Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1864-10-21
The New Constitution of Mary.
land.

On Wednesday and Thursday next the
people of Maryland vote on the new con.
stitution which was framed by the con.
vention at Annapolis in the early part Of
September. There are some features ol
the contest in that state which give it a
distinctive moral grandeur. The first
article OF the declaration of rights, which
appears as a preamble to the new con-
stitution, atfrms that "all men are Great
q equally free that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain inalienabIe
rights, among which are life, liberty, the
the enjoyment of the proceeds Of their
own labor, and the pursuit of happiness. !"
This is the "root of the matter" If the
people of Maryland win this civil battle
they will take the highest honors Of the
field. There is no ''glittering generality"
in the phrase which cancels the word slare
from the laws
Article twenty-four Of the declaration
says .'tEat hereafter in this state there
shall be neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude, except in punishment Of crime,
whereof the party shall have been duly
convicted /; and all persons held to SER
vice or labor as slaves are hereby Ge.
clarcd Free
Section thirty.six prohibits the Cen
eral Assembly passing any law to CON-
pensate masters or claimants of slaves
emancipated by the constitution.
Lotteries are forever abolished by the
constitution.
Article i7e afirms the constitution and
laws of tho United States to be the sup
rene law of the land, to which every
citizen of the state owes paramount al
legiance. The legislature is to make pro-
vision for taking the vote of soldiers in
the field
Section four Of the Constitution pro-
yides that all persons who Lave aided
the rebellion in any way, or performed
any act OF war against the United
States or have been in any way associat-
ed with the "so.called Confederate States
Of America" or have sent mosey, or
goods, or letters, or information to the
enemy, or have advised any one to enter
the rebel service, or any one "who has by
any open decd or word declared his ad-
hesion to the cause of the enemy of the
United States, or his desire for the tri-
umph Of said enemies all such persons
shall be forever held ineligible to office
and incompetent to vote at any election,
unless restored by pardon to the full
rights of citizenship by two-tLirds vote
OF all the members elected to the two
houses of Assembly.
1t is made the duty of officers to re-
gistration and judges of election to ex-
clude all such persons from voting. The
oath to be administered contains the fol-
lowing precise words: THAT l have
never expressed a desire for the triumph
of said enemies over the arms of the
United States. Any one who declines
to take the oath is to be debarred from
voting but the taking Of it is not to be
received as conclusive evidence Of the
right to vote. The penalties Of perjury
are in waiting for false swearing. Any
one who has bribed or offered to give
money to another to induce him, or by
other influence to force him, to refuse to
vote for candidates for election for Presi-
dent and Vice President of the United
States, is declared disfranchised and in
eligible to public Office. The severest
penalties are attached to "colonizing"
voters from one district to another.
As whole the constitution is wisely
framed. If adopted it will join Mary
land, in every interest social and materi-
al, in bonds of the closest sympathy with
the free North.