The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1866-06-23
The Cecil Whigg.
ELKTON, JUNE 23, 1866.
Maryland COpperheads and the
Registry Law.


State, is the emasculation of the Registry
Law by the appointment of such men, this
fall, by the Governor, as will virtually render
the law dead letter, by registering those as
voters, who showed their alacrity to over
throw the government of the State, and lead
it n dance of blood along with the eleven
States that tried the experiment Of empire
on their own hook. The men who ran away
from the State for the good of the State (if
they had only staid away and joined the
Rebel armies, and those who staid behind to
render more effective aid to their consorts
in arms, and BY every rule of justice and
common sense forfeited all right in the gov
eminent they attempted to destroy, are the
men who are now impudently clamoring for
the repeal of the Registry Law, and calling
on Governor Swami to appoint such tools as
they may recommend for Registers.
This demand, too is in the face of their
opposition and abuse ofthe Governor, whose
lifetime record is in opposition to the politi
cal teaching of those who, from Democrats,
ended their political career as traitors, for
ended it is,--lct them hope for, and promise
themselves what they may.
The Governors endorsement Of the Regis
try Law is too recent and unreserved for that
party to ground any hope on such an by
pothcsis, as his cooperation with them to
seize again the government they so recently
attempted to betray, we should suppose from
the sound reasoning and plain talk put forth
in his Message to the General Assembly,
January 10th, 1866. The Governor, in that
Message, says:
"The Registration Act was passed, as is
well known, at time when the ravages of
civil war, were desolatng our State. Large
numbers of our citizens, variously estimated
at from ten to fifteen thousand had left their
homes-taken up arms against their State
and subscribed to the most stringent oath of
allegiance, TO tho sn.callcd 'Cnnf"1 crate
States" do not propose at this time to
discuss events that have passed, farther than
TO refer to the acts of the Union men of that
day, in their praiseworthy efforts, to save
their State, from the threatened ruin which
lowered over it. ! would rather forget the
past, than reopen afrcsh, these fruitful
permitted to sleep. If these acts were rad.
ical and ultra, much more so, was the attempt
to revolutionZe the State, and break uo the
Union. Maryland surely could not have
ii regarded the first duty ofself. preservation.
1t has been alleged, that the dominant party,
who now control the State, represents n
minority of her aggregate population. If it
be SO, it is the more to be regretted, that so
large a number of our citizens, should have
identified themselves with the rebellion, as
to suffer the power, which the majority con.
trollcd, to pass into other hands Small,
however, rs the minority may be, it cannot
be denied, that it is the fair and legitimate
representative, of whatever there is of loyal,
ty among our people. They are the men to
whom you are indebted for the safety oeyour
State, and the property which you now injoy,
and without whose uncompromcsing devotion
to the Union, Maryland would have been
handed over to indiscriminate destruction.
The elective franchise is function of the
State. To confer or withhold it, is the pro-
vencc of those who are entrusted with the
formation of your organic law. Our citizens
engaged in this Rebellion have been received
with kindness and federation; they come
back, however, to be dealt with as the PEG.
pie in their wisdom may deem most expo.
dent. Threats Of resistance to the Consti.
tuition and Laws could hardly be expected
to facilitate them in rcsumi.ig the privileges
o. citizenship, which they have deliberately
aband oned. In the meantime, they have no
just right, in any fair view of their existing
relations, to complain of the hardships of a
law which they have themselves deliberately
provoked, and which intended no more than
to place the Government of the State, at a
time of imminent danger, in the hands of its
loyal defenders. Are they not the legitimate
guardians and depositaries Of its power?'
These being the views of Gov. Swami, sci
forth in grave State paper so recently as
the 10th of January and no material change
having taken place, in the political relations
of the State, those who were traitors then
being traitors unrepentant still-it seems like
an outrage to common sense for disfranchs
ed treason to even suppose that the Governor
could so soon reverse his views with regard
to the Registry Law and their right to enjoy
the privileges they so wantonly, deliberately
and wickedly forfeited.
The fact of Governor Swann's favorins
President Johnson's Reconstruction policy
should have nothing to do, that we can see
with aiding Rebels to usurp the government,
of the State of Maryland. That policy has
been superseded by the Reconstruction res
olutions, recently passed by Congress, and
now placed in the hands of the people fol
their endorsement. The Presidents policy
has been abandoned, and the platform O
the Union party OF the entire country is GIN
bodied in the plan Of Reconstruction organ
lied by more than two thirds OF Congress
whose Representatives are fresh from tho
people and speak the wishes of the people
EIenceforth there can be but two parties il
the country, the National Republican Union
party, and the Democratic Copperhead
Rebel party. 70 which of these politica
organizations does Governor Swami belong
The Democratic Doctrine as