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566 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. "After the above was in print, at three o'clock this afternoon, I received from the President the following despatch: " I revoke the first of the three propositions in General Sshenck's general order, No. 53, not that it is wrong in principle, but because the military being of necessity exclusive judge as to who shall be arrested, the provision is liable to abuse. For the revoked part I substitute the following : "That all provost-marshals and other militarv officers, do prevent all disturbance and violence at the polls, whether offered by such persons as above described, or by any other person or persons whomsoever; the other two propositions I allow to stand; my letter at length will reach you to-night. « a. LINCOLN." " Whilst this modification revokes the authority of the provost-marshals and military officers, to arrest the classes of persons enumerated in the preamble to the order ' found at or hanging about, or approaching any poll or place of election,' it directs them to prevent all violence or disturbance about the polls, etc. " To meet such disturbances, the judges of election, as I have already stated, are clothed with ample powers, and I had received no previous intimation that there was any reason to apprehend a disturbance of any kind at the polls on the day of election. In the absence of any military display there would certainly seem to be as little cause for such apprehensions as ever before existed. A preparation by the government by military means, to provide for such a contingency, will be quite as likely to provoke as to subdue such a disposition. Not only so, but the military thus required to prevent violence or disturbance about the polls, must necessarily be empowered to arrest the parties they may charge with such disorder, and they are still left in effect ' the exclusive Judges as to who shall be arrested'—a power they may as readily abuse as any other. " I regret, therefore, that I can perceive no such change in the general principles of the order as to induce me to change the aforegoing Proclamation. "A. W. BRADFORD. . " Bcdtimore, Monday Evening, November 2,1863." As soon as it was known in Baltimore that this proclamation was issued and in the hands of the newspapers for publication it created considerable excitement, as there was now open antagonism between Major General Schenck, as the representative of the military powTer of the Federal government, and Governor Bradford, as the representative of the sovereign power of the people- of the State. It is true, President Lincoln had modified the order of General Schenck by striking out the most objectionable clause; but this did not satisfy the Governor, and hence his proclamation. It was sent to the newspapers for publication in their Tuesday morning's edition, but before it appeared a written order wras received by all the papers in Baltimore, from General Schenck, peremptorily forbidding, under penalty of suppression, its publication until further orders from him. Before Tuesday morning, military orders were also sent to the Eastern Shore, directing its circulation to be suppressed, the public papers in that part of the State were also forbidden to publish it, and an embargo was laid on all the steamers in port trading with the Eastern Shore lest they might carry it. The proclamation of the Governor, however, appeared in the columns of the Baltimore newspapers on the- morning of the election, Wednesday, November 4th, (too late for circulation in the counties,) with the sanction of the major-general commanding and the- following military order in reply to it:
Title | History of Maryland - 3 |
Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
Publisher | J. B. Piet |
Place of Publication | Baltimore |
Date | 1879 |
Language | eng |
Type | Books/Pamphlets |
Title | 00000601 |
Type | Books/Pamphlets |
Transcript | 566 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. "After the above was in print, at three o'clock this afternoon, I received from the President the following despatch: " I revoke the first of the three propositions in General Sshenck's general order, No. 53, not that it is wrong in principle, but because the military being of necessity exclusive judge as to who shall be arrested, the provision is liable to abuse. For the revoked part I substitute the following : "That all provost-marshals and other militarv officers, do prevent all disturbance and violence at the polls, whether offered by such persons as above described, or by any other person or persons whomsoever; the other two propositions I allow to stand; my letter at length will reach you to-night. « a. LINCOLN." " Whilst this modification revokes the authority of the provost-marshals and military officers, to arrest the classes of persons enumerated in the preamble to the order ' found at or hanging about, or approaching any poll or place of election,' it directs them to prevent all violence or disturbance about the polls, etc. " To meet such disturbances, the judges of election, as I have already stated, are clothed with ample powers, and I had received no previous intimation that there was any reason to apprehend a disturbance of any kind at the polls on the day of election. In the absence of any military display there would certainly seem to be as little cause for such apprehensions as ever before existed. A preparation by the government by military means, to provide for such a contingency, will be quite as likely to provoke as to subdue such a disposition. Not only so, but the military thus required to prevent violence or disturbance about the polls, must necessarily be empowered to arrest the parties they may charge with such disorder, and they are still left in effect ' the exclusive Judges as to who shall be arrested'—a power they may as readily abuse as any other. " I regret, therefore, that I can perceive no such change in the general principles of the order as to induce me to change the aforegoing Proclamation. "A. W. BRADFORD. . " Bcdtimore, Monday Evening, November 2,1863." As soon as it was known in Baltimore that this proclamation was issued and in the hands of the newspapers for publication it created considerable excitement, as there was now open antagonism between Major General Schenck, as the representative of the military powTer of the Federal government, and Governor Bradford, as the representative of the sovereign power of the people- of the State. It is true, President Lincoln had modified the order of General Schenck by striking out the most objectionable clause; but this did not satisfy the Governor, and hence his proclamation. It was sent to the newspapers for publication in their Tuesday morning's edition, but before it appeared a written order wras received by all the papers in Baltimore, from General Schenck, peremptorily forbidding, under penalty of suppression, its publication until further orders from him. Before Tuesday morning, military orders were also sent to the Eastern Shore, directing its circulation to be suppressed, the public papers in that part of the State were also forbidden to publish it, and an embargo was laid on all the steamers in port trading with the Eastern Shore lest they might carry it. The proclamation of the Governor, however, appeared in the columns of the Baltimore newspapers on the- morning of the election, Wednesday, November 4th, (too late for circulation in the counties,) with the sanction of the major-general commanding and the- following military order in reply to it: |