. The Executive opinion Of March
4th, 1861, was upon his entrance into
Office; the rebellion was in existence. -
The President had then taken the posi-
ton Of Washington and Jackson, and
had determined TO do right.
Did biz opinions have the same inhu-
ence on you at that time as they had af-
ter he had stated that the Abolition pres
sure was SO great upon him that hemust
advise the border States and abolihouize
the South Now, sir, does the Governor
of Maryland pretend to say that his wis
dom induces him to follow the President
in all his inconsistencies, even IT the
President gives assurances that those in
oonsistencies are practised for the pur-
pose Of suppressing the rebellion"
Your third paragraph lays the blame
Of tho disruption of the Government and
Union to the yauliing ambition Of certain
Southern eonspirators. To be a couspira-
tor now. North or South, is like being
Rebel ia the war of the Revolution
What you would call conspiracy and
treason" often arise from trua patriotism
the protection Of rights against tyran-
ny. The term treason in the loyal States,
is perverted to mean, men who stand upon
those rights You, sir, are no conspra-
tor or traitor, for you have no "righ's "
to maintain
/. sir, have committed no act against
tho Government Of The United States