The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-09-21
59lisrcllarcn,,s.
THE REPUBLICAN RECORD.
What Gen. Bradley 4. Johnson Says
About It,


General Bradley Il. Johnson, of Baltimore,
in an interview at the Grccnbrier White Sui
phur Springs, w. Va, II few days ago, on
Maryland politics, said: sit is self.evident
that the people of Maryland are in imminent
danger of the return ofthc Republican party
to power in that State. 1t may be well to re-
call to public attention some incidents in the
history of that organization for the last TWEEN
ty-tivc years while it had the control of the
State and the country. Its predecessor,
whose lneal descendant it is, and whose men
and methods it Inherited, the American party,
from 1855 to 1860 controlled Baltimore and
Maryland Ivy II rule of force and fraud, of
blood and violence with a bigotry and intol
erancc unparalleled in the history of America.
1t DISTINGUISHED citizens, it stuffed the ballot
box, it struck down men at the polls, and it
nearly destroyed industry and commerce in
Baltim re. Overthrow by the courage and
the patti iolsm of the Democratic party in
1860, il was no sooner restored to power by
federal hayoncts than it resumed its sway of
blood, of fraud, and of terror. 1t overthrow
the constitution of the State by armed fraud
and disfranchised every citizen who refused
to submit to its behest 1t picketed the polls
with soldiers, and they sent Mr.. Creswell to
Congress rs the representative of free peo-
pie. It's Court of Appeals by its recorded
judgment affirmed The overthrow of the con-
stitution and the Infamous Acknowledgement
law, which placed the rights of the people
beneath the feet of its mercenaries. Two
years after the civil war was ended, and alb
solute submission to the authority of the
Union prevailed from Maine to Texas, it, by
its congress, deprived eight millions of people
of every right guaranteed by Magma Charta
and which our ancestors had enjoyed for
eight centuries. 1t deprived them of the writ
of habeas corpus and subjected them to i'm
prisonment at the will of II lieutenant of in
fantry. 1t wrested from them the right of
trial by Jury, and placed them under the ju-
| risdiction of military commissions. 1t divided
| the States which had aided in contracting
| the Union into military districts, and placed
| their people, their lives and property under
| the control of major-generals. 1t forced
amendments to the constitution at the point
of the bayonet to bind States always in the
| Union by the votes of States which were only
acknowledged to be in the Union for the sole
purpose of adopting these amendments. 1t
| thus by military force overthrow the cOnstltu-
| ton of our fathers. When the Supreme
| Court of the United States, in the case OF
| Ierger, was about to decide the whole re-
construction legislation unconstitutional and
void it forced that tribunal to become the &C
complete in its crimes by postponing its de-
cison until the Republican Congress repealed
its appellate jurisdiction in that behalf, so as
to deprive the court of the power ofdecidlng
against its usurpation of power.
when the Supreme Court, in accordance
with the constitution, decided that only gold
and silver could be made n legal tender, and
thus secured to the people certain and per
mancnt currency, in which their toll could
be repaid, this party, at the demand of the
great corporations of the country, packed the
Supreme Court, and thus secured II reversal
of the solemn adjudication of that tribunal
thereby enabling the aforesaid corporations
to pay debts contracted for gold and agreed
to be paid in gold in II deprecated currency
This party violently held on TO the prcsidcn-
cy by force in 1876 by garrisoning the CAPT.
tolls Mt Columbia, Tallahassee and New Or
leans 1t retained it by bribery in 1880 by
buying the vote of Indiana. Leaving out Of
view questions growing out of the civil Wal
for fifteen years, its legislation and its adm
dicalinn has been in the interest of money
of corporations and of monopoly. 1t has
lavishr,! the public lands upon great RAILROAD
companies, and it has taxed the sweat ant
labor of the people to maintain ovcrgrowr
manufacturing interests.
| at has assumed supervision of the votes o
| the people and has exercised the right to die
tate their jurcs, until nj last there has beer
such II concentration Of powerat washington
accomplished that II continuance for another
fifteen years of progress in the same direction
will effect n complete overthrow of ever,
guaranty of popular liberty and establish thu
will of u party declared by its Congress anC
its couri, instead of II government of Law
under the constitution. Instead of II govern
ment controlled and directed by the people
they will have II people controlled and direct
, ed by the government. Such is, in part, tn
record Of The Republican party in Maryland
and in the Union. We can only anticipate il
future by rrcollcctng its past. lis track
strewn with overturned constitutions, violat
, ell laws IN drbnuchcd courts of justice. Ii
= return To power will he the greatest calamit
that can bcfal the State. Ii will entrenc
itself with the police, with polluted ballot
box, with Federal supervisors, with all til
Z corrupt power Of patronage of city and Stat
and years of suffering and OF effort will be II
auircd Ia drive itirom its Notifications.
| hn liyn.atnnl ~