The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-04-10
The Emancipation Meeting 81 Balti-
more.

more.
Tho baltimore American of Saturday,
devotes six columns TO a report of the
great Emancipation meeting, held in
the Maryland Institute, IN that city ON
Friday evening. William J. Albert
Esq, presided.
WINTER DAVIS eEEcn
Henry Winter Davis made the first
speech. lie said:
We have made our nominations; our
enemies have made theirs: and the
question is. which OF the two are to fill
the seats OF the Convention? Are we
to have a convention opposed to eman-
cipaton, as the Legislature was opposed
to emancipation, and to the moral
power Of the coercion of the popular
vote 10 compel them to discharge their
duties Or shall we have a convention
composed Of the gentlemen we have
nominated, who 90 there for the pur-
pose~ Of executing the viii that the
people have expressed, and who when
they get there will have the manliness
and the resolution TO act up to the
duties that have been prescribed for
them? That, and that only, is the
question
The slaveholding counties, compris-
ing about one-lourth Of the white popu-
lation Of the State, have ruled the State
and imposed grievous burdens upon
the other sections. They have now set
up the claim for State compensation
for their worthless negroes, and they
expect to sweep the slaveholding
regions of the State and cause the six
teen or eighteen millions Of dollars Of
surplus that viii be raised in the free
part Of the State to be scattered broad
cast in the slave part Of the State, and
therefore they have great interest to
make it appear that slaves are property,
not merely by the conventional law
but in the nature Of things, and that
they are entitled to compensation when
that property ceases by law to be pro-
perry. And these men have the in
conceivable impudence to say they do
not 90 so far as l do, because they are
not in favor of negro equality and that
am, and that the gentlemen who act
we me are. They do not know when
they speak Of the gentlemen with
whom | act that they are libeling the
great body of the people of Maryland.
They do not know when they speak
of the gentlemen who stand with me
that they are the men who beat them
by 10000 majority last fall applause
They do not know when they attempt
to speak of the opinions that | express,
that they speak Of the opinions ratified,
against their libels, at the ballot-bOx
by the people of Maryland; and if they
want to know my opinion upon negro
equality, ! can tell them my opinion
upon that as upon any other question,
without any trouble at all ! am per-
fectlv content that the negro shall be
equal with them, but not with me or
my friends tremendous applause.)
In my judgment, they that are afraid
Of negro equality are not much above
it now Do they understand that?
Laughter In my judgment, they
that are afraid Of marrying a negro wo-
man had better 60 to the Legislature
and petition for a law to punish them
if they are guilty of that weakness
Laughter
Equality between the negro and theml
1t would insult my house servants TO
say that they were not their equals
Laughter and applause. What then?
Compensation for the invaluable right
of property the touching Of the in
alienable right OF property. And who
are they that have the insolence 10 make
Il. Il i L,
statute books of Maryland, for the last
forty years. plunderers of the public
purse for their private benefit; men
who passed a law to say that the proper
ty, should not be brought within the
limits Of the burdens of property, for
their special benefit-property which
they, by formal law, exempted from the
sworn appraisers OF the laW-pToperty
which in the counties they have said
shall be valued at an ordinary. and
disgracefully inadequate valuation
property which now, after it IS gone,
they estimate at thirty millions Of dol
lars, and two years ago when it was to
be taxed, the Comptroller report shows
they estimated at fourteen millions OF
dollars When they talk of the rights
Of property and pay for their negroes,
let them open their accounts with the
Comptroller of the State Of Maryland,
and pay back the plundered arrearages
Of thirty years Of partial legislation.
| [Great applause.
Have they right to appeal to the
laws of property? Why, they plumber
ed the slaves from the coast of Africa
| they cOnspired with their fellow robber
| to recognize them as property; they re-
| belled against the United States tomake
| themselves supreme over half the ter
| ritOry of the republic to secure their
| plumber; and when the fate of arms
and the eternal word of God have pre-
vailed against them, they say "the law
of property must be observed and we
must be paid | trust they will hunt
a paymastcr Laughter.
1t is Just as well to look facts in the
face as not l say they are going to
have-in my judgment, they will have,
in my purpose they shall have-no com
pensation from the Government of the
United States if ! can avert it. Tap
plause They refused the offer when
it was made, and when the acceptance
| Of it would have saved thousands of
lives and shortened this desolating re-
bellion; they spurned it, scoffed at it,
secuted at those who proposed it, did
their best to beat and defeat the project
in the councils Of the nation, and now
they may eat the bitter fruits OF their
folly.
Why should the United States pay
for a dead dog any more than the PEG
pie of Maryland? They do not free
their slaves now because they want,to
do so; but they free them because the
people Of Maryland have said they shall
be free; and after that is said, oh
well, if they are to be free we should
like TO be compensated for them
Compensated for wEat2 For that which
is nothing by the .fgt OF the people
which only awaits the forms of Law
compensated for ar absolute interest
which only has six months of life re
naming in it-compensated for slaves
made valueless as a house reduced to
no value by conhagration which burnt
it down
Because they have enjoyed uncom-