Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-03-17
The Emancipation question.


To THE LOYAL PEOPLE OF MARYLAND;
The undersigned, members of the Gen
cral Assembly, congratulate you, that the
first legal step has been taken in the re-
demption of the State.
The bill to take the sense of the people
on the call of Constitutional Convention,
and to provide for its assembling, has be.
come a law.
In its essential features it embraces all
that was struggled for during the cam
paign of last fall. The vote of the pco-
pie is to be taken on the sixth of pril,
and the Convention, if the people vote to
call one, is to assemble on the twenty
seventh of the same month,
If the people now do their duty, Mary
land may stand in few months as one Of
the Free States of the Union.
The Importance of the issues of the
election of the sixth of April--the danger
that the will of the people may be de-
fcatcd-the wiles of pretended and the
weakness of lukewarm friends, and the
now apparent organization of open enc
mies-lcad us to address you a few words
of warning and advice.
We are in favor of Emancipation, i'm
mediate, final, unconditional, unfettered
by negro scrfdom, unaccompanied by any
oppressive burdens on u people, whose
dearest interests have been sacrificed
whose blood has been shed, whose fields
have been laid Waste in a war, sclfshly
waged by armed traitors in the interest
and Or behalf of Slavery.
We call on you to see to it that such
Emancipation shall be the result of the
Convention.
We eXhot you at once to organize and
work, to bring out every vote for Con-
vcntioa, and for candidates who are in
principle and feeling hearty supporters of
immediate Emancipation.
You are aware, fellow citizens, that the
representation in that Convention, on the
present Constitutional basis, gives to the
small counties vote vastly cut of pro.
portion to their population.
1t is necessary that solid vote should
be. sent up from the Loyal and Enamel.
{ patton parts of tho State in favor of de-
, cided action. H H
The opponents of the Convention have
: determined to rally their votes against the
call. They hope that the idea that tho
: Convention will certainly assemble may
e cause the friends of Convention care
lessly to be absent from the polls.
; 1t is only necessary for the friends Of
the call to vote, to carry it by such a ma
jority as shall make it overwhelming in
r its moral effect.
s You must not forget, fellow citizens,
that the triumphant march of the armies
of the Republic, lifting its banners il
every State of the Rebel Confedcracy
has modified the utterances and profes
sions, ut least, even of the lSccessioats,s of
: Maryland. Those among them who as.
pire to public position, who will seek
seats in the Convention, will not come be.
fore the people as Rebels. They profess
It now to be State-rights Democrats, and
G are endcavoring to put themselves side by
side with the Woods and Vallandigham.
, of the North.
Some part of our people need to b,
warned even against them. We have
q seen them in this General Assembly, oc.
cupying high positions by their admitted
0 abilities, and studiously denying the
, charge of being Rebels; yet on every
question that could test opionion, whether
$ it has been to offer bountics to our patri.
otto volunteers, to relieve their families
: by the appropriation of money, to return
the thanks of the State for their gallant
conduct to our soldiers and sailors, to
present the Stars and Stripes, in the name
of the State, to the soldiers of Maryland
} they have voted, solidly and squarely
f against every loyal and patriotic measure
Again, their are two classes of Eman-
, cipationists in Maryland 1t has beer
said frequently that everybody is in favor
$ of Emancipation. If this means merely
t that most men believe that slavery is Ell
Y Their dead or near to death in Maryland
= and that Emancipation may be necessity
:, it may, perhaps be true. Many people
J loyal and disloyal, are beginning to think
that Emancipation is the most profitable
: way to sell their slaves. They regret tina
g slavery has been brought so low they
! would do all in their power now to raist
it from the dead, or stimulate its sickl,
body to new vigor.
If it must be parted with. they wan
/, seats in the Convention to sell it out or
{ the best terms to save as much Of it a.
. is possible. They yield merely to ne.
ccssity which they cannot control. If
when the Convention meets, Slavery j.
evidently dead, they will make the bes,
bargain for they sale of the corpse. II
circumstances should change, ii the ia.
, vorite institution can still be saved, they
J will try to save it. Some of these men
, are loyal, but they disnpprove the policy d
! the Administration they regret that the
war has affected slavery, and believe that
/ Iits.abolishment can have no effect to re-
store the Union on permanent basis.
They prefer the Union with slavery to the
Union without slavery.
We and you, fellow-citizens, are for the
Union with or without slavery, under all
circumstances and in every contingency,
but we prefer the Union without slavery,
to the Union with slavery. Z" We believe
there can be no permanent peace in this
country while slavery remains" We
have no regrets that the efforts of traitors
to elevate the institution to supreme power
have brought it to ruin.
We rejoice that this war gives the peo-
! pie Of Maryland the opportunity to re-.