Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1865-08-31
CENTRAL COMMITTEE

kbp <ho q hSStibS hSit III iipWdiu NpuilS
on last Saturday for the purpose of endorsing
President JoHNsoN's reconstruction pc licy,
Hon MONTGOMERY BLAIR delivered lengthy
speech, in which he took occasion to "dress"
Messrs. SEWARD, STANTON. CREswELL, and
others, and wound up in grand attack on
the Registration Law. Judging from the
tone of Mr.. BLAIR's speech, we would natural
" arrive at the conclusion that he was in n
very bad humor. He speaks of the Regis
:ration Law rs an instrument (Which threat
ems to disturb the harmony of our people,
and to plant ranking and bitterness in tho
hearts of our neigh5ors." The individuals
who feel the unpleasant effect of this law are
those who used every efforts in their power to
disturb the harmony of our people" during
the four years of Rebellion with which we
we're cursed, and ifthey are our neighbors and
their hearts are filled with ranking and bit
.orness. we have only to say, let them rank!e.
They have been the sworn enemies of loyalty
law, order, peace, and prosperity. They
have hated Union men and Union doctrines
with all the intensity of their natures, and
their hatred has rather increased than dinin-
ished. They have waged POLITICAL social
and physical war. upon the most uncharita-
bic and uncl.ristan pretenccs They have
failed most signally in their unholy designs,
and must accept the result of the arbitration
which they courted They must be taught
that "treason is crime which must be pun
ished."
Mr.. BLAIR says that three members of the
dominant party in each election district have
absolute power to disfranchise whom they
please. and in.imatcs that the fate of every
applicant for registration is in the hands o.
secret inquisition, which decides his fate
without any consideration in regard to the
right or the wrong of the thing. but under
the sole influence Of prejudice and passion
He claims that the law is unconstitutional,
and that there is no justification for it, Now,
CHS is Mr.. BLAIR's opinion, at least he says it
is, and we must accept it as such. His as
sertion as to the power of three members to
disfranchise whom they please is absurd, and
the imputation Of total absence of honor and
justice on the part of the Registration Officers
is ungenerous and unwarranted. Those Off
GERS. so far as our knowledge extends, are
honorable and respectable gentlemen, and
their action up to the present time has been
marked by a straight forward aud consistent
course. The law prescribing the qualifca-
tons requisite to entitle men to the right of
suffrage was given them for guidance. The
are all set forth in the plainest
manner. and the questions are easily UNDER
stood and easily answered. They are not
couched in mass of words which leaves
their meaning doubtful, but are plain ques-
lions asked in plain manner and requiring
= plain answer. They were not gotten up for |
the benefit of disloyal men, but for tho pur-
pose of guarding the rights of the people who $
have been true to their faith. and who of a I
right should control the political affairs of the q
State. Would Mr.. BLAIR have all restraints /
torn away from the ballot-box and allow an |
exercise of the right to vote ? q
Would he have the men who have fought and /
worked and wrote and talked and preached I
against us, and in opposition to our interests, S
now to take charge of our political and social q
affairs? If not what would he have p h
We confess our inability to answer this \
question. unless, as we strongly suspect. ii
be wants to create political capital, and has 0
AIKEN this question as his base of operations
The strife. for political ACKNOWLEDGEMENT has
.uined many good cause. and will doubtless :
uin many more. We urge upon every good 9
Union man in the State of Maryland to use I
very exertion to secure and maintain the Q
unity of the party-to crush out all these !
chickering's. and to frown down every attempt
o disrupt the party Harmony is absolutely u
md imperatively necessary to success, and we
rave no use whatever for the man who will f
'ttsmpt to create division of his party, and y
lace in jeopardy the principles of that party Q
n order to advance his own personal pros. j
'ects. EC