4

was totally lost to their said owners, and very few of the said
loyal owners have ever received any compensation for slave
volunteers so enlisted, or service so lost.

And whereas, on the 29th day of October, in the year,
1864, the Governor of Maryland, in pursuance of authority
vested in him, did by his" Proclamation, declare that the Con-
stitution and Form of Government framed and adopted by a
Convention of delegates of the peoples of Maryland, on the
6th day of September, in the year, 1864, had been adopted
by a majority of the voters of the said State, and would go into
effect as the proper Constitution and Form of Government of
the said State, superseding the one then existing on the first
day of November in the year, 1864;

And whereas, on the said first day of November, in the
year, 1864, the said Constitution went into full operation as
the Supreme State Law, and by the 24th Article of the Dec-
laration of Rights of the said Constitution, Slavery was abo-
lished, in this State, and all persons held to service or labor
as slaves, were thereby declared to be free, whereby the pri-
vate property of large numbers of the loyal citizens of Mary-
land, to the value of many millions of dollars, which had
been from the foundation of the Government, State and Fed-
eral, by the principal of universal public law, recognized in
all Governments founded injustice and law, as well as by the
most solemn guarantees of the Constitution of the State and
of the United States down to the said first day of November.
in the year, 1864, secured to the owners thereof, was taken
away from the siid owners, and no compensation for the in-
conveniences public and private, produced by such change of
system "has been made by giving to this State pecuniary aid,"
according to the faith of the Federal Government solemnly
pledged by the Joint Resolutions aforesaid; although in an-
ticipation of its observance by section 45, of the third Article
of said Constitution it was provided, that "the General As-
sembly shall have power to receive from the United States
any grant or donation of land, money, or securities for any
purpose designated by the United States, and shall adminis-
ter or distribute the same according to the conditions of the
said grant;"

And whereas, it is undeniable that the said "private pro-
perty," was taken from the owners thereof as aforesaid, at
the instance and for the most part, by the agency of the Fed-
eral Government of the Union, in a time of civil war for the
use and purposes of the said Government, in sucessfully
carrying on the said war.

And whereas, no State in the Union from the adoption of
the Federal Constitution hitherto, has more faithfully kept
her plighted faith, or more promptly met and discharged