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Despotism In Maryland

Despotism In Maryland image
Parent Issue
Day
3
Month
November
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The citizens of Howard District n iMaryand, are troubled with their slaves running iway. A memorial to the Legislature has teen printed for circulation in that district letting fortb that the evil has so far progress id among tlicm, by meansof the tampering jf the free negroes with the slavee, that the álaveholder must abandon, his propi-rty,. or the Legislature must aftbrd a remedy, or hey must right themselves by appealing to ;he first law of nature. The memorial suggests the following remedial tneasures as absolutely necessary. Ihe writcr of Una document seems to have forgotten that in the United States there s i Cunstitution or a Supremo Court.. "No free negro must be allowed under any circumttances lo cume wlthin the limits ot the state, for any, the smallest period of timo; that if any shall do so, he sliall be a Eilave for life to the person vvho takes him up, and shall sell him out of the S'.ate; ihat if a free negro, so coming in, shall escape, he shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and be punished by the officers of the State; that all rostriction upon the introducüon ofslaves for life into the State be at once removed; that no negro shall be allowed to be manumïtted under any circumstances- the powers and rights of the Colonization society heftig an absolute failure in Ihis respect, as a portion of this District are unhappily made toknow at this time trom experience. - Ihat the rail road companics be prohibited from carrywg in their tars any negro whatever, unless accompanied by a white man who claims such negro as a slave. That any free negro who shall puss beyond the lirnils of the State shall be deomed a free' negro of anolher Slate. That any free negro who sball hold ntercourse with a fretí negro from anotherStat: , knowing liim lobo such, shall be in some way punished. That any per6onwho shall attempt to deter or disauade an officer or citizen from attempting tocarryinto effect the la;vs in relation to free negroee, or to discountenance hira in, or bring contempt upon him, fur doing the same, shall be severely fined for the benefit of the officer or citizen whose duties shall be so interfered with. That ihe Govemor shall appoint five slaveholders, in each election. district and ward in the State, whose doty it shall be to sec that the offices of the peace enfurce the laws relativo to the colored population, and who bhall annually roport to the Legislatnre,and particularly the number of runaway r.egroes. and wliat bas prev.(;iited the capture of suchas hive (s;nped. And that tho Legislature, rcquire of Uongress to pass laws to aid in securing the capture of runaway slaves, and parlicularly to prohibit negro testimony ii all sucb cases. And yoiir memorialists furlher ask, that if the Legislaturo should decline passing laws to thiB effecf for the elate,ihat so faras they may be made applicable, they be passed for Howard District."(JPublic nen in all countries change tlieir opinions and practicea with the genera' current of society. No strength of intellect seems suflicient to preserve thom from the perpetual tendeney to conform their views Ut the opinions of tliose wbo surround tliemFive or eix years since, when Mr. Bucking - ham introduced into tho Brilish Parliament a proposition to entirely remodel the ücense systero of Britain with a view to its ultímate abolition, Mr. O'Connell publicly ridiculed the committee who brought in thereport,.as well as the cause of total abstinence which was then in its infancy in tliat country. He told Parliament he thought the committee must have been pretty well fuddled when they concocted their report. At the recent election in Dublin, he deciared publicly that "he would not give up tee-totalism if he lost all ihe elcctions that wero ever lost or gained. . He was very proud of it; il was a vir- tue taught him by the people."