Year: 1859

|
! to understand what is the real motive in this.


think that it is not any interest in the city of Bati-


more, but in their interest in the ruling of it,
| They think that if they can sufficiently ter


rify the merchants and business men of Bal


timore, that possible they NAV affect their


politics through their presses. Now, feow-citizens,
| we have encountered them in one form, and we
| have now to encounter them in a new FORM 1t is
the same body OF men, actuated by the same prin-


clples, having no other view than to grasp power.
| They cry out that violence and club-rue prevail
here, and that they have existed at elections.
ask, who are responsible for them? At the first
election at which L was candidate, was it not
battle? Were there not arms from the United
States Armory, bearing date 1850, and at dates
subsequent to that time. There deplOrable
scenes accompanied that election and therefore
! 1t was that the American party resolved to meet
! their opponents with tie weapons they themselves
chose, "a voice-"That's soy At the next cleo
ton, you remember, of 1856, the Mayors election,
events of the same kind were attempted, and that


In almost every instance direct and violent assaults


were made upon the American party in arms, and
you know very well that the results of these
nights were deplOrable in the extreme in the death
OF very many of our fellow-citizens, and when the
casualties OF the day were counted, many more of
the American party were hurt than the others. AL
luding to the Irish riots at the Sth ward, Mr. d.
said it was then that the talk commenced about
midnight assassns and bloody men, it was then that
tneV began to talk of the necessity of quiet the
polls: 1t was the terror of men chastised, who had
drunk of the chastisement. This is the origin and
whether be true orfase they keep it up. Whether
1t Is the charge of corruption against Henry Clay
and Daniel Webster, or of Abolitionism against
Henry Winter Davis truth or lie, it is the same
unblushlng, continuous yelp. Whether they know
the foundation or not, they keep repeating it until
perhaps, they themselves believe it. Another elec.
ton came on. Where were the American clubs at
the election of 1857? Was there one man wound
ed during that day? Was there any fight during
that day? defy any man to point to one, except


ing that the Irish OF the eighth ward cowardly killed
sergeant Jordan. unr pa hrrtb tbar YIar
ana legal police army, and driven back bowling to
their lair, and yet not one man was wounded ex-
Gept the police themselves. The catalogue of that
day was killed one and wounded nine and immedi-
ately after that Gov. Ligon came to this city and
ordered out TO- 900 troops for the purpose of con-
trolling it. The only fight that took place was
between the Democratic Irish and the police of the
city. There was fight, and no man wounded
during that day. What did Gov Ligon come here
for To constitute himself the Mayor of the
city Of Baltimore, because the police were not com
petent to keep the peace of the city. Did any of
them finch in the discharge of their duty Why
did he come here We want quiet election-the
city authorities were not competent to keep the
peace that is to say, the city authorities had re-
pressed the Democrats from renewing these scenes
in 1855 and 1856. He came not to keep the peace
he came to create war. He knew that the ele-
ments of the American party would not tolerate a
military organization on the day of cleo
ton, and that there would have been collision
from end of the town to the other that would
have made that day day of battle instead of day
OF election. Suppose you walk up to man in the
street and shake your fist in his face is that the
way that men take to make things quiet and peace
ful? If anything should have made them call out
the military, they were responsible for it. They had
no right to go into the midst of exctabe people
on the day of an excited election, and threaten
them with military violence. In morals as in
law, the provocation to the assault is equally
guilty with the assault that returns it. After max
ing some remarks upon the election of 1857 Mr.
d. said we all know that about year ago we had
Vigilance Committee disguised under the CITY
Reform Association, but they melted away during
published an article in the American, another one
in the Exchange, saying, "Whv don't we get up a
meeting z" Thinks to myself what has become
OF the Vigilance Committee but under the cold win
ter their patriotism had become frozen up 1t would
not do for the Democrats to go and call themselves
the parties that were coming into the field. There
was TRADE in the newspapers for about two
months pouring hot shot down upon the American
party, and on the head Of Mr.. Swami; and if he
had not been living in a very strong house he
could not have stood it out and men who we're
making more money than they had ever made be-
fore, were told that they were becoming beggars
At the head of that great meeting held in the
Square, was my old, quiet, respectable, theological
friend Hugh Davy Evans-a guarantee to the people
of the perfectly peaceful intention of the associa
tion, but take, as the origin OF this Reform
ment that it is cover wherewith the Democrats
might obtain forces to array themselves and induce
certain portions of the American party to ioin them
They have secured to themselves no small number
OF our party friends, men whom desire to cast no
lmputation, but who think have been sadly msled
and think they begin to find this out They have
thrown themselves into nothing but the Democratic
party in disguise. Violence and hypocritical mani
testations, everything has been combined to accom-
pllsh the result, any ally being useful in the con-
test. We at the origin, and | think we
are now about at the end of the reform move
ment. They professed, among the whereases and
resolutions, that they were entirely free from
intnn tinp 70 Jo
good to the city-"that the city can't be
better so long as political rule rests where it now
is" DO they mean to take it away? Do they
mean to give it to themselves? And in taking that
rule is not that taking political power. They want
quiet election and therefore they go to the Mayor
and ask him to array 1000 men on the day of
election. The Mayor refuses their application
They go to the Sheriff. What is their object ?
They have been beaten in reference to the City
Council on their own profession They have already
nominated candidates for District Attorney, Sheriff
Orphans Court, and have illustrs ted the manner
in which they have attempted to control the citv,
and what their pretences. They say that Justice is
not administered, and that violence prevails and
they want to get possession of the machinery of the
Courts in order that they may administer it to suit
themselves. l call your attention again to one of
their resolutions: owe are resolved that all who
seek to molest interfere with voters shall
be visited with the heaviest penalty of the law"
That is the purpose of the Reform movement
1t Is secret organization to prosecute men who





the day Of election the sheriff shall have power to
Keep them confined during that day. If they sue
ceed IN electing the sheriff. that is the use they
VIII make of him. If they succeed at this time,
then on next day of election, when the full play Of
treemen's spirits ought not to be controlled by any
harsh application of law, nor individual conduct be
closely inspected, that day they mean to clothe
the the Sheriff with extraordinary and illegal power.
What will be the result of this They are not to
be released during the day of election. There can
re no inquiry whether they be guilty or not. If
70 is were so, active men on the one side may be
W vixen, and active men on the other side left They
h ant the Sheriff for another purpose They
nave used him elsewhere for that purpose
The Sheriff summons juries. They want
Sheriff that will summon a jury that
will convict these parties. If they can
ceed In getting the Sheriff aud prosecuting Attor-
ney, with the secret Vigilance Committee to inst-
tute proceedings, it is plain that reign of terror
Immediately exists in midst We have all seen
it stated in the San that certain persons were to he
prosecuted for their proceedings on the day of
election. Some men may have got stuck with
pins, there may have been little fighting, and
few black eyes agoing, but that is nothing
but what occurs everywhere 1t is probable that
we shall have fair grand jury and fair petit
jury, but if they succeed in electing the Sheriff we
will have neither the one nor the other. | am
Idiculing the preposterous howl that is made over
so small a matter. They have selected in Wash
ington the whole Of their grand jury without
a single American in it, and out of &c or %
in the petit jury, they have selected about II
Americans. Alluding to a decision of misdemean-
or at election, in which Judge Giles was censured
by the press for the leniency of his sentencce the
speaker continued: What they (the Reformersl
wish is to get metropolitan police for the city of
Baltimore-to take from you that power which is
exercised in every other city in the United States
New FORK excepted This covers the whole series of
their policy, exhibiting their desire to break down
the American party. How is that to be accom-
plished They have fixed their standard at the
1lth ward, Ot the great centre of strength
when | was a candidate four years ago. These
broadcoth gentry of the llth ward are casting
heavy majOrities to break down the American
party. They have got the police to play gentlemen
ushers they escort them all up to the polls. The
whole of it can be summed up in two words
they be numbered on a sheet of paper, but
their venom can't be held in any vessel There is
imputation that they cast on you or me that
events that have latelyoccurred at Harper's Ferry,
crying out in the street, Good heavens! shall we
trust Winter Davis in Congress now? 1t will
never do to let him go down there. Did
he not say in his speech delivered in the
Maryland Institute. Did he not say that we have
interest at all in common with these Northern
people? Did not Davis say so? We must nomi-
nate Harrison. have heard that to-day in whispers
but nobody attempts to say that above his breath.
They do it sometimes in dirty papers, because they
know that consider them as such, and do not pre-
sumo to contradict it; but when any gentleman
utters that in presence of you, tell him that say
he lies, and let them come to me and will say so
too.


After some other remarks from Mr.. Davis on the
subject, and addresses from several other
speakers the meeting broke up.


ADJUSTMENTS