The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1866-08-24
Let All Register.

who knows himself disqualified, to ask for
registration. Abide by the law while it is
in force, and until it is repealed or modified
vast numbers in this as we'll as other counties Of
the State, who are not disqualified by law, and
it is to this class that we address ourselves
That the law was enacted at the wrong time
and purely for party purposes, we admit but il
is on the statute book of the State and while
there must be obeyed. 1t is well known fact
that the convention which framed our present
Constitution, which provides for a registry law,
was elected and called together at time of great
excitement and when the public mind was alto
gether unfit for the duty of changing our organic
law; and that said convention did not represent
the sentiments of one-third of the people of the
State of Maryland; and the sane may be said of
the Legislature which framed and passed the
registry law If there ever was a time when
this law was necessary, that time has passed, at
least for its rigorous and ungenerous execution.
There are no longer hostile armies arrayed against
each other. Peace rcigns throughout the coun-
try, and the signs of the times are big with hopes
of contented and united future No man now
declares his opposition to the government, and
few men in this State ever did. The most that
ever was done by any of the persons now charged
with disloyaty, was to assert their opposition to
the administration of Mr.. Lincoln, but not TO the
government But men holding certain political
notions are not 10 be registered, so say some of
tho WON l6- bn laval
tional Union man, and is now unregistered, he
is not to be registered under any circumstances,
say these sticklers for loyalty; for this, and
nothing else is what all the clamor raised against
the manner in which the present Registers are
discharging their duties means Now, there was
a time in this county, when TO be a conditional
Union man was not SO high crime as it is
thought to be just now.
In looking over file of old papers, published
at Bel Air in 1860 and '6l, we find that meet
ings without regard to party were held in every
district in the county. On Tuesday, the / 9th
day of February, 1861, a Union mass meeting
convened in Bel Air. II. D. Cough ESQ.,, was
"unanmously' chosen President, and George
W. Hall and John Mitchell, ST., were "unani-
mously' chosen Vice Presidents, and Charles B.
Hitchcock and r. |. jackson, Esqs., were ap-
pointed Secretaries. A committee on resolutions
was then appointed, consisting of II. W. Archer,
Dr. Joshua Wilson, Robert s. Rodgers Hamilton
Lefevre and S. S. Johns. During theabsence of
the committee, the meeting was addressed by H.
d. Cough and L. NJ. Allen, Esqs. Among the
resolutions passed expressing II strong attach
ment to the Union, we find the following
9Th. ReSOIUed, That while we disavow the
right of secession as Constitutional remedy, we
recognize it as revolutionary right which is in
alienabe. And while we admit the right of the
General Government TO protect its property and
enforce the laws, we are opposed to and earnest
ly deprecate the coercion of seeding States
which would inevitably lead 10 civil war, and
tend to destroy, instead of saving the Union -
We would rather counsel iorbearance and mode
ration on all sides, and if it be found that we
cannot live together in harmony under the Con-
sttuticn our fathers formed, let us as brethren
agree TO part in peace.
On Saturday, the 22d day of December, 1850,
district mass meeting, without distinction of
party, convened at Dublin. Henry G. Stump,
Esq, was called to the chair; DR.. Parker For
wood and Henry A. Silver, Esq, Vice Presi-
dents, and Ed. Quares Secretary. The meeting
was addressed by the Rev. Mr. Lennon, Fl. A.
Silver, Thomas Brannan and {. NJ. Allen. Res
olutions were passed strongly in favor of the
Union, and among which we find the following:
Fifth-That while the gratitude of every citi-
zen of the United States is due to Hon. j. J. Crit
tenden, Hon. John G. breckenridge, Hon. Alex
ander ID. Stephens, and to many other patriots
in high places for their able efforts to preserve
the Union, the conduct and language of section
al agitators in and out Of Congress, North and
South, merit the condemnation of every lover of
his country
Slxth-That we hereby extend TO the people
OF the whole South, from Mason & Dixon's line
to the Gulf of Mexico, the solemn assurance that.
it all peaceful means shall fail to redress our
wrongs, we shall be ready to abide with them
the solemn issues that such failure may involve.
We could insert the proceedings of other meet
ings in the county to the same effect but defer
them for want of room, and for the reason, that
the above are sufficient for our present purpose.
We make no complaint against the gentlemen
who composed these meetings, nor against any
resolutions which they passed, and merely call
attention to their proceedings, to show that but
month or two before the war actually broke
out, and after some of the States had passed acts
of secession, we were, in the main, conditional
Union men and that we met together, without
regard to political differences and passed, not
unconditional Union resolutions" but condi-
tional Union resolves. Now, this is about the
position which the people held at the breaking
out of the war. Certain it is, that there were
no unconditional resolutions passed at any pub
lie meeting that we have any knowledge Of
If men who eulogized John G. Breckenridge
and Alexander H. Stephens, and gave to the
South assurances-as did the gentlemen compos-
ing the Dublin meeting-can be permitted to
change their opinions and become unconditional
Union men, entitled TO all the privileges of the
elective franchise, why cannot the thoughtless
individual, laboring under excitement, who used
unguarded and meaningless language, also re-
pent and be admitted to the privileges of the