The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-10-20
The Registry Law.

If ever a law solemnly enacted was trampled
upon and rendered nullity, it is the Registry
law of this State, 1t was adopted as a PrOtec-
ton for our people,. 1t was thought by our
Unionists wise measure of precaution that, for
awhile at least only loyal men should have a
voice in the administration of our State Govern
ment-that those who had sided with the trail
tors of the South, who had upheld their cause,
and aided them, directly or indirectly, in over
throwing the Government, should not have a
chance to further injure US at the polls. Hence
the adoption of the Registry Law, measure
commended by all loyalists. 1t placed Mary
land in her proper position in the Union. 1t en-
couraged loyal men ; they elected loyalistss as
their rulers, and our State came out of the late
conflict with no taunt of treason upon her es-
cutcheon. But we still had need--perhaps greater
need-of this measure of political safety. Con-
quered in the field, their cherished hopes of sep
arate government destroyed, the rebels began
looking towards the balot-box as means of re-
gaining control of our State they would ac-
complish in politics the very ends they had strug-
gled for and lost by the sword. They demand
ed that the elective franchise be restoredto them,
and here faithless Governor came to their aid.
Thomas Swami had been elected to the highest
position in our Commonwealth under that Reg
istry Law without it he would never have sat
in his present position. Loyal men trusted him /;
he had decided the law 9 a wise measure Of pre-
caution :" he had in his message to the last Leg
islature declared that e The intention OF both the
Constitution and the Registry law Wds simply
g to protect the State against treason AND TO SHOW
"pfsTRusr OF THOSE WHO HAD BEEN CONNECTED
WITH IT ~ he bad said that if the act itself
was radical and ultra, much more so scds the
ATTEMPT to reuolationize the State and break up
the Union - he had aided the passage of our
new free Constitution, and he was trusted by our
loval people. How they were deceived late
events have clearly demonstrated Gov. Swami
by his i" liberal construction !" Of the Registry
law, and by the appointment of unfit men to car
ry out that law, has rendered the law nullity ;
has made its provisions a mere farce, and has
opened way in which the same old rebel ele-
ment that nearly, in 1861, crrried our State into
the vortex of rebellion, may again become its
rulers. 3 af# s8aaas3oar 4 hH sl.aaas
This is clearly proven by the action ofthereg-
listers in our own county Here, men have been
registered whose record is almost as reasonable
as that of JEFF Davis himself the plainest pro-
visions of the law have been violated /; men
whom the Registers last year rejected, have now
been enrolled as qualified voters deserters have
been put upon the list, in short, the whole law
has been turned into a farce, in order that q My
Policy " might be upheld in Maryland and
Thomas Swami be elected to the United States
Senate. We intended to give instances of this
disregard of the law by the registers, butwe for
bear, because it will probably be made the sub
iect of judicial investigation before o competent
tribunal Our County Convention appointed a
Committee to collect evidence against both reg
listers and registered, as well as the judges OF
election, and from the spirit evinced by the dp-
pointees, we doubt not that day of reckoning
will come for some of Mr.. Swann's friends. t4e