Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-10-12

to9S0o3s 1lst, 1schaoicsyiue.
RrsuBLIcsS MEEriEs.-The Rrpub.
liean meeting At the Court House on
Tuesday. though respectable in point Of
numbers. Vas not distinguished BY q
large % attendance q has been usual u
previous county satherinss Of this party.
Mr.. Jno. N. Graves presided. assisted BY
seven vice-presidents and the ussal mum.
Der Of secretaries. The space required
for the publication Of the scorehinS re-
view BY Mr.. Harris. given below, Of
Mr.. Sellmsn's performance has preclu-
ded IN from making sny comments Of
cur own 1t present on the meeting or it,
speakers, and We therefore cheerfully
intermit what We have 10 say in this
connection to future but proximate oc-
essicu.
MEssRs. misunderstanding the
advertisement that Mr.. J. H. Sellman,
the repobiican candidate for Congress,
would address public meeting on Tues.
day last. ! attended to hear his views. I
found him plain, transformations speak
or. but BY no means scrupulous in his
statements or fair IN his arguments.-
Like many oilers, he must claim that
hypocrisy is. an essential element in our
Politics-the sovereign people must be
deceived in order TO save them from
themselves and protect their institu-
tons. So, no doubt, Mr.. Sellman thinks
and on that score he may be considered
one Of the greatest patriots Of the day.
| am one Of the few who take a differ
ent view on this point. The politician
who undertakes to instruct the people
should deliver to them bis real genuine
thoughts and sentiments. otherwise he
il guilty of the serious misdemeanor, q
like to have said crime), Of misleading
his confding hearers.
The history Of Mr.. Sellman, as the
sequel will show. iustifes these re-
marks. To say nothing Of his course up
TO the war, voting no doubt AZ be did
against Lincoln, he af,erw ards belonged
TO the party called the "unconditional
Union party" as contradistingui,hed
from the Radical Abolition party. In
deed, that party, and Mr.. Sellman with
It. were As much opposed to the abol,-
ton Of slavery as any man in the South.
They gradually lost their balance on
this point, and. finding that the aboli.
tionists, with President Lincoln at their
lead, would become the stron, party Of
that day, most Of them, together with
Mr.. Sellman, became abolitionists with
out as yet bee ,ming radicals on the
negro question. They found they could
no longer resist free-negroism but were
violently opposed TO negro citizenship
and those rights and privileges, both
civil and political. which would follow
in its wake. Thus. when the State
Constitution OF 1854 was adopted by the
convention called for that purpose and
10 which they had a large majority.
while they unnecessarily provided that
slavery was abolished in Md, which in
deed had already been practically ac-
eomplished By tie usurfing power of
the Federal government, fney still made
il part OF that constitution that none
but whife men should Yote and provided
also for registry law and had il passed
by which none but whife men should be
registered as rioters. This was the po-
siuon Of those who claim to be radical
republicans in Md. and Of Mr.. Seilman
who IN his address on Tuesday told his
audience. consisting principally Of ne
grces. what staunch friend he bad al
"sys been Tor equality Of rights and how
nobly he contrasted with DR.. IIenkle,
~ no had declared this to be a white
mans government. How, after favor
ing a constitution such rs the one of "a
end the registry Law passed in pursu-
snce thereof. both Of which excluded
negroes from the privileges of the ballot,
lac can honestly maintain a contrast be-
tween himself aud DR.. Henkle in thi.
respect cannot discover. But will
not stop here in exposing Mr.. Sellman's
strangs inconsistency, | like to have said
duPlicity. Time passed on and several
years found no change in the principle.
1T the unconditional Union party TO
which Mr.. Sellman belonged. This
party held \ political convention on the
9th Of June, 1868. in Baltimore and
unanimously adopted, among others, the
follow e very explicit resolution:
Rssa'rca, That we are pledged to the main.e-
nanec Of the present. Constitution Of Nd (of
lssal which expressly and empha,icallv pruhib-
its both rebel suffrage and negro suffrage. and
we ase eqaally dcsernined to uphold The registry
Law ~hich disffanchises rrbels and excludes se-
rs,s from voting, and have no desire or in.en-
ton Of resc' ndiag or abolishing either the Con.
s.isa,ion or the registry law.
Now. who can believe that Mr.. Sell.
man was . warm supporter Of q party
~ho entertained the sentiments OF the
above resolution after hearing his speech
here on Tuesday But further. who
could believe that the said speaker, Mr..
}. II. Sellman. was . member Of that
Convention Of June q. 1866. and actu.
ally voted for the adoption OF that rcso-
luton !: II 10 SO, however. ~ can be es-
tsblished BY reference l expect to the
baltimore .IzeyicaR, . paper published
] believe By Mr.. Chas. c. Fulton. who
~as member Of that Convention, with
other bright particular republican stars
u that and this day, and oil Of whom
cssim 10 have always been the strong
AID devoted friends OF the equal FIGHTS
a the segroes. How cruel too in Mr..
Sellrnsa To add insult TO the injury he
had endeayored to infict upon the ne.
Eroes by placing such 10y aii.ts in the
sane category wish the rebels HON
Mr.. 81 Imam in HE rernafks on Tue.sav