Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-01-02

principle ana right, but they went
further and, in Sec 81 of Art of that
constitution, made the following manda-
tory declaration regarding the duty of the
Legislature in this respect:
''SEc, 81. The General Assembly shall pass
no Law providing tor payment. by this State,
for Slaves emsnciptted from servirude in this
State out they shall odopt such measures. as
they may deem erpec!irnt, TO obtain troa the
United States, compensation for such Slaurs, ami
TO receive, and distribute the SINE eQuita6lv to
the persons entitled -
AS we promised before, the observer
who looks at the question vt the r-vs~r.
day will be apt to be surprised at the fact
that no step has ever been taken by the
Legislature toward complying with that
requirement of the Constitution, and. as
far as we are aware, the ques ion has never
even beer m ooted in the General Assem-
bly,.
| Now, after the lal So of TWEEN years
! since that wrongful r"vo ution, the ques-
ion propounds itself to the people of the
State, and more especially in these PENN
suar counties which look upon the ruin
it worked here, rs the Wrong uithout a
Remedya ?" And, if there be remedy
where will it be found and whence will it
be received 2 Viii the Federal govern
ment recognize the judgment of the peo-
pie OF the loyal State of Maryland, that
this element of property in the State was
destroyed, not by the will of the people OF
the State, but against it, and by the pol
icy and authority" of the Federal govern
nent; and that compensation in conside-
ration thereof is due from the United
States" Or viii the pSope of the State
when they again meet in constitutions
conyentiou in 1897, if their decision il
1867 should in the meantime upon proper
have been denied and. disreg ,rded, assume
the Legitimate responsibility Of their erro
neous judgment and recognizing the grea
moral obligation incumbent upon them
8 award some compens ,tion, partia
and imperfect though it be. to those q
her citizens who we're most wrongfuly i'm
pcverished by the revolution of twent,
years agn.
1t is safe 10 say that ns remedy will b.
derived from either source, unless tn,
question be IN the meantime presented TO
the consideration of the Federal govern
ment in the manner contemplated by tn
Constitution. Only one Legislature vii
intervene between this tine aud The calm.
of the constitution in 1887, and that vii
be the Legis sture 10 be e'ec,ed this fall
Il is eminent proper that this imporsan
question should now be fully discussed
by the press ef the State, in order that tn
public mind may he directed 10 it and &C
tion by the next Legislature certainly Sc
cured. II may be that the Democratic al
minislr alton, which wi | soon take tn
: reins of the Federal government, will re
gard itself AS So much on dress parade
during the next four years as to he un
willing to consider sques;ion of this sort
however great its merit, but that is hardl
a fair presumption But, however thi
may oe, while il is certainly unfortun.,
that it WAS never presented earlier In re
publican administration with its l.rg
surplus" and necessity of tn
l-7.-.-..-f ..s5as .ns .,epy9~
be too nanSu,u, Oh squirc any argument.