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after the word 'State' where it next occurs the words, 'or
at any municipal election in the city of Baltimore. ' "
Mr. Wethered had seen lager beer patriots with their
bludgeons coming into Baltimore county and hurrahing
for the third ward. The present Senator from that coun-
ty was elected by fraudulent votes, and he stood here to
prove it in any court of justice. The counties which did
not want a registry law might in the future be subjected
to the same incursions, and it behooves them to prepare.
With a uniform registry law he would guarantee that the
old Gibraltar of democracy would send up a majority of
2, 000.
Mr. Wallace was in favor of a uniform system of regis-
tration throughout the State. There was no danger now
from the Rip-Raps, Blood-Tubs or other villainous or-
ganizations from the city of Baltimore. The danger came
from another quarter. It came from the hordes of va-
grant negroes that would be imported into this State of
Maryland to get control of it, if negro suffrage was pro-
claimed by Congress, which was now hardly to be doubted.
The District of Columbia was now ground to powder by
this same process. If this thing was attempted in Mary-
land, they would send an adequate force to break it up.
If this registry system prevailed in Baltimore and the
larger counties, these hordes would pass by and invade
the shore counties. He had fought against this system,
but he had now commanded his prejudices to bow down te
his duty. This registration was their only protection, and
now when they had the power to secure it, it was not pru-
dent to let the opportunity pass.
Mr. Groome said the registry laws had been framed not
to secure the purity of the ballot box, but to exclude the
majority of the people of this State from that ballot box.
In 1863, thirty soldiers from Fort Delaware had come to
his election district in Cecil county, and despite the fact
that they could show no residence and give no satisfac-
tory account of themselves, they were allowed to vote.
He (Mr. G. ) challenged their votes and the result was
that he was arrested by military authority for interfer-
ing with the purity of the election, and was informed by
the military that the soldiers had the right to vote in
Maryland if they had only been here one hour. His col-
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