Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1878-01-17
GOVERNOR CARROLL AND THE RIOT

an exchange calls attention TO the fact
that Governor Carroll in bis message speak
If the cause Of tie strike but makes no re-
ference whatever to the cause Of the riot in
Baltimore 1t will be remembered by all
who carefully read the history Of the occur
rences published at the time, that all was
peaceful and quiet in Baltimore up to the
moment Of calling out the military These
troops were called out ostensibly for the
purpose Of being despatched to Cumberland
where rio: was alleged to be raging at the
time. There was neither riot nor demon
STATIONS of riot in Baltimore up to 6. 80 p.
m. on the 2lst July last At that hour of
that day the military Mr. Herbert Of the
Governors staff, with the full knowledge
and consent Of the Governor himself, and
taking all responsibility for the consequences
assembled the soldiery by sounding the
military alarm with the chief city ere bell.
That, of course, while it signaled the as
sembling Of the troops gathered and infam-
cd the fury of the crowd. This was bad
generalship in both Herbert and Carroll,
and marks them both as incompetents in the
face Of such emergencies The sounding
Of this alarm, the rapid assembling of the
military and the rushing together of the
crowd precipitatcd the disturbances with all
their attendant consequences Of loss to life
and property and for which Herbert and
Carroll are, at least morally, responsible.
Without all this fuss and parade and noise
it is thought there would have been no riot,
that the troops could and would (if it was
ever seriously eontemp ated by Herbert and
Carroll that they should) have departed
from Camden depot without molestation or
even causing intense excitement, and that
no large congregation Of the populace would
have taken place.
A curious and pregnant feature Of the oc-
casion too, is discovered in the faat that at
Cumberland, for which place to protect life
and property the military were ostensibly
destined, there was no loss of life and. we
think, up to that moment no destruction of
property, while i'll Baltimore, where every
thing was orderly and peaceful, the blood
lest riot of the century was instgated by
the deliberated and premeditated action of
two men in unnecessarily exciting and a
farming the populaee They should have
known better If they did know better and
still persisted, then criminal liability at
taches, if they did not know better then it
is extremely unfortunate for the people of
Maryland that the administration of the
States affairs, the dispcnsation of her laws
aud the protection of the life and property
Of her citizens have fallen into such incapa
bic hands
Again. letit not be forgotten, but noticed,
that the Governor says:
The labor compl cations on the Balti- I
more and OAio railroad had extended also
TO the Chesapeake and Ohio canal, and for
sometime previous to the actual outbreak
the boatmen on the canal had struck for
higher rates of pay, had tied up their boats
to the banks of the canal &c, &c.
Now what can Gov Carroll mean by saw
ing that the labor troubles were active on
the canal before they became manifest on the
railroad, and in the same sentence declaring
that the troubles on the railroad had extend
ed TO the canal His convenient phrase,
actual outbreak, may have some meanin.
not clearly apparent to the uninitiated III
he waited for the actual outbreak" on the
canal before sending troops there, why did
he not also wait for the actual outbreak"
in the city before he and Herbert madden
cd the people and then caused them to be
shot down. If he had the right and autho-
rity to use the military to put down these
labor complications" why did be not first
exercise that authority by putting down the
complications that had arisen among the |
boatmen beforehand sometime before. at
that railroad difficulties took place. -
The railroad is an influence much more po-
tential in politics than is the canal, and is
the pet investment of wealthy men. of whom
perhaps Gov. Carroll is one, (we do not
know yetit seems to us strange and irreeon-
cilaple with propriety that Gov Carroll
should be willing to permit the States in
terest in the canal to be detrimentally af-
fected by revolving boatmen while he I'M
necessarily hasten to protect the investments
Os railroad stockholders by crushing rebel
Ious brakesaen.
1t may be osked. too, at whose instance
did the Governor call en- the military p