153 JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS [June 6,

STATE OF MARYLAND,

EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
FREDERICK CITY, June 5,1861.
Gentlemen of the Senate:

In response to your order of this date, asking me "to furnish
the Senate, at my earliest convenience, with a statement of the
faots which induced me to reclaim the arms formerly confided to
certain military companies of Baltimore city; also, with the rea-
sons why said arms were sent, by ray order, to Fort McHenry;
and, also, what security I have for the restoration of said arms,
when demanded by the proper authorities of Maryland," I have
to say—

That, although I cannot acknowledge any right on the part of
the Senate to make such inquiries, yet it gives me pleasure to
respond to them, inasmuch as 1 desire the people of the State to
be acquainted with the motives of ail my official actions, and had,
therefore, determined to give the public the reasons for my action
in the premises.

I issued orders for reclaiming the arras referred to, because I
had become satisfied that many of them had been carried beyond
the limits of the State of Maryland, for disloyal purposes, where-
by our citizens, the loyal as well as the disloyal, have become
obnoxious to the charge of aiding and abetting those persons who
are now in rebellion against the United States Government; and
whereby, also, the State, in addition to a pecuniary loss, has been
deprived of the protection designed to her citizens by the pur-
chase of said arms. Having good reason to believe that more of
said arms would be carried off for a like purpose, unless they
were promptly secured, I ordered them to be reclaimed, thinking
it to be my duty to do so, for the protection of the interests of the
State.

I have ordered the arms .to be deposited at Fort McHenry, as
a place of security, because other arms belonging to the State
had previously been stolen from the depository selected in Balti-
more city; and 1 did not deem it prudent to again incur a similar
risk.

The security 1 have ^u for the restoration of said arms, when
demanded by the proper authorities of Maryland," lies in the
honor of the United States Government, and of its loyal officers.
I should have deemed it absurd and insulting to have required
any otber security,

THOS. H. HICKS,
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