The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1866-01-18


treat with the Government on the sub
ject He recommends the appointment
of Commission to revise the laws re-
lating to the former status of the negre
He is opposed to changeof the regis
tration law, any modification of which.
he would leave to the decision, "a year
hence, of the small minority which now
controls the political affairs of the State
and whose retention of place and power
is wholly dependent upon the exclusion
from the ballot-box of all those who are
opposed to them.
We will here insert all that.the Gov
ernor says in relation to this important
subject:
The act passed for the registration Of
voters, in lutheran ce of the require
ments of the Constitution, has been
threatened, I regret to say, with resist
ance in some parts Of the State, chiefly
among those who, in face of the decision
of our highest judicial tribunal, persist
in denying, its eonstitutionality, and OBJ
jeet to the oath Of allegiance which it
imposes. / trust and believe that such
threats are confined to a very small class
of our citizens. The intention Of both
the Constitution and the Registry law
was simply to protect the State against
treason and to show distrust Of those
who had been connected with it. Com
plants have been made that abuses
have arisen in the, execution of this law,
and that qualified voters as we'll as 9TH
ers have been arbitrarily disfranchised
upon frivolous ans. irrelevant issues,
growing out of mistaken views of the
purpose and D.eaning of that act. I am
sure that TIE Legislature designed no
more thsn that the provisions of the
Constitution should be strictly complied
vita, without the remotest intention Of
interfering with any loyal citizen emit
lied to the right of suffrage. The law
would haze been less liable to abuse had
it embodied the feature of appeal to
some competent tribunal The Regis
tration act was passed, as is well known,
at time when the ravages Of civil war
were desolating our State. Large num-
bers of our citizens, yariously estimated
at from ten to fifteen thousand, had left
their homes, taken up arms against their
State and subscribed to the most strin-
gent oath of allegiance to the so-called
Confederate 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 threatenedruin which lowered
over it. | would rather forget the past
than open afresh these fruitful sources
of irritation, which should now be per
mitted to sleep. IF these acts were rad
ieal and ultra, much more so was the
attempt to revolutionize the State and
break up the Union. Maryland surely
could not have disregarded the frstduty
of self preservation. It has been al
legged that the dominant party, who now
control the State represents minority
OF her aggregate population If it be
50, 1t is more to be regretted that SO
large a number of our citizens should
have identified themselves with the re.
bellion as to suffer the power which this
majority controlled to passltinto other
hands. Small, however, as the minori-
ty may be, it cannot be denied that it is
the fair and legitimate representative of
whatever there. is of loyalty among our
people. They are the men to whom
you are indebted for the safety of your
State and the property which you now
enjoy, and without whose uncompromis-
ing devotion to the Union MARYLAND
would have been handed over. to indis--
criminate destruction. 1895
The elective franchise is function Of
the State. To confer or withhold it is
the province 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 people, in their
wisdom, may deem most expedient.-
Threats of resistance. to the Constitu.
ton and laws could hardly be expected
to facilitate them in resuming the priv.
ileges Of citizenship which they have
deliberately abandoned In the mean.
time they have no just right, in any # fair i
view Of their existing relations, to com
plain Of the hardships of law which
they have themselves deliberately pro
voked, and which intended no more
than to place the government of the
State, at time of imminent danger. in
the hands of its loyal defenders. Arc
they not the legitimate guardians and
depositaries- Of its power
The repeal of the Registration act, in
my judgment, will not materially benefit
any class of voters who have been here.
tofore disfranchised underits provisions
The oath Of allegiance prescribed by the
Constitution makes it. incumbent .upon
the judges of election to do substantial
I " what the Registers are required to dc
under a fair and proper Interpretation
oftheir powers. As the Executive Of
the State, | do not feel authorized te
recommend Republication, by the Legis.
lature, of the organic law Of your State
by any; radical modification ofthe terms:
OF the Registration Act To alter Of
amend the Constitution, upon which
this Act rests, would require the sane.