The Placer herald., 1864-02-27
THE DOINGS OF DESPOTISM.

Governor Bradford, of Maryland, in his
recent Message to the Legislature Of that
State, gives pretty full and clear exhibition
of the grose outrages perpetrated on the
loyal and constitutional rights of the people,
at their late election, in the following ex-
tract:
Il avail myself of this occasion to advert
to certain events connected with our recent
election which deserve your most serious
consideration.
1t would be much more agreeable 10 me
TO avoid al allusions to them. | cannot.
however, consistently with my sense of what
is due to the rights and honor of the State,
TO the office which 10y the favor Of its cti.
zens | occupy, or-l may with sincerity
add-to the cause of the Union ilsclf, in my
opinion, so intimately blended with the
cause of the law and Constitution, that any
outrage inflicted and especially in its name,
upon them necessarily to some extent recols
upon it.
A few days before that election a military
order was issued from the army headquarters
at Baltimore, which in effect, placed the
polls under the surveillance and at the conn
mand of the military authority.
| was less prepared for any such order,
from the fact that though in frequent peri
sonal communication with the military au
thorities Of the department, l had received
no intimation whatever Of such proceeding,
or of any supposed necessity for it. In that
part of the State against which the move.
ment seemed TO be more particularly direct
ed, the Eastern Shore,) there would seem to
have been less necessity, as there certainly
was less semblance OF authority than else
where; for whilst martial law had been
proclaimed upon the Western Shore of the
State in June last, and had not been repealed
up to the day Of election, upon the Eastern
shore it had never been proclaimed At ALL
You will be furnished with copy of this
order, and it is not necessary further to recte
it than to state in general terms that it was
to be executed by the military, aided by the
provost marshals. They were to arrest voters
whom they might consider disIoyal in ap-
preaching or hanging about the polls; a
prescribed form of oath was furnished; with
out taking which no one, if challenged, could
vote; and the several commanding officers
were charged to report to headquarters any
Judge of election who should refuse to adj
minister an oath, or to aid in carrying out
that order. The President modified the first
part Of the order on the Monday preceding
the election, but even that modification
seemed to receive no attention from those
entrusted with its execution, and was in
some instances openly disregarded.
Prominent among the provost narshas to
whom the execution of this order was in
part committed, were several who were
themselves candidates for important offices.
These Marshals, appointed for the purpose
of the militia enrolment and draft were
placed by the law creating them under the
control of the Provost Marshal General but
to insure the right to employ them about
this election order, special authority was
obtained from Washington to place them fol
the time being under the orders of the mill
tary authorities.
If with these facts before me, and seeing
the Judges of Election, sworn to conduct il
according to the laws OF the State, openly
menaced with arrest unless they recognized
the military authority and conducted it by
the rules which that authority prescribed,
had stood silently by and failed to assure
them of the protection of the State to the
extent Of its ability, | should have felt mysel
utterly unworthy of the place of its Chic
Magistrate.
|, therefore, on the Monday evening pre-
ceeding the election, issued proclamation
giving them this assurance, copy of which
is herewith submitted.