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I trust and believe, that such threats are confined to a
very small class of our citizens. The intention of both the
Constitution and the registry law, was simply, to protect the
State against treason, and to show distrust of those who had
been connected with it. Complaints have been made, that
abuses have arisen in the execution of this law, and that
qualified voters as well as others have been arbitrarily dis-
franchised, upon frivolous and irrelevant issues, growing
out of mistaken views, of the purpose and meaning of that.
Act. I am sure that the Legislature designed no more,
than that the provisions of the Constitution should be strictly
complied with, without the remotest intention of interfering
with any loyal citizen, entitled to the right of suffrage. The
law, would have been less liable to abuse had it embodied
the feature of appeal to some competent tribunal. The Re-
gistration Act was passed, as is well known, at a time when
the ravages of civil war, were desolating our State. Large.
numbers of our citizens, variously estimated at from ten to
fifteen thousand had left their homes—taken up arms against
their State—and subscribed to the most stringent oath of
allegiance, to the so-called "Confederate States." I do not
propose at this time to discuss events that have passed, farther
than to refer to the acts of the Union men of that day, in
their praiseworthy efforts, to save their State, from the
threatened ruin which hovered over it. I would rather forget
the past, than re-open afresh, these fruitful sources of irrita-
tion, which should now be permitted. to sleep. If these acts
were radical and ultra, much more so, was the attempt to
revolutionize the State, and break up the Union. Maryland
surely could not have disregarded the first duty of self
preservation. It has been alleged, that the dominant party,
who now control the State, represents a minority of her
aggregate population. If it be so, it is the more tu be re-
gretted, that so large a number of our citizens, should have
identified themselves with the rebellion, as to suffer the
power, which this majority controlled, to pass into other
hands. Small, however, as the minority may be, it cannot
be denied, that it is the fair and legitimate representative, of
whatever there is of loyalty among our people. They are
the men to whom you are indebted for the safety of your
State, and the property which you now enjoy, and without
whose uncompromising devotion to the Union, Maryland
would have been handed over to indiscriminate destruction.
The elective franchise is a function of the State. To confer
or withhold it, is the province of those who are entrusted with
the formation of your organic law. Our citizens engaged in
this Rebellion have been received with kindness and tolera-
tion; they come back, however, to be dealt with as the peo-
ple in their wisdom may deem most expedient. Threats of
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