ern friends? Have they not in many of their
States denied to him the right to read the
land and breathe the air within the' bounds of
their free and enlightened States?
Again, what will they do with the chil-
dren, the aged and the infirm of this race?
Will they take them to their homes and
provide for their wants? Or will they see
them languish, starve and die by the highway?
I for one spurn this mock philanthrophy.
The negro's condition has only been bettered
and improved in a state of slavery. 'Tis there
he has been taught the great principles of sal-
vation. ' Tis there be has learned the differ-
ence between the true and living God and the
gods of wood and of stone. ' Tis in a state
of slavery he has learned that the sacrifice of
thousands of his fellow-beings to his heathen
god avail nothing.
I have deemed it a duty to enter the protest
of my constituents against this article, against
this great wrong yon propose to perpetrate
upon them. It is a duty I owe to my State,
for by this action you destroy one of the great
sources other wealth, and the means by
which her citizens are to be enabled to meet
the onerous taxation which is now upon us.
But, Mr. President, I cannot expect my
feeble efforts to avail aught in a time when
the people are frenzied and maddened with
the fanaticism of the present hour. When I
have seen the great right of magna charta
stricken down; when a free press no longer
exists; when free speech for the time has been
denied in our State; when our citizens are no
longer protected in their persons and property ;
when I have seen men ruthlessly torn from
their families and firesides without due process
of law; when I have seen them taken from
God's house of worship, imprisoned for days
and weeks, and then turned loose with no trial,
no evidence of guilt agains' them, what can
I hope for? Men talk about traitors and the
acts of the rebels. What has their action to
do with us as citizens of the United States,
and the State of Maryland? This govern-
ment is under obligations to protect us in the
full and free enjoyment of all the rights
guaranteed tons. And it is only upon due
process of law and by conviction of crime that
she has any right to abridge our rights and
privileges.
Must we go to rebels and traitors, as they
term them, to learn lessons of wrong and in-
justice? I humbly apprehend not. I am
taught my rights and my privileges as they
are laid down and expressed in the laws of
our land. I have heard this word "traitor"
and the word "rebel " applied over and over
again to men, and in a majority of instances
they have been applied for the purpose of per-
sonal advancement and aggrandizement.
Now, I had some experience in that matter
myself; many of our citizens have had much
experience. I have seen the wife upon the
door-step crying to be allowed to bid " good |
bye" to her husband, and she was denied the
privilege. I have seen the husband taken
away in tine cold and inclement weather, and
not even permitted to get the clothing neces-
sary for his comfort. These things are not
matters of imagination with me. They have
occurred under my own vision, and they
taught me truths I must notice. I do not
attribute these acts to the President or to his
cabinet, or to those in authority under him;
but they are attributable to evil, designing
and malicious minds. Therefore is there the
more necessity why we should ever respect
the laws and the constitution, for they are the
only sure guarantees which we have for our
rights and our liberties. I would ask gentle-
men who now propose to make this great re-
volutionary change, how long will it be before
some other revolutionary change may be pro-
posed which will affect you and all your rights,
and your privilege", and your property Let
us act with caution; let us act with wisdom.
I do not rise here to say a word which will
hurt any man's feelings. Far be it from me
to use words of reproach or condemnation
against any person. I act upon the principle
that each and every man shall express his sen-
timents freely and fully. But I beg of my
friends, most of you natives of Maryland, to
weigh well this matter before you try it. It
is often the case that the fowler falls in his
own snare. It may seem for a time that it
will result in advancement; it nitty seem for
the time to be a great offering to this modern
god; it may seem for the time to advance
your prosperity. But let us not consider all
time as embraced in this day alone. Let us
look at time to come: let us endeavor to peer
into the hidden and mysterious future; let
us weigh well our acts lest those very acts
hereafter fall upon us with double force and
double power.
This government is under obligation to pro-
tect us in the full and free enjoyment of all
the rights guaranteed to us; audit is only
upon due process of law and upon conviction
of crime that it has any power to abridge our
rights and our privileges. This government
is truly a beautiful temple. Its foundations
were supposed to have been laid upon solid
adamant, which no tide or flood should de-
stroy, until the time came when the angel of
the last day should proclaim that time shall
be no more, and all nature shall perish in the
general destruction. But we have seen those
foundations shaken; we have seen its, beauti-
ful proportions crumble into the dust. One
by one have the citizens of this good old State
of Maryland been stripped of their privileges.
And although they have applied the terms
"rebel" and "traitor" to us, yet under
all these sufferings, under all these onerous
and heavy burdens, as a general rule, we have
borne them quietly and meekly. As a general
rule I believe it is in the heart of every man
in Maryland to desire to see this nation as a |
