Year: 1864

To the People Of the United States:


The Democratic National Committee of
the United States hold it to be their duty to
call the attention of their fellow-country-
men without distinction of party, to certain
grave acts of usurpation and wrong now
practiced upon the citizens of MARYLAND
and Tennessee, but involving the dearest
rights of all the people in all the States;
and the very existence of those constitu-
tional remedies against Executive wrong
doing which have hitherto saved this ma
tion from the convulsions through which
popular liberty in other lands has been
forced to assert, to maintain, and to extend
its guarantees.


In the State of Maryland, on the 30th day
of September, The Euentng Post, a journal
printed in the city of Baltimore, which had
that day for the first time published the
electoral ticket of the Democratic party of
that State, was suppressed by the following
order of Maj.-Gen. Wallace, commanding
the United States troops in that city:


EIGHTH ARMY CORPS,


BALTIMORE, Sept. 30.


"Editors Of Evening Post:


"As the surest means of preventing your
Office being made the subject of violence,
you will discontinue the publication of your
paper, Il ne ECenIllg IOS.


The sole pretext for this order was the
assertion that several soldiers subject to the
command of aj.-Gen. Wallace intended to
Great riot in the streets of Baltimore and
to destroy the property of the suppressed
journal, on account Of statement upon its
bulletin board, announcing as an item of
news "a fearful riot in Cincinnati, during
which Lincoln club procession from Ken
lucky fired upon the citizens; men, women,
and children, several being killed and
wounded"


Such pretext for such an order is so
manifestly disgraceful to the military off,
Ger who in issuing it confessed his inability
to restrain soldiers of the national service
from acts at once of military insubOrdlna-
tion and of civil outrage, that it is impossi-
as he since has been i'm his command by the
President of the United States, had not the
suppression of The Euening Post, which was
the only Democratic journal published in
Baltimore, been designed by the Executive
for the express purpose of depriving the
political opponents of the existing Admin
istration in that city of their sole means of
advocating their opinions; and even of dis
seminating the information necessary to
guide the voters Of their party to intelli-
gent action at the polls.


Maryland is aloyal State. To her fidelity
President Lincoln in his message to Con-
gress on the 25th of December, 1861, bears
this emphatic witness: "Her bridges and
railroads are repaired and open to the Gov
ernment; she already gives seven regiments
to the cause of the Union and none to the
enemy; her people at regular election
have sustained the Union by larger ma
jority and larger aggregate vote than they
ever before gave to any candidate on any
question"


No enemy now treads her soil. The vic
torious advance of Sheridan has cleared
even her iurthest borders of all rebels in
arms. Her people are as fully entitled to
absolute freedom at the polls and in the dis
cussion of all political questions as the peo-
pie of Massachusetts, or New York.


To sanction an act by which they are
shamelessly deprived of this freedom is a
deliberate assumption by the Executive OF
his intention to perpetuate his authority by
any exercise of arbitrary power in con-
tempt of the popular will, and in violation
of all the laws by which liberty in America
has been hitherto protected.


All doubt as to the meaning of this con-
duct Of the Executive in Maryland is put
at an end by the simultaneous occurrence
in the State of Tennessee of an act equally
lawless and equally eloquent of a settled
purpose to retain the control of the re-
sources and destinies ofthe people by means
foreign to our institutions and fatal to our
liberties.


On the 3Oth day of September, Andrew
johnson, brigadier general of volunteers,
holding by appointment of the President
the office unknown to our laws, of Military
Governor of Tennessee; and by the nomi-
nation of the Republican party, candidate
for the Vice-P Presidency of the Union, is
sued military order commanding an cleo
ton for the Presidency and -Presiden-
CIV to be held in that State, and prescribing
arbitrary qualifications for voters at the
election. This order is based on the pro-
ceedings of political meeting which the
Military Governor treats as a free cOnven-
ton of the people, absolutely subjected by
the will of Mr.. Lincoln to his authority;
and in it the following oath is prescribed to
be taken at the polls:


~ solemnly swear that will henceforth
support the Constitution of the United
States, and defend it against the assaults of
its enemies; that am an active friend of
the Government of the United States, and
an enemy of the so-called Confederate
States; that ardently desire the suppress
sion of the rebellion against the Govern
ment of the United States that sincerely
rejoice in the triumph Of the armies and
navies of the United States, and in the de-
feat and overthrow of the armies, navies,
and of all armed combinations in the inter-
est of the so-called Confederate States
that / ,iN cordially oppose all armistices or
negotiations fol peace with rebels in arms
until the Constitution of the United States
and all laws and proclamations made in
pursuance thereof shall be established over
all the people of every State and territory
embraced within the national Union, and
that will heartily aid and assist the loyal
people In whatever measures may be adopt
ed for the attainment of those ends.n %


This oath is directly intended to deprive
constitutionally entitled to vote at all, o
their right to support at the polls any pol.
ICY for the suppression of the existing re-