Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-01-30
Is the Wrong without a Remedy !

into power, it would tax the country to re-
munerate the South for its slaves. Such talk
has always been repudiated in the South as an
founded buncombe. We believe there is not
the slightest disposition, even among slave
owners, to expect any such remuneration. In
the first place it would be utterly impossible to
get such measure through Congress. The
west. the northwest and the north would be
soidly against it without respect to party Ii
could accomplish nothing, and would bring
about nothing but harm for the neyt Maryland
legislature to agitate the question of remunera-
ton for slaves Caestertovn Transcript.
The above from our esteemed contem-
porary, the Chestertown Transcript, is IA
mong the few notices which the State
press have thus far given to the same sub
iect matter. Our esteemed State contem-
porarles are evidently awaiting further
developments and reflection before they
give this measure the sanct ion of their APP
prevail or the encouragement of their adj
verse opinion. When the magnitude of
the question and the fact that it has been
allowed to s'umber so long, is taken into
consideration, this hesitancy and seeming
reluctance on the part of our contem por-
aries to discuss the matter may be under
stood. Some of the county papers, how
ever, have not withheld their endorsement
from the measure and we observe that our
esteemed neighbor, the Calvert Journal,
has published the TIMEs's last article in
full
With all Difference, we do not believe
that the objection raised by the Transcript
is well taken. The State of Maryland can
not be included in the sec ion of country
known in the North as 1.-The Rehellious
South" and We previously irtimated, if
the Congress should find the fact stated in
Art. "a of the Maryland Bill of Rights,
that slavery in the loyal STATE of Maryland
was abolished 'by the policy and author
ity of the United States" and should ac-
cept the conclusion there set forth that
seems legitimately to follow, that com
pensation in consideration thereof is due
from the United States" that it would not
in awarding such compensation by any
possibility incur the odium of paying
rebel war claims"
We do not think our contemporary is
correct in assuming that 1.-The West, the
Northwest and the North would be solid
ly against it, without respect to party
On the her hand we believe that tile
chief opposition would most likely come
from the Southern States that were includ-
ed in the secession movement, whose slaves
were emancipa'ed as a war measure, with
out any hope of redemption on the part
Of the Fedora government.
There is no reason that this measure
should be male a party question. As we
previously stated there are prominent Re
publicans in this section of the State who
are committed to an advocacy Of the meas
ure, whose influence may be relied upon
and whose corporation will tend strongly
to divest the measure of partisan char
acter in Congress. In regard to our con-
tempora-y's belief that there is not The
slightest disposition, even among slave
nYners To arpH~s --s., . rfcra-t--rI,-
we caI only say that from our own per-
sonal knowledge it is 10 error. While the
former slave owners in the seeding States
may bave, and should properly have aban
doned all hope of remuneration in this be-
half, the more thoughtful OF the former
slave owners in this State, or in this sec
ton of it at least, have not abandoned the
hope OF being ultimately compensated in
some measure for the loss thus incurred.
1t was the provision in the vii of a prom
inent citizen of this county, who died a
few years ago, for the distribution of the
fund which he expressed the hope and be-
lief would ultimately accrue to his estate
from this source, that first directed the at
tention of the writer to the matter.
The facts upon which the statement
made in the Marylan Cons tuition of
1867, that slavery in this State was abol.
ished SOY the policy and authority of the
United States" and that compensation
in consideration thereof is due from the
United States appear to have been based,
seem to be these: Upon the recommenda-
ton of President Lincoln, ia bis message,
joint resolution was adopted by Con
gress on April End, 1852, which read as
follows:
"Resolred, That the United States ought to
cooperate with any State which may adopt
gradual adjustment of slavery, giUing TO such
State pscunidry aid, to be used by such State lu
its discretion, to compensate for the incon-
veniences, public and private, produced b,
such change Of system
On the 11th of the same month, Congress
passed a bill abolishing slavery in the
District of Columbia and awarding com
pensation to the owners, not to exceed
$500 per capita, for the slaves emancipsted.
Shortly after this time, at conference
between President Lincoln and the repre-
sentatives fro n Mary land in Congress,
called by the President, he was informed
by the Maryland representatives that, if
Congress would put the matter in tan
gible shape and appropriate fund TO e
placed under the control Of the President
for the compensation of slave owners, they
might rest assured OF an earnest, and, it
was believed, a favorable consideration OF
the question by the people of Mary gland
The matter stood in that way, Congress
taking no further action but leaving the
resolution OF 1862 unrescinded, until the
adoption of the 80 called constitution Of
1864 in Maryland, whereby slavery was
Immediately abolished without compensa-
ton to the owners In former article
we stated that the adoption of this instru-
ment seems to have been q revolutionary