The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer., 1864-01-29

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Interesting Debate in the q. S. Senate.
We clip from an exchange the follow.
ing remarks of the Hon. Reverdy John
son, of this State, delivered in the United
States Senate, on Saturday, the 18th in.
slant, during debate on the Enrolment
Act, in reply to Wilson of Massachusetts,,
in regard to the interference of the militia
ry in the late election
Mr.. Davis thought the loyal States
should be confined to their own limits in
getting recruits. a large portion of the
labor of Kentucky was performed by
slaves, and yet the Secretary of War would
sooner enlist slave than white man in
the border States, thus stripping those
States Of their laboring class to serve as
substitutes for the Northern laboring men,
who were kept at home. Yet Kentucky
and Maryland would be expected to fur
nish their quotas, while their laboring
population is carried off at the instance
of the Secretary Of War, whose purpose
was to undermine and break up the in.
stitution of slavery in these States. This
had been his plan in Maryland, and has
worked to leave the old men, woman and
children, helpless on the hands of the
whites, so as to disgust the people with
the institution. Kentucky would rather
furnish five men than one negro, because
recruiting negroes dcmoralizes the whole
slave population.
Mr.. Wilson, of Massachusetts,, was glad
the Government was about csta blishing
the policy in regard to slaves which he
had urged upon them for months past,
and went on to refer to the success of that
policy in Maryland, and the evident sen.
timent of the people there as evidenced
by the late election. ..f...
Mr.. Johnson, of Maryland, said the
people Of Maryland did not believe that
colored troops could do the duty of white
men. AS regards the late election there,
it has been conducted in disregard of all
tho laws of Maryland, and the organic
law relative to the qualification of voters,
it having been determined by the military
commander that no one should vote except
he took an oath prescribed by that COM
mander. In addition, the military had
an order to arrest any man about the polls
whom they thought. proper, and arrest
judges of election who should decline to
administer that oath, and in the execution
Of these orders men were arrested miles
from polls, and judges Of election also ar
rested. ,, ........r
From the Eastern Shore of the State
some we're brought to Baltimore before
the election, and in one case be knew it
was not because they were opposed to
emancipation in Maryland, but because
they were in favor of gradual system
rather than immediate emancipation.
They were thrown into prison, which,
to the disgrace of the city, had been used
as q slave prison in the time of the slave
trade they were released, and told it was
an outrage, that the particular command
ant on that Shore had exceeded his autho.
rity, and were sent back to Chestertown
next day but when they got there and
delivered the letter whish they bore, the
deputy on opening it found that it was to
release all the rest and retain two. The
effect of all this on the election was re-
ferred to, and Mr.. johnson declared that
if these proceedings had not been resorted
to, he could say that the gentleman, (Mr.
Creswell, who occupied the seat in the
other House from that Shore, would not
be there. He did not say this out Of any
patizanship or disrespect to the gentleman,
for he thought he hlled the place with
honor but greater outrage than these
proceedings was never perpetrated upon
freemen. .s
Mr.. Harlan said tho question was whcth-
er the disloyal shall BE- allowed to- vote,
and hc supposed in case Of an election
occurring ii Maryland when Lees army
was there, when il tho Rebels had put
Of their uniforms, they might have be-