The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1864-07-29

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courage to oppose it among those whose
desire to preserve repute for "loyalty" is
stronger than their intelligence or their
adherence to principle. And the presump-
ton was justified by the result, as but
a single member of the Convention, Mr..
Mace, of Baltimore county, among those
elected as "Unionists," had the perspicaci-
ty or independence to register his vote
against this Ubiquitous suggestion. Let
that man be held in honor.
1t is charitable to suppose that some
who voted for the measure did SO from
confusion of ideas with regard to the law
of special reprisals, and, as the Convention
has asked the President to do what every
enlightened citizen knows it is not possible
for him to authorize, it may be proper, for
the sake of indicating his conduct from
the aspersion to which he may be subjec-
ted from refusing compliance with this re-
quest, to state that the law of reprisal fur
nishes means of redress only between the
citizens or subjects of separate States, and
does not inhere in the States as against its
own citizens or subjects If one portion
of the people of Maryland are to be mule
ted in the amount of the damages sustain
ed by another portion in the late invasion
of Maryland, it can only be on the theory
'-rhat this portion of the people are citizens
of the so-called Confederate States, with
all the rights as we'll as all the responsible
ties of belligerents against the United
States ; allegiance and protection are cor
relative terms.
AS between the United States and the
so-called Confederate State, certain belli-
gerent rights are, pendente lite, recognized
ly each party to belong to the other
Among these reciprocal rights of war are
invasions of territory and levying of re-
QUESTIONS for the support of armies. Our
Generals invade the insurgent States and
forage on the enemy. The Confederate
Generals invade the loyal Sta es and for
age on the enemy. Each in so doing ex
ercises right of war while the war lasts,
however different may be the de jiure rela.
lions of the two belligcreuts. And the
insurgents, in the recent invasion, levied
their contributions alike on the "loyal"
and on the "sympathizers with the rebel
lion." They we're exercising a right of
war against the United States, and in SO
doing were no respecter of persons, for
they regarded every citizen of Maryland
as citizen of the United States And
now comes the Convention and petitions
the President of the United States to give
belligereut status in the courts of our
military judicature, to men whose lawful
allegiance to the United States is recog-
nized by the enemy.
We ought perhaps to beg the pardon of
our readers for referring to this topic,
which some of them may think unworthy
of the attention we have bestowed upon
it. But as the refusal of the President to
take the step to which he is urged by these
zealots in Annapolis, may subject him to
the imputatiou of being slack to avenge
the wrongs of loyal citizens, we have judg-
ed it proper to place this question in the
light of law and justice, that those whose
passions have blinded their Judgment may
be shown to have no footing on which to
bring a railing accusation against Mr.
Lincoln because of his failure to listen to
their advice.
If any sympathizers with secession in
Maryland aided and abetted the enemy
during the late raid, let them BE- brought
to justice, but let not the default of the
Government to protect all the law-abiding
citizens of Maryland in their rights and
property be made the pretext for despoil-
ing one portion of the people to reimburse
the other; and that, too, when all classes
OF the citizens of the State were treated
by the enemy with no discrimination.
We need not say that the impractica-
bility of This scheme of reprisals is only
exceeded by its theoretical impossibilisy.
On this point the Boston Daily Adoerti
ser justly says:
"There are many losses for which a
pccuniary compensation cannot be made,
some for which it cannot be estimated,
and many which it would pass any human
skill to assess equitably. For all these
the Union men of Maryland will have to
contrive their own indemnity, and to sus-
tain the burden as best they can. And
as the record now stands; it will be the
general judgment, we apprehend, that this
portion may be assessed as charge upon
them, with hardly less justice than the
other is assessed upon their rebellious
neighbors. Did not the Union men also
do something to invite the invasion, when
for year after year they failed to make
any sort Of provision for local defence p
Threatened in the first year of the war,
Maryland has been invaded for three
years in succession; and to what efficient
movement to provide for such danger can
she yet point She is not to be held full
ly accountable for the acts of rcbellious
children, but what special proofs of alac-
rity ard zeal for the defence of her terri
tory do her loyal sons show US? What
have they done to escape the Notifying
comparison which must be made between
their readiness for the defensive struggle
and that of the Rebel Virginians of Lynch
burg and Petersburg? Until some more