Year: 1860

for the past six years disfranchised; and when


eleven thousand of her citizens appealed to the
Legislature to remove the shackles which had
borne them to the earth so long, it was right and
proper that their appeal should be listened to-


Mr.. Cotton accorded all credit to the Mayor for
what he had done when President of the Railroad


but said, that functionary paid for doing every
thing, and what he had done was with an eve to
self-interest' Mr. Cook said, if the ten thousand
citizens, who petitioned the Legislature had wish
ed to vote, on election day, they could have done
so. lie then alluded to the club system, and said


the first club instituted here, was the Empire
Club, composed of Democrats, and in those days
voters were beaten from the polls as we'll as at
other times, since their organization. When the
Democrats had it their own way it was all right,
but now it villainous, because the Demo
cratic party wanted to get into power
Mr.. CoLToN said it was the design of the Legsla-
ture in passing the Police bill, to bring back diff
terent state of things in the city of Baltimore: to
restrain the evil passions of men, which had run
riot IN the city for years past. The lawlessness,
disorder, riot and boodshed in the city had become
proverbial throughout the State and the whole
country, and the counties in Maryland which had
always sent members to the Legislature, either
Wings or Americans, being cognizant of these
things-Mr. Cook (interrupting.) They knew
it by your Democratic papers.-Mr. COLroN-
They knowing these things sent members of dit
terent party, all anxious to relieve the city of Bal


hmore from the great evils under which she labor
ed. (To Mr.. Cook.) Did the papers main, and
rob and kill? No, sir; they published only facts


and it was their duty to do it, if they had not done
1t they would not have been supported. The coun-
ties learned these things in other ways; when their
citizens came here they waylaid, robbed
MANNED, and sometimes killed; their friends need
ed no papers to inform them of these facts
Mr.. Cook replied, and insisted that the act of the
Legislature was merely to break down the Ameri-
can party and put the Democrats into power-
The PRESIDENT said he voted for the ordinance with
reluctance, but bowed submissively to the decree
OF the Court of Appeals. He complained of the
action OF the Legislature and considered the police
bill as an act dsfranchisng the citizens of Balti
more. He would say to the credit of the Execu


tive of the city, that all his exertons were made
towards complete reformation in the police of the
city and the establishment of a Mayors Court. If
the Legislature had authorized this Court there
would have been no necessity for the police bill.-
He believed the removal of the Judge of the Grim
inal Court was the cause of great diminutiOn of
crime in the city; and if those who should have
done it, had had the moral courage to have i'm
peached him, the city would not now
bear the name it does. He referred to
the police bill, and said the Helper proviso
was disfranchsement of the citizen. 1t was in
violation of constitutional aw-it was one of the
worst features in it. He denounced the bill as
party movement, passed to break down dominant
party; he denounced the newspapers-the partisan
press-which had represented Baltimore as pan
demonlum OF vice; they had damaged the business
OF the city by preventing strangers from coming
into her confines. He thought Baltimore presented
to-day as fair picture as any other municipality
of the same dimensions in the country Mr. Nc
Phail continued at some length, unfolding the
action of the Mayor, and the Mayors eco6iciO,
from charges which had been brought against
them, and concluded by saying that he would vote
for the bill, because he wanted to see the expert
ment of metropolitan police fairly tried in this
clty-The discussion kept up in ramb-
ling manner for time by Messrs
Cook, Cotton, Cathcart and the President,
when the ordinance was finally passed.-A reso-
luton in regard to the reception and treatment
OF the Western editors, guests of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company, was received from the
First Branch, read second time and passed.
An ordinance to lay and collect a direct tax for
the year 1860, imposing a levy of fifty cents on
every hundred dollars of assessable property, was
taken up and passed.-An ordinance to Law and
collect direct tax for the repairs of highways
and bridges in certain parts of the city of Balti-
more, and the necessary grading and masonry re-
quired for the construction of the same, and i'm
posing direct tax of thirty cents, was taken up
and passed.-An ordinance to lay and collect a
direct tax for the use of the State for the year
lS6O and imposing tax of ten cents on all the
assessable property, was taken up and passed -
An ordinance to create sinking fund to red eem
the stock issued for rebuilding the courthous
was taken up and passed. The Branch adjourned
until Monday afternoon at o'clock.