Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1883-10-04

brisr White Sulphur Springs. W. Va.
on Maryland politics, said: ''It Is
self evidentthat thepeople Of Maryland
are in imminent danger Of the return
Of the Republican power to power in
that State. It may Be we'll to recall
70 public attention some incidents in
the history Of that organization for
the last twenty-five years while it had
cpntrol Of the Stata'and the country.
It's predecessor, whose lineal descen-
dant il IN and whose men and meth
DDS it inherited. the American party,
from 1866 TO- 1869, controlled Balsl
more and Maryland by a rule offorce
and fraud, Of blood and violence, with
q bigotry and intolerance unparallel-
ed in the history Of America. II dis
franchised citizens, it stuffed the bal
lot-box, it struck down men at the
polls, and it nearly destroyed indus
try and commerce in Baltimore. Over
thrown by the courage and the patri-
otism Of the Democratic party in 1860,
it was no sooner restored to power by
federal bayonets than il resumed its
sway Of blood, of fraud, and Of terror.
1t overthrew the constitution Of the
State by armed fraud and disfran-
chised every citizen who refused to
submit to its behest. It picketed the
polls with soldiers, and they sent Mr..
Creswell to Congress as the represen-
tative of a free people. It's Court Of
Appeals by its recorded judgment af-
firmed the overthrow of the constitu-
ton and the infamous disfranchise-
ment law, which placed the rights OF
the people beneath the feet Of its mer-
cenaries. Two years after the civil
war was ended, and absolute submis-
sion to the authority of the Union
prevailed from Maine to Texas, it, by
It's Congress. deprived eight millions
of people Of every right guaranteed
by Magma Charta and which our an
cestors had enjoyed for eight centu-
ries. 1t deprived them Of the writ Of
habeas corpus and subjected them to
imprisonment at the will of lieuten-
ant Of infantry. It wrested from them
the right of trial by jury, and placed
them under the jurisdiction of militia
ry commissions. It divided the States
which had aided in constructing the
Union into military districts, and
placed their people, their lives and
property under the control Of major
generals. It 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. It thus by mill
tary force overthrow the constitution
of our fathers. When the Supreme
Court of the United States, in the case
of Yerger, was about TO decide the
whole reconstruction legislation un-
constitutional and void, it forced that
tribunal to become the accomplice in
its crimes by postponing its decision
until the Republican Congress repeal
ed its appellate jurisdiction in that be-
half, so as to deprive the court of the
power Of deciding against its usurpa-
ton Of power.
"When the Supreme Court, in ac-
cordance with the constitution, deci-
ded that only gold and silver could
be made a legal tender, and thus Sc
cured to the people certain and per-
manent currency, in which their toll
could be repaid, this party, at the de-
mand of the great corporations of the
country, packed the Supreme Court,
enhthus secured a reversal Of the sol
emn adjudication of that tribunal,
thereby enabling the aforesaid corpo-
rations to pay debts contracted for
gold and agreed to be paid in gold in
q deprecated currency.
This party violently held on to the
presidency by force in 1876 by garri-
soning the capitols at Columbia, Tai
lahassee and New Orleans. It re-
tained it BY bribery in 1880 by buy
ing the vote Of Indiana. Leaving out
of view questions growing out of the
civil war for fifteen years, its legisla.
tion and its adjudication has been in
the interest Of money, Of coporations
and of monopoly. 1t has lavished
the public lands upon great railroad
companies, and it has taxed the sweat
and labor of the people to maintain
overgrown manufacturing interests.
''It has assumed supervision of the
votes of the people and has exercised
the right to dictate their juries, until
at last there has been such a conoen-
trat5on Of power at Washington ac-
complished that continuance for an
other fifteen years Of progress in the
same direction viii effect complete
overthrow Of every guaranty of popu-
ular liberty and establish the will of
q party declared BY its Congress and
its court, instead Of government Of
law under the constitution. Instead
OF . government controlled and direc-
ted BY the people, they will have a
people controlled and directed by the
government Such is. in part, the re-
cord Of the Republican party in Ma
ryland and In the Union. We can
only anticipate its future by recollect-
ing Its past. It's track is strewn with
overturned constitutions, violated laws
and debauched courts of justice. It's
return 70 power will be the greatest
calamity that can befaH the State. It
viii entrench itself with the police.
with polluted ballot-box, with Fed
eFal supervisors with All tha ,,,w.,..s