Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-12


Fifty years ago today delegation
representing the religious bodies OF
Baltimore called on President Lincoln
at the White House and protested
against the movement of troops across
the state of Maryland.
They were desperately in earnest.
They represented a community excited
to the point of frenzy. in which the
most dangerous of all social disorders
had appeared--nob violence. They be-
lieved the only way to prevent farther
bloodshed was to keep all troops re-
spending to the presidents call from
setting foot on the soil of Maryland.
There CHANGED to be in the party a
Clergyman whose zeal was greater than.
his tact Seeing that Lincoln listened
patiently to all that was said to him
of the crisis in Maryland, this man of.
peace expressed the hope that Lincoln
would avoid war by recognizing the In
dependence of the confederacy.
1t was not new thought, but it was
expressed at an inopportune time. LIN
coins patience had an end at times,
and the end was here reached. Feeling
himself growing angry, he put curb
on his manner, which he knew well
how to employ, but he framed reply,
one of his strongest utterances of the
dark hour in which he seemed to stano
alone while the fabric of the nationaI
government crumbled about his mead.
LJNcOLN'S WARM WORDS
your citizens attack troops sent to
the defence of the government he
said, ''and the lives and property in
Washington, and yet you would have
me break my oath and surrender the
government without blow
There is no washington in that
there is no jackson in that-there is no
manhood or honor in that.
Il have no desire to invade the south,
but / must have troops to defend the
capital Geographically it lies sur
rounded by the soil of Maryland; and
mathematically the necessity exists
that they shall come here over her ter
ritory Ne
"Our men are not moles, and can't
dig in the earth; they are not birds.
and can't fly through the air. There
is no way but to march across, and
that they must do.
but in doing this there is no need
of collision. Keep your rowdies in Bal
timore and there will be no bloodshed.
Go home and tell your people that il
they will not attack us we will not
attack them; but if they do attack us
we will return 1t, and that severely.
These vigorous phrases, couched IN
homely form, gave an exact measure
Of the man. Maryland was at stake
when the union needed sorely the sup
port of every border state; but there
could be no compromising on the ques-
ton of moving troops to Washington
merely for the sake of conciliatins
Maryland.
BALTIMOREANS ACTIVE
Lincoln, thus addressing the Balti-
more churchmen. expressed the same
ideas he had voiced to three other del
egations from Baltimore. All had ask
ed that no troops be sent through. the
city. To these he had said he made
no point of marching troops through
Baltimore, but the troops must come,
and come across Maryland, which was
the only way.
The first Baltimore delegation to seek
Lincoln left the city on the night of
the 18th. 1t was composed of a num-
Der of prominent citizens, who were
greatly wrought up by the attack that
day on the Sixth Massachusetts regi-
meat, and the ensuing bloodshed.
Lincoln found. them waiting for him
on the morning of the 10th. when he
went down stairs to see General Scott,
who had govt and could not comfort
ably come up.
He took them out to General SCOTS
carriage and they described the dan
gers of sending more troops through
Baltimore.
march them around, was scott's re-
ply.
The president went into his office and
wrote a paper for the committee to
take back to Baltimore. in which he
expressed the hope that the Balti-
As Lincoln was about to write this
letter he said to the committee, with a
moreans would have no objection to such
| plan.
smile. you win be back tomorrow de-
manding that no troops shall be
marched around Baltimore"
His words were verified, for next day
two members of the legislature called
on him, urging that no troops be al
lowed to cross Maryland.
| The next delegation was Mayor
| George w Brown, Of Baltimore, with
whom Lincoln had requested en- inter
view, and few members of the first
/ delegation. They brought a telegram
giving news of a force of Pennsylvania
troops which had arrived at Jockeys
Vile, en- the road to Harrisburg. he
day before, Sunday.
/ Church services had been stopped on
their arrival and the people were arm
ing themselves. Mayor Brown beggeo
that these troops be turned back
MEETING A CRISIS.
Lincoln at once summoned his cabl
net and General Scott. After discus
sion he told them he would send back
those troops. He could not AFFORD to-
have the people of Baltimore think he
had acted in bad faith by summontng
their mayor to washington and permit
| ting federal troops eanwhile to APP
rroach Baltimore.
The moral courage prompting tlAs
act was not lost on the Baltimorean.
Both Mayor Brown and Gov. Thomas
n. Hicks. of Maryland-who was then
at Annapolis-felt that in Lincoln
they were dealing with a man who
wouSS always hold to tne spirit as well