Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1885-02-20
measure. AS heretofore shown, prom

the measure. AS heretofore shown, prom
inent Republicans in this part OF the State
are earnest supporters OF The measure and
the freedmen themselves are not uatay,r-
able to it. We believe hat, if this co n
pensati We're ever obtained, portlsn of
it should be, and wouii b. set apart 10y
the Legislature as a pension fund in the
several counties to he awarded to needy
and superannulted freedmen. This would
at the same time provide ample protection
to needy colored panpers and exnnerate
the people of these impoverished counties,
in which the freedmen predominant, from
the growing burden cast upon them. in
the shape OF great Y increased ptup.r
list, 10y the emancipation Of slavery. Such
benevolent feature il tie resolution Of
the Legislature would be apt to secure the
support Of all the Republican m.nb.rs
and this would in tu.n ain st certainly
attract sufficient support from Republi-
cans in Congress to divest the measure.
Of "A partisan character.
But even concrding that the Democra-
tic admin istration should have 10 assume
the responsibility of this manfestly iusr
measure we be ieve a satisflctt rv answer
ries would be found in the message
of Mr.. Lincoln to Congress in March
1862, in which he advocated The compen-
sttion Of the owners of slaves in the loyal
States Tor their properly, from which We
quote:
The measure is both just and economical
In certain sense the liberation at slaves is the
destruction Of property property acquired hy
descent or purchase-the same any other
property Ii is no less true for having been
often said that the people OF the South are no,
much more responsible for the original intro
duction of this property than are the people 81
the North. II then for a common object this
property i, 10 he ihcei, il is not just tina il
he done Alta common chArge2'
And in the reso'u tion adopted 10y Con
sress in pursuance :hercoi, which reads AS
follows:
Rcsoirrd That The United States ought 10 CO.
operate with any State which NAV adopt grad
u-l adjustment OF slavery, yirtHq such St9tr
pecnqiIry dId, 10 he usei by such State in its
discretion. TO compensate for the inconrenien-
Ces- public and private. produced by such
change of system.
This was the attitude of the Republican
adminis'r ration upon this question at the
time when, through its military forces, he
Federal government aided in the rsvolu-
tionarv measure which effected the inme-
date adjustment ef slavery in this State
without compensation 70 the owners. \
Republican Congress has never adjudicat-
ed the claim adversely, but on the ether
hand there is every reason Ia believe that
il the Maryland Lesis allure had heretofore
complied with The duty made Oh i.atory
upon il by he constitution. and had pre-
sen'ed this matter % Congress, that The
great wrong Of twenty years ago. whereby
the people Of this section Of the State were
absolutely impoverished, would long since
have been remcdied We submit, there.
fore, that, even il 4 Democratic adminis-
a'iou had now to assume the whole res
possibility Of rightin. this great wrong,
that the Republican party would lie for
ever estopped BY it's own record from APP
pealing % popular odium in TIC Nor h
As we previously animated, the chief OPP
position in Congress would most likely
come from those Sou hern leaders who
might blink it improper 10 reward Mary
land Tor what scene | to them b r coward
" course IN maIn'aing her allegiance to
the Union.
The pas inaction Of the Legislature in
this matter is probably due to the fact
that, like some of our esteemed contcm
porarles, they have assumed 10 be more
able interpreter. of the cffec, of the 18th
amendment. than the many eminen, law
yers who were members Of the con.titu-
tonsl convention Of 1867.
NV the fact is that some 4 the ab'es'
constitutional lawyers IN this country be.
heve that the i4th amendment has no a.
plica'ion 10 the State of Maryland and
this cons ructlon has been already indi.
rectly recognized by the supreme Court
Il wi never be directly adiudic sted un-
less the question is presented IL Congress
We trust, therefore, that our able and es-
teemed contemporaries will see the Justice
of CO operating in the WORK Of impressiny
on the next Legislature is duty Of taking
action IN this most important mat Or 10
which Mary land las everything 10 gain
and nothing tn lose.