Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-10-25

will be exhausted to bring them to speed,
: and certain punishment
} We are prepared in this instance, as we
intimated yesterday, to see Gov. Swami
sustained as he is by law and justice. sacri
flee both, and surrender the most sacred
rights of the peaceful and conservative cit
liens of Baltimore, in order to prevent 8
conflict which the Radicals appear to be
} seeking. We have SO frequently of late
witnessed the laws set aside and the Con
stitution of the country violated with i'm
punity, quietly submitted to by the author
tiles in order to prevent greater outrages
first object of good government. This
continual giving away by the peaceably-
disposed citizens to the encroachments OF
the lawless-the frequent yielding to the
demands of mob violence, will eventually
result in conflict. These encroachments
are becoming so frequent and so great, and
the demands SO bold and illegal, that push
ed to the wall, the Conservatives will be
compelled to make stand
The public mind is now Justly excited in
regard to the troubles pending, and
We surrender orr space to-day to give as full
an account of this interesting imbroglio, as
we can gather from our exchanges We give
the speech of Mr.. Herring, in behalf of the
citizens of Baltimore, the reply of Governor
Swami, the opinion of Hon. Reverdy John
L. ID
with this matter.
A committee of twenty citizens of Balti-
more called on Governor Swami, at An
napolis, Thursday, and one of the number,
Mr.. George W. Herring, addressed him as
| follows
Governor Swami: Since the last election held
in the city of Baltimore, the people Of that city,
feeling themselves so much aggrieved at the
suit of tn at election, have met i'll primary meet
ings. elected delegates to Convention, which
Convention has selected one gentleman from each
ward committee 20 wait upon you, to lay these
memorials, and the evidence which they have of
the manner in which the election was conducted
before YOU which are contained in these papers.
They also selected Chairman of that Convention
and committee OF five from the citizens of Bal
timore at large, Of which have the honor Of be-
ing one You are aware OF the effect Of that cleo
tion-that about one-eighth of the citizens of
Baltimore were allowed to participate in 1t. That
election has resulted in the election OF mayor
for the government of the city of Baltimore by
that one-eighth vote. You are also aware of the
law which governs elections i not lawyer
enough to state explain it to you, but you know
and you understand the law-that they carried
ON by means of Police Commissioners, who have
the authority of appointing judges, clerks, &c
The law provides how these judges, clerks, &c.
shall be appointed, and We have the evidence here
that in many cases the law not cOnfOrmed
with. Open violations of it were winked at by
these Police Commissioners.
Besides that, many of US who not allowed
to vote at the election because we were not regis
tered in 1865 in accordance with Attorney Gen
eral handalls opinion, we requested that our vote
should be recorded in some shape by which it
should be known somewhere that the number of
voters thus rejected should be deposited in a re-
jected ballot-bOx, but still no rejected ballot-bOx
was found in any precinct Therefore We were
driven away from the polls by being told that we
could not vote-that there was no place for our
votes at all. We have no remedy i'll the world in
defence of rights, to defend ourselves against
this breach and violation OF the great lnahenable
right OF the baot-box, which belongs to every
freeman of the land, and which has been taken
away from US by action of these commissioners. -
You that the law gives you the privilege,
in case sufficient evidence is brought against these
Police Commissioners Of misconduct. that you
shall remove them from office. We, therefore,
come to you, representing seven-elShths OF the
people of Baltimore, and ask you in your wisdom,
to take these matters into considers ton, rel ng
upon your patriotism and your disposition to do
what is right to the community and to the State
to consider these matters, and If :" lays in your
power, to endeavor to relieve from this great
incubus now hanging over us. Ii this thing is al
lowed to go on, we have no rights, seven-e9hts of
the people Of Baltimore have no rights, large
jOrity of the taxpayers OF the city have no
rights, and we have to come to you as the head of
the State. We have other remedy. Nobody
else to go to and make all appeal in behalf of our
citizens who disfranchised in this matter and
ask you to act you have done in former
times, with that decision Of character which al
ways belonged to you, in order that the people
may have their rights.
We feel that We can place these matters in your
hands; that it is only necessary that you should
have sufficient evidence of the fact that these 70
lice commissioners have not done their duty for
you to act in the matter. Believing, therefore,
that whatever action Is taken IN the premises shall
be done ct once, because there IS determination
on the part of the Radical element i'll Baltimore |
that that election shall be i'll their favor. low |
that can be done I can't + ou with the registry |
law before them; but we know not what means |
they will resort to. They have come sworn en- |
emies of yourself and your policy. They have |
come enemies of President Johnson and |
his policy. know not what policy they mean to |
maintain. They vote one way in Congress, and |
then come upon the stump i'll Maryland and say it |
does not apply to Maryland Therefore, we, the |
people of Baltimore as represented here, ask you
to take urgent and prompt action III this matter.
leaving it to your patriotism and nobleness OF
character to act for US promptly. That's the me-
mortal, with about ten thousand names. We have
only been two days collecting them. The affida-
Wits are here.
On the conclusion Of MIR. Herring's re-
marks he presented Gov Swami g. bundle
of papers containing the names of persons
his views. Another package was
said to contain the sworn statement of citi-
zens against the police commissioners.
GOV. swANN's REPLY.
Governor Swami replied as follows
Sc Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Commit
tee: l regret most exceedingly the cause which
brings you here to-day. You must recollect that
/ am q governor of the whole State Of Maryland,
and not Of party. In the discharge of my Off
cial duties here can know party and in
terest in the State If Maryland but the interest of
the whole State. Coming, you do, gentlemen,
this large element Of our population,
with affdavits and testimony which you ask me to |
examine into, am bound to receive you with re-
spect am bound to entertain you with that re-
spect and that consideration due to SO large an
element Of our population. It would be unbecom-
ing in to refer either to the past the present
| am here to examine the testimony which you
have laid before me, and am bound to dispose
OF that testimony as becomes an impartial judge.
The Constitution of this State must be respected
the laws of this State must be executed without
fear, affection or favor. And I can only say to