The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-05-26
The Mass Meeting.

pursuant 10 previous nOllCe, luetSS lueetIuS
of the unconditional Union men, of Baltimore
county was held at the Court House in this town
on Wednesday last. The meeting was as large
as could be expected with the limited notice Civ
en- and the very little effort that had been made
to induce the people to attend. An organization
was affected about OF clock, by electing the fol-
lowing gentlemen as officers of the meeting:
President Jacob Shamberger.
Wee Presidents John G. Holland, VIM.
P. Jean, Francis Kendig, William Gambrill,
Benjamin B. Bush, Samuel Kramer, Morris Fred
erick, Capt Robert S. Smith, Henry L. Bowen,
William G. Vance, Jesse Garrett, George Coun-
Gilman, Capt. F. G. F. Waltemeyer.
Secretaries Capt. Chas A. Conner, John NJ.
Wheeler, Edward L. Larsh.
On motion of John 7. Ensor, Esq, the Presi-
dent of the meeting appointed Messrs. John 7.
Ensor, Nicholas H. Parker, John H. Longnecker,
Powell Griscom, and VIM. Mccullough, Com
mittee to prepare resolutions expressive of the
sense of the meeting. While the Committee was
preparing the resolutions Hon. VIM. B. Stokes,
of Tennessee, was introduced, and addressed the
meeting. Want of time and space prevents US
from giving even fair synopsis of the speech of
this gentleman, or of those who succeeded him.
Col. Stokes spoke for one hour and half, detail
ing the experiences of the Unionists of Tennessee
during the war for the preservation of the Union
and counselling the people of Maryland to pre-
serve their State Government from the hands of
Rebels or their sympathizers. This gentleman
has been elected to represent his district in Con-
gress, and therefore has personal interest in the
question of reconstruction of the late rebellious
States. He says that he is willing to trust Con-
gress to do this and that he is satisfied that at
the proper time not only Tennessee but all the
States will be re-admited into all their relations
in the Union. His speech was attentively listen
ed to and loudly applauded.
The Hon. Mr.. McKee, of Kentucky, was the
next speaker He told the audience of the infa-
nous doings of the Rebel Legislature of his State
how that Legislature had passed laws favoring
and protecting returned rebel soldiers and pro-
scribing the Union soldiers, and counselled the
Unionists of Maryland, if they would not have
the same scenes enacted here, to sustain their
registry law, and see to it that the government
of our State was retained in the hands of loyal
men.
the Committee returned and reported the follow
ing resolutions, which were unanimously and
enthusiastically adopted
ResolUed, That the Union men of Baltimore
County do emphatically denounce all attempts,
come from what source they may, to place in
power the leading rebels who, at the head of the
late rebellion, did all in their power to destroy
the Government that we do not consider the
simple taking of an oath by those who have vio-
lated their oaths with impunity, sufficient guar
antee for future loyalty, or sufficient punishment
for treason, and we do heartily endorse the ac-
ton of Congress in refusing such men the priyi-
lege to participate in the eounsels of the nation.
ResoIUed, That those men of the South who,
during the war, adhered to the Government and
opposed rebellion, should now be protected from
the oppression Of rebel tyranny, and that the
Southern States should be represented in Con-
gress as soon as they can be by men who have
been true to the government.
ResoIUed That the legislative acts of enfran-
chised rebels in Kentucky, and the manifestations
of the same spirit in our midst eminently proves
that our registry law should not be repealed, and
we do emphatically declare opposition to its
repeal that we regard the question at issue to
be, not whether negroes shall vote but whether
rebels shall vote and rule in the councils of the
State and nation, and we confidently rely on the
intelligence Of the people and firmly believe that
they will not be mised by false issues
ResoEved, That we are opposed to negro suffrage
in the State of Maryland, and endorse the action
of Congress in leaving this matter to be deter
mined and regulated by the States themselves.
Gen. Hamilton Ward, Representative in Con-
gress from New York, was then introduced, and
briefly addressed the meeting. He said that the
people of the North felt deep interest in the
Union party of the Border States that they
knew their efforts and trials in the past and
urged the Unionists of Maryland to stand up
firmly to the stand they had taken, needing not
the threats of avowed enemies or the persuasions
of halfway Union men.
Hon. Jno. L. Thomas, Jr. wasthen introduced,
and addressed the meeting. His speech was
mainly a defence of his course in Congress as
representative from this district, and denial Of
the many false charges which Montgomery Blair
and others had brought against him. He ex-
planned and defended his vote upon the Freed
mems Bureau and Civil Rights Bills, and char
acterized as false the statement that he had voted
in favor of negro suffrage. Onthe contrary when
the question of allowing the negroes of the Dis
trict of Columbia to vote was under considera-
ton in the House, he had spoken and voted
against that measure, although he was the only
Southern Unionist in Congress that had taken
this course Mr. Thomas speech was well re-
ceived and frequently applauded.
Col. John c. Holland, of our county, then
called the attention of the meeting to the fact
that the Executive Committee. or portion of it,
had that day met, but had not taken any steps to
have our County represented in the State Con-
vention to be held in Baltimore on the 9Th of
June. He therefore offered to this meeting the
following resolution
Reso1ved, That the Union men of Baltimore
county, who are opposed to the repeal of the
Registry Law, and who are in favor of sustaining
the reconstruction policy of Congress, are hereby
requested to meet at their usual places of. voting
in each district, on Saturday, the I'd of June, at
4 o'clock, p NJ, and elect five delegates from
each district, to meet in County Convention at
Towsontown on Monday, June 4th, at 10 o'clock,
A. NJ, to elect seven delegates to the Union
State Convention to be held in Baltimore on the
9Th of June, proximo.
John T. Ensor, Esq, favored the resolution,
but denied that the County Union Executive
Committee had met A few emissaries from the
Custom House and Baltimore post-Ofice had