The Democratic advocate., 1883-09-08
FHE REPUBLICAN RECORD.
What Gen. Bradley It. johnson Says
About It.

General Bradley I. johnson, of Baltimore,
in an interview at the Greenbrier White Sui
phur Springs, W. Va, few days ago on
Maryland politics, said: ''It is self-evident
that the people of Maryland are in imminent
danger Of the return of the Republican party
to power in the State. 1t may be well to re-
cali to public attention some incidents in the
history of that organization for the last twen-
ty-five years while it had the control of the
State and the country. Its predecessor,
whose lineal descendant it is, and whose men
and methods it inherited, the American party,
from 1856 to 1860 controlled Baltimore and
MARYLAND by rule of force and fraud, OF
blood and violence, with bigotry and intol-
erance unparalleled in the history of America.
1t disfranchised citizens, it stuffed the ballot
box, it struck down men at the polls, and 1t
nearly destroyed industry and commerce IN
Baltimore. Overthrow by the courage and
the patriotism of the Democratic party IN
1860, it was no sooner restored to power by
federal bayonets than it resumed its sway OF
blood, of fraud, and of terror. 1t overthrew
the constitution of the State by armed fraud
and disfranchised every citizen who refused
to submit to it's behest. 1t picketed the polls
with soldiers, and they sent Mr.. Creswell to
Congress as the representative of free peo-
pie. Its Court of Appeals by its recorded
Judgment affirmed the overthrow of the con-
stitution and the infamous disfranchisement
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 peo-
pie of every right guaranteed by Magma Charta
and which our ancestors had enjoyed for
1 Il hon nft haXx Xxy,-If
of habeas corpus and subjected them to I'M
prisonment at the will of 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 constructing
the Union into military districts, and placed
their people, their lives and property under
the control of ma jor- 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 overthrew the constitu-
ton of cur fathers. When the Supreme
Court of the United States, in the case OF
Yerger, was about to decide the whole re-
construction legislation unconstitutional and
void, it forced that tribunal to become the ac-
complice in its crimes by postponing its de
cision until the Republican Congress repealed
its appellate jurisdiction in that behalf, so as
to deprive the court of the power of deciding
against its usurpation Of power.
'When the Supreme Court, in accordance
with the constitution, decided that only gold
and silver could be made legal tender, and
thus secured to the people certain and per.
manent 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 a 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 deprecated currency.
This party violently held on to the presl-
dency by force in 1876 by garrisoning the cap
itols at 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 war
for fifteen years, its legislation and its adju-
dication has been in the interest of money,
of corporations 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
interests.
1T has assumed supervision OF the votes OF
the people and has exercised the right to die
tate their juries, until at last there has been
such a concentration of power at Washington
accomplished that a continuance for another
fifteen years of progress in the same direction
will effect complete overthrow of every
guaranty of popular liberty and establish the
will of a party declared by its Congress and
its court, instead of government of law
under the constitution. Instead of a govern
ment controlled and directed by the people,
they will have people controlled and directed
by the government; Such is, in part, the
record Of the Republican party in Maryland
and in the Union. We can only anticipate It's
future by recollecting its past. Its track is
strewn with overturned constitutions, violated
laws and debauched courts Of justice. Its re-
turn to power will be the greatest calamity
that can befall the State. 1t will entrench
itself with the police, with Il polluted ballot
box, with Federal supervisors, with all the
power of patronage of city and State,
and years of suffering and of effoYt will be re-
quired to drive it from its fortifcations