The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-11-03
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[Ffom the N. Y. Msthodist. !


!" coMEaI TH0U BLESSED OF THE LORD
Maryland Isl free free by fair vote 1T
was lair to exclude the ballots of outright
rebels, and the oath prescribed by the Com
ventlon was meant to exclude them. 1t was
tair to let the soldiers who wee fighting the
battles OF the country vote; who dare say it
was not? Ii the old constitution made no rdi-
rect provision for their vote, it was certainly
within the power Qf a convention appointed
directly by the people, for the reconstruction
Of the fundamental law Of the State, to see
well to it that the soldiers patriotism should
not rob him OF his, franchise. And the Con
vention did it. Itwould have been base and A
pusillaniEoHs not To ait, The, lower coun-
ties rolled up wonderful ajorities against the \
constitution, bat Baltimore city and the, in
Der counties and :. ...s soldiers outgo:ed them.
1t was close contest, hardly and stubbornly
fought, but Freedom and the Union have
clearly and rightfully won, and the good old
State rids herself of the life-long incubus of
slavery. ssaMe4 atsas sss sssne tsss 4
Such thing once done, is done forever
However it may be- with smallpox, slavery
once medicated out of the constitution of
State never attacks it again; like lightning,
itnever strikes twice in the same place. The
work might have been done more easily and
by greatly increased vote, but such gain
would have been met by a much greater loss.
II provision had been made for the compensa-
tion OF loyal owners. OF slaves, if the school
system had confined education to white chill
dreD. If the representation of the slave coun- 4
lies In the legislature had not been reduced,
multitudes OF votes which were cast against
the constitution would have been given for 1t.
The Convention was one of reform; nay, Of
revolution. They went to the bottom OF the
States ills. Their aim was to getrid Of sla-
very, and, as the enemies Of s'the great evil,''
they were but little inclined to propitiate its
lovers and upholders. They were determine
ed not only to destroy it, but to sponge out lis
marks, and to make a fun ndamental law suited
throughout to the new order. To accomplish
this, q read dstment of the ratio represents
tion was necessary; and this took power away
from the slave counties, and gave it to 'Bslti-
more and to the counties which are populous
with whites,
The question thus became one of power as
we'll as of slavery, and the friends of slavery
had thus another weapon placed in their hands.
Besides, the new Tree State, must, as FAR as
possible, ignore the prejudice against its freed
men, aud hence the constitution must provide
for education, irrespective of color. This
gave the Maryland rebels another advantage.
The accursed negro was to be educated"
and therefore elevaJed, aud, 70 the apprehep-
sion Of a certain class Of white people, this
was a. crime of almost unimaginable dimen-
sons.a Now, add to these the total refusal Of
any sort OF compensation, even to the most
loyal masters, and you have the forces which
the Convention threw in the way of enanci-
patton, that their work might be thorough,
and you have at the same time the magnitude
and value Of, the victory, .q.~.,.. ..,r- sa,ss
Maryland Is, therefore, thoroughly free /; the
work has been done from the very root. The
State whose old constitution contained clause
expressly forbidding the legislature to ..'abol-
ishi the relation OF master and slave p the
State which in 1850, under the head OF the
Immortal Jacobs, earnestly discussed the
question Of -enslaying the free blscks, and
which, under the same inglorious leadership,
allowed several counties to vote upon the
question of expelling these free people from
: their borders, has turned upon. the dragon and
slaughtered him. Instead OF re-enslaying the
free, she has loosed every bond; instead of
driving the black man out, she has provided
system of education which embraces him
without invidiously naming hun; instead Of
securing his master the right of property in
him, she frees him aud refuses to give COM
pensation. '7,..ei.A si. siis esEa VIZ sof
The war for the Union has brought its evils.
Homes and hearts have been rdesolated with
out stint, wealth has been sacrificed, but what
ever other States may have suffered, Maryland
~ seo.,ro nj oduancls raLvn an,a val5 IN ~
aid Msrvlsnd rsnds her w Wbat sts ses ~ -,
peace would have been required TO accom-
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