The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-08-17
The Cecil Whig.
ELKTON, AUGUST ~, 1867.
The Enrolment and its Object.

The militia enrolling officers who have
been industriously canvassing the county,
report that their work is almost finished
We don't hear, however, of any colored
men having been enrolled yet. What does
it mean? Do they thus intend to evade the
law by neglecting to enroll-as the law re-
quires-" all able bodied citizens of this
State between the ages of eighteen and forty
five, and not exempt by the laws of the
United States?'
Negroes are not exempt by "the laws of
the United States" from military duty
And yet not one, so far as we can learn, has
been enrolled in the State by Swann's board
of officers. The law, it will be seen, does
not authorize the enrolment Of call able
bodied" 'chite "citizens of this State"
only, but all able bodied citizens" &c.
The colored citizens are being specially
favored by the comprehend officers who have
the organization Of the future military power
Of Maryland under their special supervision /;
and while the whites are threatened with
severe drilling for five days at a time, if they
DOM paytwo dollars into the fund for the sup
port Of the officers, the negroes are permitted
to go scot free. This is clearly in violation
of the militia law-the clause above quoted
declaring who shall compose the militia of
the State. The copperhcad party, however,
suggest that the object Of their militia or
ganization is to oppose Congress, if it shall
- 30, ,occ,on &C, III,
ing the colored citizens of all the States
With the late shareholders rebellion so
wildly before their eyes, and its disastrous
results to those who attempted to oppose
the power of Congress, such a resolution
would seem like the hight of rashness. If
Frank Thomas plan of placing Maryland
under military governor, like the late rebel
States now are, should be adopted by Con
gress, the copperhead militia would stand
but slim chance in opposing the colored
men at the polls.
But it is the duty of the enrolling officers
to enroll all able bodied citizens, without
regard to color, and we call on them to exc
cute the law, or the whites, finding the ne
groes thus treated partially, being neither
required to pay two dollars for exemption or
subject to be called ont to drill, may very
Justly demur and refuse to obey the orders
of the mustering-in officers and other com.
mands to turn out for drill We have no
doubt that such orders will be disregarded,
for there is nothing in the law by which fines
or other punishment can be inflicted for re,
lusing to obey orders, and the people are
greater fools than we take them to be, if
they turn out to single muster, if, indeed,
they are ever called on to do so, which we
think extremely doubtful. The Democratic
Convention at Annapolis, which is bringing
its labors to close, have repealed the pres.
ent militia law at the close of the next lcgis-
lature if their constitution is adopted, ex-
cept so far as it may be re-enacted. That
the legislature will never re.cnact such an
unpopular, odious system is very clear and
the only purpose the militia organization,
that is going on, will serve, is to rob n large
number of people of their money, to be OK
pended among set of coppcrhcad enrolling
oiGi GERS, and Iand for elcctionecring pur-
poses in the G:!l campaign.