The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-01
Democracy Exhibiting Itself in Mary
tonH


The Democratic party has full control OF the
Constitutional Convention now in session IN
the State of Maryland for the revision OIL the
Constitution of that State Some time ago the
Convention, in Difference to the more enhgh1-
ened and Just sentiment of the times, aooPVeu
q section providing that the testimony OF VIII
nesses should not be affected by the color OIL
their complications. This provision is so just
in itself, that the mass of people are already
wondering how the opposite practice could
ever have maintained itself in any civilized
community for a single day. 1t was one o.
the outgrowths of slavery, and good illustra-
ton of the barbarism of the system. But it
seems that our Maryland Democrats are
already alarmed at the progress they have
made, and have hastened to retrace their steps
by providing that the clause giving equal
rights in the matter of testimony may, at any
time, be annulled by the Legislature. With
equal propriety they might remit to the
caprices of the Legislature all of those funda-
mental rights which are usually so carefully
guarded in the organic laws of our States
The right to testify oneself, or to have the
testimony of others, without reference to the
accident of complexion is a sacred right, and
as necessary to the welfare of the individual
as any right that we can conceive of. To deny
this to any man is to deny him the necessary
means for the protection Of all other rights.
But the fraud and imposture which calls itself
Democracy in Maryland refuses to intrench
this sacred right in the Constitution of the
State, but leaves it at the mercy of mere
majority in the Legislature. This is pro-
ceeding eminently worthy of the party that
murdered our brave Union soldiers in the
streets of Baltimore in 1861. They evidently
nourish the delusion of national reaction
which may allow them once more to make
merchandise of the bodies and souls of men,
and hence they desire to leave the door open
for the re-establishment of all the adiuncts of
the internal system. On Tuesday Mr.. Peters,
a delegate, said that he had received
a letter from Charles O'Conor, of New
York, in which he expressed the opinion
that slavery has never been lawfully abolished,
and that the amendment to that effect has no
place in the Constitution. And although the
Convention some time since passed an article de-
claring that slavery should not be re-established
in the State, they have already modified it so
as to declare that, slavery having been abo-
lished by the United States, compensation is
due therefor from the United States; and they
may very likely go still further, as they have
done in regard to the matter of giving evil
dence, and leave the question to the action of
the Legislature.
The Democratic party, as a party, is still in
the hands of men whose faces are turned back
wards, reactionists of the worst stamp-men
who have no faith in human rights Except
for themselves), no sympathy with progress,
no true comprehension of the times in which
they live. In Maryland and Kentucky they
can exhibit themselves in their true character.
1t is well for the people of other Stat es to look
and to learn.