Year: 1865




very little regard for right or even appear
ances. Richard, when he ordered Hastings
to execution, showing his withered arm as
evidence that he had bewitched him, did so !
to seof at his victim; and the affected fears |
of the crushed South, assumed by the am
bilious leaders of the North to Justify the |
destruction Of their political rights, sounds
not unlike the mockery of Gloster. But the |
lust of dominion from which such actions
spring is the most unreasing, intolerant and
remorseless passion of the human bosom
1t knows no constitution, and does not lis |
ten to truth or justice. We will appeal in
vain to the words of the Constitution to
to protect us in our rights to leaders frenzied
with the imperial idea of ruling the conti-
nent by holding one-half of it without re-
sponsibility to its people, requiring mill
tary force to do so which would make them
masters of the whole. In vain we shall ask
for justice to the Union men of the South
from such men. They cannot forego their
lofty aspirations to recognize any such class.
You cannot have forgotten how fiercely my
head was demanded when | ventured to
assert the rights of the Union men of the
South against this form of imperialism when
broached in 1868. | had been from early
manhood an opponent of slavery; had as
sisted my brother in organizing the first and
only victorious emancipation party which
existed in the South prior to the rebellion;
[ was in favor of maintaining Fremont's
proclamation; and failing in that, had
recommended, in writing, President Lincoln
tn make one himself in his annual message
of 1861. had defended Lincoln's eman-
cipation proclamation when it was made, in
speech which Senator Sumner himself did
me the honor to quote with appreciation. =
| had led in the emancipation movement in
Maryland, and never ialtered until its sue
cess was achieved. But Notwithstanding
the .furOre about emancipation by those peo
pie, this early, earnest and constant support
of emancipation on my part did not satisfy
them. So far from it, | was, | believe, tie
most odious man to them on the continent.
No, there was one still more odious. one
still better abused by Phillips, Chase, Davis
d Co. | need not tell you that man was
Abraham Lincoln, the author Of the eman-
cipation proclamation; and to such an ex
tent lad these men poisoned the minds of
some of our true men against me that |
apprehended that my continuance in the
Cabinet might affect the ELECTION, and there
fore | insisted upon Withdrawing. Nor was
it because had done anything to make my
self personally offensive. My only offense
consisted in asserting the equal rights Of my
people; and you see they would not tolerate
any Southern man in the Cabinet who stood
for the rights of the Union men of the
South under the Constitution.


| have not referred to myself in this con-
nection to give myself Importance. / have
done so becau.e the example was required
to illustrate the true spirit of those who seek
in the guie of pre-eminent loyalis,s and
transcendcnt emancipationists, to annihiIate
tile States and destroy the constitution and
Mr.. Raymond, the chairman of the commit
tee, by whom the resolution relating to the
Cabinet was reported in the late national
convention, has publicly stated that the
managers aimed thereby to give themselves
authority for demanding my removal by the
President. The people of the county may
see in this that it is not unionisW and eman
cipation they seek, and it concerns the peo-
pie of the whole county to mark it. They
propose, indeed, to strike the South down


first. The Union men then must suffer with
the rebels for the misfortune of being born
in the same region. Their most precious
rights are to BE- wrcnchcd from them, re-
gardless of their devotion to the Union,
through good ard through evil report, for
the crime of not being able to resist seces-
sion when enforced by color of State author
ity, sactioned and acquisced in by the Ma
tional Government. Every one who raise,
his voice against this fragrant injustice is de-
nounced as an ally Of corpcrhcads and trai-
tor. As it is proposed so treat all South
ern IN n alike, it is necessary to effect this
purpoyr that the people of the North should
be taut hit 10 regard us all at criminals. All
are in fact equally. offenders in their eyes
1t is the claim for themselves and their fol-
lows Of their rights as citizens which otfends.
1t is the monopoly Of power which is sought,
and that de>ignis equally frustrated by al
lowing the Southern States their rights,
whether in the hands Of Union men 'r re-
hels. All agree in di, card;ng the Sibboleth
of the impcrialists. There arc some, in
decd, who give private a. surance that they
will work up to it by and ly, and who, by
joining in the clamor against the dead rebel
lion, are cooperating with the impel1aists
in proragating the idea that the. safety OF
the countryrequires the exclusion from Con
gross OF representatives from the South,
and thus contributing to fix the conviction
upon the public mind that it is necessary to
subvcrt the rule of the white man in the
South before that region can be restored to
share in the Government, Swarms OF
hirelihg writer's are sent over the South,
who GO there as the English tourists come
to America, with the ioregone conclusion
against the country-most OF them IN the
pay of the War Department-but OF the
non-combatant species, whose continuance
in the service depends on making the I'M
preston that secession is not dead but sleep
eth


In regard to the fraudulent election in
Maryland, to which Mr.. Blair was party,
he makes the following confession:


The Southern man who joins in continu
ing this clamor against the South, is aiding
in 7disfranchising the South, and the whole
South. Maryland included We may, in
deed, have persons from Maryland filling
seats, but those who reflect the feelings Of
our people will be without power. Those
only who are elected as the member from
the First District in the last Congress, and
one of our present Senators were elected will
find favor with the imperialists. That is,
by the use of public money and military force
directly applied. Let me give some particu-
lars. A regular commissary was removed
from Baltimore last winter as the Senatori-
al election was coming on, and politician
in the volunteer service recommended for
the position by Mr.. Davis, to the Secretary
of War, because of his being an anti-Blair
man, was put In the place. This man and
the Quartermaster assessed the merchants
dealiug with the Government heavily, to
raise money to be used in the election a..
cainst me and my friends. The Quarter
master, learn, raised $4,000. How much
the Commissary raised ] do not know, but
he has been heard to boast that it was by
the money he raised that was beaten. -
Some oi the preliminary steps we're taken
openly by the Department A number OF
Senators elected by the people wore arrested,
and others threatened till compelled to re.