Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-08-18
MARYLAND MILITIA.
from the Baltimore Evening Loyalist. l

From the Baltimore Evening Loyalist.
=. We have been engaged now In three
years of war. -Four times Has MasylaAd
been invaded and yet not note 3f pre-.
paration is sounded and no arrangements
have been completed to prevent aA5thes
raid, carried on with the same success,
and, SO far us duf btate IS cuhccrned,
with equal IMMUNITY. =
The militia of Maryland at present
consists of one Governor and one Adju.
tant General had it not been 70,
the Loyal Leagues, Who turned ont SC
nobly during the last raid, this would
have been all the force in the power Of
the State to oppose the enemy. 1t was
indeed; iMust la,Mentablc I'd see city OF
$50, 900 inhabitants DIT tic iacrty Of SIX
or seven thousand Rebels, bit withee,
organization, without, leaders the Hebcls
had every opportunity and license.
Had this thing happened but once, We
might excuse our authorities Oh the ercft
of surprise. hut when 1t occurs every
summer, with the regularity of the sea.
sons, there is no excuse for the want Of
military preparation =,
Brave hearts are numerous and stall
wart men volunteered in thousands ri
the sound of alafrhI but neither Qoverno,
nor Adjutant General wefu PREPARED "a
lead Of furnish leaders to The host and al
that was donc was done, not BY reason of,
but IN spite Of, State authority,
Two regiments Of men have since or.
ganized. and applied for commissions for
their officers, but the Governor has re-
piled that he has five able gentlemen
hntvling cut military system for the
State, and dcclincs to commission them.
When these five able gentlemen shall
have brought forth system, which will
prevent what Gov. Bradford appears to
think a SINE qua non, any interference
with the farmers "during the busy sea-
son of harvcst,"--a system which will
take men from their trades in Baltimore
to defend The crops Ut tic rountics, VIC
viii probably have military organization
and not till then.
Maryland has not yet had officials who
were leaders Of the people. Her public
men, like tigurc-hcads to steamboats,, GO
only when they are pushed. They never
lead.
In this last matter of guarding the
Fu,tls N tho. Potomac, in which dprcr-
nor Gurti, has United with Governor
Bradford, there is no dcsru on the part
of the people Of Maryland. while they, if
they think proper, undertake to fortify
these fords, to shirk their duty to their
comnion cvuptry and be relieved from
furnishing sofjlt.s 10 Sic great armies of
the Republic. 49,.
When war WIS first declared our lead
ers PROTESTED against raising troops to
invtle sister States The troops when
raised settled that question by invading
Virginia. AftG' We had raised white troops
and the Government asked for black sol
dicrs, our authorities opposed it. Thepeo-
pie again drove them up to the point. The
Govcrrricnt rails ii the colored troops
ard 1000 White people were rslievcd from
the draft. -.
The Government asked for tvs fesi-
n,cnts of hri.Ire'i days mcnour author
titles insisted that M Who served one
huittrua days should W relieved from
three years service and ''ow, when an
other draft is upon It's, We beg that if we
guard our homes at the for,ls of the Po-
tomac, we may be relieved from the bur
den of our sister States. This does moi
smack we'll of Maryland spirit. This is
not an expression If Mafylsri loyalty
as our sister States have defended us il
days gone by, SO are We ready to furnish
our quota to stand the shock If arm.
side by side with THUR sons, and at th,
same time ptot,rt nhd defend ottr. elve
from every gang of robbers that hin,
cross the Potomac.