Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1864-03-31

leu aloue, 10 hafu W say ~ 10 W. 'aii'
however, that they have no word of con-
demnation of the infamous rebels who
have plunged the nation into cruel war,
nor of encouragement and support to the
Government, which, amid many trials
and some natural errors of judgment, has
never ceased its efforts to subdue them.
A gigantic and accursed rebellion, which
has nearly struck death blow to all the
interests of our county; which has twice
invaded our State, bringing ruin and de-
vastation in its train; which has GRIM
soncd our soil with the blood of our
brothers and our sons poured out like
water in defence of our hearths and
homes; is only described as "our Ma
tional troubles"
Our "jails and alms-houses" are not
capacious enough to hold the "evildoers
and paupcrs" which immediate eman-
cipation would throw in our midst
Indeed. Do you still require those jails
and alms-houses for the reception and
maintenance of the runaway slaves of
rebel Virginians, at the expense of the
people of this County? How long since
have these Union" men been prophets
to foresee such an influx of vice and pau
perism upon u.s., as the consequence of
emancipation From whence comes the
inspiration which solemnly predicts such
calamities as these? But not. content
with prophecy, they &C, on to falschoods,
and with malignity -worthy of jeff
Davis himself, they saye "Nor are we
"quite prepared to bestow upon free ne
"groes the privilege of holding Office,
sitting upon juries. and testing against
white persons in courts of justice, as
Twas cngrafted in the manumisson bill
(Which was passed in the late House of
Delegates by Abolition votes" 1t will
be noticed by all CAREFUL readers that the
authors Of this "circular" use the terms
Abolition" and "Abolitionists" with
quite as much gusto as Beauregard him.
self, who first gave the order that the
loyal soldiers and citizens of the United
States should thus be characterized. But
what are the facts :? The Senate manu-
mission bill contained the following pro-
viso but no slave manumitted, or
hereafter to be manumisted, shall be en-
titled to vote at any election, or be capa-
BILE of holding any Office of profit or trust,
or of giving evidence against any white
person." In the House of Delegates it
was pointed out that the Constitution of
the State declared the qualifications of
voters; described who should be eligible
to Offices of profit Or trust; and that the
Code of Public General Laws already
provided that no negro or mulatto shall
be admitted as evidence where any white
person is concerned, in any Court or be-
fore any Magistrate. BY the Constitu-
ton and Laws, therefore, of the State,
the prohibition already existed, and, in
was mere surplusage in the
bill. 1t was stricken out without a
division. In that House there were sew
eral as keen lawyers, and as devoted pro-
slavery men, as any in the Union" Con-
vention, but they made no opposition to
striking out the above clause, or if they
did, they did not divide the House upon
the question. The bill went back to the
Senate with that amendment they re-
fused to concur, and committee of con-
ference of the two Houses was appointed.
The majority of that committee recon-
mended the House to recede from its
on the grounds above stated;
that it was of no effect whatever, accom-
plished nothing, and was but mere sur
plusage. That report was adopted, and
the Senate bill with its prohibitions passed
the House Of Delegates. Mr.. Stock
bridge, however, the Chairman of the
and one of the ablest and
purcst members of that Legislature, had
other objections to the prohibition, and
thus expressed them in written report
from the minority of the committee, from
which we quote the following paragraph,
and challenge any lawyer in the State to
deny the correctness of its conclusions
The House amendment simply strikes
" out of the bill clause wholly foreign
" to the subject matter of the bill, which
" is not specified or alluded to in the title
of the bill, and which belongs, and is
h" contained, in an entirely different ar
" ticle of the code. Its incorporation
&" into the bill make it embrace two en-
" tirely distinct subjects, while its title
"refers to but one, and is thus viola
" ton of the provisions of the Constitu-
&" ton. F."
So much for abolition" votes, seek
ing to engraft upon the laws of the State
provisions for making negro Office holders,
negro jurors, and negro witnesses. Y
1t is Characteristic of certain kind of
+" Union" men to laud, even at this late
day, Gen. Mcclellan. We are not sur
prised to find a specimen of it in the pa
per we are reviewing. What cause is
Gen. Mcclellan still ready and willing to
do battle for a? The rioters in New York
last summer. hanged. burned, and de-
stroyed, hurrahing for Mcclellan. Their
cause was to prevent the government from
getting soldiers to put down the rebellion