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IN MARYLAND.
CITIZENSHIP AND St1ItAC; .ie ~ to arrange with tile Mayor to prevent
a.repetitiun in November. The follow-,
.le ill,'' extracts from an unpublished diary, for the year 1856, give an
idea of the
Ile ~z ? ~ ' "'1'llis leas been
disorder then prevailing at Baltimore elections. October ~ .
ty c. one of the most disgraceful days for Baltimore. From early in the
morning,
n- - '~ until very late at night, both parties have been drawn in deadly
array against
10 each other, and Plug-Uglies and Rip-Raps and Eighth Ward Blackguards
he ' have endeavored to see which could be vilest and most inhuman. The so-
rt' , called American Party seems to have some most villainous material in
its
~st ~; <'anipusition, while tile other side has never been deficient in that
article. A
.y. number of men have been killed to-day and over fifty wounded, more or
less
tlnn,~'eruush-. :1t some of tile polls, only suds nlen -is were of tile
party pre_
ed dominating at the hulls were allowed to vote. Affairs going on in this way
and tile elective franchise will become a building. Swarm elected Mayor by
ld ~ lar-e majority."
ad . j October 9 : '-The day is bright and beautiful, but the evil passions
of
re- ! omen seem not yet to lave died out. Fights and wounds of various kinds
were
nd :: `' tile order of the day, and, on a shall scale, some of the scenes of
yesterday
were re-enacted."
)w ~ November 4: "The usual amount of rioting made its appearance during
;al the day and after the plan of the last election day. Wounding, maiming
and
ce- killill, were not infrequent. When will tile Executive of this city be
able to
a' d
" nl:Ina_(,e its internal affairs!"
re `,'- ~ 'Ill(- organized bands of roughs, at the city election of 18577,
again son-
ar- •., trolled many of the polls, of which, it must be remembered, there
was but one
all , ; „ to each ward. Governor Ligon came to Baltimore and issued orders
to have
;e,' , ` the Militia protect tile polls. Fearing a cuniiic;t of authority, a
committee of
=he llrttluiut'nt citizens visited Mayor Swann, and, being convinced by kiln
that he
1e,5 ,- wu• really in earnest in his professions of nulintaining order, hot
the Governor
hi abandon his purpose. The result, Governor Ligon described in his annual
ate ' mt'..,I~t,. "I record mv deliberate opinion that the election was
fraudulent.ly
.Md . - , t•ttutlllcted : tilt, in the exclusion of tllcnlsnnds of people
from the polls,
'Ilk - t liere 1 Is been no expression of the popular will, and that the
whole of the
rt•tllrll: froul that city are vicious, without a decent claim to official
reoo-ni-
ec- ~- tittle :Ilwwhcre, and. in their character, a -:I'uss insult-to our
institutions and
iei ,~ `. l:\-•. and a most oifiensive mockery of the great principle of
political rode-
Ich . pt•Inl-nrt' and Mulnnar suffrage.' In 18:0, the Independent candidate.
with-
ain.,='' drew :It uctttn ctf election day, disgusted with tile ctmduct of
the Inning
harm. Mter that election, a City R.efornl Association' was ornanizzd, which
trit'tl ttt --et the Mayor to appoint satisfactory judges of election :mud
~, •lt••cial police. In this they failed= but they carried six of the twenty
wllvl• ill tile Fall of 18:i:>. Awls were especially used by tile ruffians
;tl~m tit(-' bolls fur the purpose of |
