The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-10-18

4
70 uphold the national government, and has |
not only refused to pass laws for the protec. |
uon o. the rights Of colored citizens, but has I
offered premium for violation Of laws Of !
congress known as the '.freedmen's bureau |
law and the civil rights law and assumed |
the defense Of all who have violated those |
laws In the past, or pil do so Ia The future,
and made their defense a charge upon the |
state treasury without limit; has peusoned |
from the State treasury the Legislature which |
was suspended from the exercise Of its fuuc- |
uons by the military power Of the nation, aud |
compelled the city of Baltimore in like man. |
ner TO pension the disloyal police force which |
was discharged from service in 1861 as ne. |
cessary measure OF public safety; has institu.
yea measures for imposing on the State the
buruen OF paying for the slaves emancpated |
as q necessary result Of the slayeholders' re-
DeIlsoh, and has passed law in palpable and
confessed violation Of the constitution, calling
a convention for the purpose Of abrogating
what remains of loyalty and equal rights in
our constitution, and Of placing loyal men in
hopeless subsection TO traitors; therefore,
hesotred W The Grand Council of The Union
League Of Maryland, That we earnestly pray
the Congress Of the United States as lar as
practicable TO extend to Maryland the princi-
pies OF the military reconstruction law and to
secure to all loyal citizens in the State the
right Of suffrage.
RfssolUed, That copy of the foregoing pre-.
ample and resolution be signed by the grand
president and secretary and forwarded TO the
hon. Francis Thomas and the Hon. James
W. Nye, with the request that they will lay
the same before the House Of Representatives
and Senate, respectively, and urge such &c.
tion as shall insure protection to the loyal cit.
izens oil Maryland. II. STocKBRIDGE,
Grand President.
GnAs: IL. CATCH, Grand Secretary.
| Inc Radical State Convention which as.
sembied in Baltimore on the 2sth adopted
similar resolutions, which were also presented
TO Congress. Congress was also earnestly
snpplicated by the Radical Baltimore City
Council, which in its solicitude for the public
welfare stepped out Of It's proper business to
ask Congress to assist the people of Mary.
land to form State government, republican
in form, and in unison with the spirit of the
age" A bill of indictment was also prefer.
red Ito Congress Indirectly by Judge Hugh
L.. Bond, Of the Criminal Court of Baltimore
city, one Of the items being false declara.
tion that the Legislature had determined
to make us pay for slaves
Thus in their frantic eagerness to regain the
power they had so grossly abused, the Mary.
land Republicans we're not ashamed of acts
I
of. Reckless of the rights Of their fellow.
citizens, and Of the honor and dignity of their
State, which they were quite willing TO Law.
PROSTATE and shackled, at the feet Of Con.
gress, they had even the eifrontety to attest
that those who advocated the calling of "A
convention "haye determined in "yiolation
of both the State and Federal law, to put the
State back into condition Of darkness and
slayery"-that Union men in Maryland were
grooming under tyrauny'i-that many "loyal
mem were "deliberating upon leaving The
State"-that ''the danger Of bloodshed Is i'm.
mineut'-and that unless Congress interfered
IN the affairs Of the State, there would proba.
bly, be some kind of massacre.
Similar expedients were also resorted to to
induce Congress to force negro suffrage upon
the State, the minority hoping to be reinstated
IN power by the negro vote, although when
ihey framed their constitution they had look
ed with an unfavorable eye upon that meas
ure, and all their candidates had declared
their opposition to it, The constitution had
moreover, reserved to the Legislature the
privilege of repeating the disabling clause
and now when the voice of justice and the ir
, resistlble will Of the people demanded tina
this should be done, in their desperation the,
shreked to Congress TO help them, deeminl
the loss Of all liberty in the State, the return
. ofmartial law and the scenes of 1864 cheaI
: pnee to pay for their restitution to power
Failing to carry this point with Congress, the,
} next tried the courts. A petition for an in
t junction to restrain the people from express
ing the sovereign will at the election author
. lied by the Legislature to decide whether o
not constitutional convention should b.
called was filed in the Superior Court Of Bal
. tlmore city, and after an extensive argumen
a Judge Martin dismissed the bill. The cleo
Y ton was held and the convention adopted
: Thus, after hard struggle, but by the use O
5 lawful and peaceful means alone, did the pee
pie OF Maryland regain their liberties and re
; store republican government to the State
6 The Republican party Of Maryland, unde
D the same leaders and with the same rank an
e file as Of old, Notwithstanding this record {
| their rulaia this State, claim that chang
S from Democratic to Radical rule would b
= beneficial to our people. With the impu
D dence OF devils, they seek to transform thei
crimes into virtues, their ialsehoods into facts
| and their record, black with perfdy, into
} history radiant with integrity and veracity
| As to the vague and general charges Of cor
} ruption and extravaganza which the radica
/ leaders and organs SO recklessly hurl agains
} the Democratic party in this city and State
1t is only necessary TO say that that party
! which is large majority Of this community
l the majority of its property holders and tax
/ payers, the majority OF its solid business men
! its capitalists, bankers, merchants, manufac
turers and workingmen, are at least as mue
, interested and as likely to be as sincere in de
} string reduction of taxes and economical
methods Of administration, as the hungry fac
ton which Mr.. Gary and Mr.. Hooper repre-
} sent, and which depends largely for lis vote
. / the otnoo xnhtnh h.
pays least taxes and is least capable of appre
ciating the need or understanding the natur
of financial reform. The Radical speaker
| and organs in another respect wilfully msrep
J resent and malign the Democratic party, b
! representing that 10 is under the contro
OF shoulder-hitter ballot-box suffers an,
roughs. The only political organization il
baltimore which was ever exclusively unde
, the control Of the worst men in it, league,
and banded together ia clubs, the very name
Of which-''Blood Tubs "Back Snakes,
'Plug Uglies," Tigers 6c.-indic13e thei
brutal and lawless character, and made III
name Of Baltimore for a time by.word an,
reproach throughout the land, was the part
of which Mr. Gary and Mr. Hooper were ac
tive members, and Of which the Baltimor,
American was the organ, apologist and cham
pion.
In conclusion II can be asserted fearlessly
that the State of Maryland and the city o
Baltimore, under Democratic rule, for econo
my OF administration and freedom from gray
acts of corruption and jobbery, may chaileng
comparison with any State in the Union. /
cannot be denied that reform in some partic
ulars is needed, but the principles Of the part
are above the men who are sometimes choseI
to represent them, and the best reform is tina
which is accomplished inside Of the party
To attack it from without is to sacrifice III,
principles Of the party for the sake Of gettinl
rid Of Objectionable individuals, and TO cast
slur upon good men by including them in tn,
condemnation visited upon the unworthy. /
Is not TO the State we must look alone at thi
time, but to the larger field Of Federal poli
tics also. There is where reform Is mos
needed. II is not financial reform solely OF
mainly, but ''reform in all the departments o
government from the White House 10 tn,
tidewater.n
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