USA > Maryland > Baltimore County > Baltimore City > History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc > Part 20
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Other speakers on this occasion were S. P. Chase, D. F. Claudy, of Louisiana; James A. Garfield, William B. Kelly, Sam- uel Galloway and Hon. John Covode. H. H. Goldsborough, Unconditional Union candidate for Comptroller, defeated S. S. Moffitt, Conditional Union candidate, re- ceiving in the city 10,545 to 367 for Moffitt. Edwin H. Webster, Union candidate for Congress in the Second Dist., had no oppo- sition; his vote in the seven lower wards was 4,436. Henry Winter Davis, in the upper Baltimore district, was elected with- out opposition by a vote of 5,965. John L. Thomas, Jr., regular Union party nominee, defeated J. V. L. Findlay for the office of States Attorney, the former receiving 8,709 and the latter 1,905 votes. The vote for Judge of the City Circuit Court was: Dan- iels, Unconditional Union Independent can- didate, 3,168; Johnson, Conditional Un- ion Independent candidate, 1,315; Al- exander, regular party nominee, 6,109. The "American" in commenting upon the result of the election in its issue of November 5th said: "Maryland yesterday proclaimed it- self a free State. The vote for Goldsbor- ough was the test on speedy emancipation, and Baltimore has given a vote so nearly unanimous on the question, so far as the loyal voters are concerned, leaving no room
for doubt, after the aggregate result in the State. A Legislature largely in favor of emancipation, and three at least of the five Congressmen are avowed emancipation- ists." This same paper editorially stated: "The candidates for Judge of the Court and States Attorney were elected, they have the gratification of knowing, however, that they owe us no thanks for their success."
I864.
April the Ist of this year a meeting of those favorable to a Constitutional Conven- tion was held in the Maryland Institute. Henry Winter Davis said: "We have made our nominations; our enemies have made theirs; and the question is, which of the two are to fill the seats of the convention? Are we to have a convention opposed to eman- cipation, and trust to the moral power of the coercion of the popular vote to compel them to discharge their duties? Or shall we have a convention composed of the gen- tlemen we have nominated, who go there for the purpose of executing the will that the people have expressed, and who, when they get there, will have the manliness and the resolution to act up to the duties that have been prescribed for them? That and that only is the question.
"The slavery interest, of course, strug- gles vigorously to maintain its domination. It has been heretofore your master as well as the master of the slaves. One-fourth of the people of the State have ruled it by the existing Constitution. They have used their power to take to themselves the lion's share of our political honor and to cast upon you the ass's share of every political bur- den. The political power has been down in the rotten borough counties of St. Mary's,
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Charles, Calvert, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, and over in Somerset, Talbot and Queen Anne's. Their slaves have been ex- empt from equal taxation.
"Their laws have compensated slave hold- ers everywhere for their slaves when they forfeited their lives by violation of the law. The taxes have been imposed upon the city of Baltimore; the taxes have been imposed upon the northern and western portions of the State. The laws have been passed at the dictation of the southern portion; the burthens have been borne by the northern portion. In the south, south of the Patap- sco river and south of the Sassafras river, you have about one-fourth of the white pop- ulation of the State, and you have one-half of all its political power."
Tuesday, June 7th, the National Union Convention met amid unbounded enthusi- asm in the Front Street Theatre, and nomi- nated Abraham Lincoln for President and Andrew Johnson for Vice-President. When Lincoln was first a candidate for the high office to which he was elected, a small band of his followers were suppressed in their efforts to express their preference for him in that place. At noon Edwin D. Morgan, of New York, chairman of the National Union Executive Committee, called the convention to order and nominated Rev. Robert J. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, presi- dent pro tem. The reverend gentleman sev- eral years previous was the pastor of the Presbyterian Church on the corner of Bal- timore and Lloyd streets. William Denni- son, of Ohio, was subsequently made per- manent president. Some of the greatest men of the Nation were members of that convention. It was two days in session and spent the greater part of its time over con-
testing delegates and the admission of dele- gates from Southern States. Glowing speeches were made and genuine outbursts of true eloquence were heard. The plat- form was pronounced for maintaining the Union; punishing rebels; in favor of the extirpation of slavery within the limits of the United States; extending thanks to the soldiers and sailors who had defended the flag, and promising what has since been fulfilled to the letter, that to them "the Na- tion owes some permanent recognition of their patriotism and their valor, and ample and permanent provision for those of their survivors who have received disabling and honorable wounds in the service of the coun- try; and that the memories of those who have fallen in its defense shall be held in grateful and everlasting remembrance."
Other planks in the platform approved and applauded "the practical wisdom," "un- selfish patriotism" and "unswerving fidelity of Abraham Lincoln" in discharging the duties of his high office; his Emancipation Proclamation and the employment of slaves as soldiers and demanding for them the laws and usages of civilized nations; the fostering of foreign immigration and the speedy con- struction of a railroad to the Pacific; that the faith and credit of the Nation must be kept inviolate and declaring that the people of the United States "can never regard with indifference the attempt of any European power" to overthrow a Government on the Western Continent.
Lincoln received the votes of all the States for nomination-four hundred and eighty-three-save the twenty-two votes of Missouri, which were cast for Gen. Grant. They were transferred to Mr. Lincoln be- fore the vote was announced. Two ballots
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were necessary for the selection of the Vice- Presidential candidate. On the last ballot Andrew Johnson received four hundred and ninety-four votes, Daniel S. Dickinson sev- enteen, and Hannibal Hamlin nine. The convention accepted an invitation to visit Patterson Park Hospital, where over one thousand wounded soldiers from all the loyal States of the Union were being cared for. Thanks were expressed to the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore "for the ex- cellent arrangements they had made for the accommodation and comfort of the conven- tion."
It will be observed that the convention met not as a Republican convention, but as the National Union Convention. During the war the Republican party was so called; it included men of distinctive opinions on all other subjects but the paramount pur- pose of maintaining the Union.
The evening of the day on which the con- vention adjourned sine die, a ratification meeting was held in Monument Square. A prominent motto was, "The Heel of the old Flag Staff shall Bruise the Rattlesnake's Head." Mayor John Lee Chapman pre- sided. Thomas Swann was the first speaker, followed by Parson Brownlow, Horace Maynard and the Rev. Mr. Gaddis, of Ohio. Brownlow four years previous had been in the Bell and Everett Convention; he had declared his intention to have his coffin so constructed that openings would be at its head and foot, so that if "a secessionist or an abolitionist came in at one end he could go out at the other." His political advance- ment to Republicanism was the natural out- come of being a Unionist.
Mr. Swann, among other things, had this to say: "Abraham Lincoln is the first, last
and only choice of the Union party of the State of Maryland. We mean to support him because the rebellion commenced with- out provocation under his administration, and we desire it shall terminate before any one else is permitted to hold the place which he now holds so acceptably to the people." "It cannot be denied that negro slavery has been the cause of this rebellion." "A practical emancipationist, I have endeav- ored to keep pace with the public judgment, which has been progressive ever since the war commenced." "In Maryland slavery has fallen by the hands of the rebellion. Maryland is virtually a free State now, and will be free by a vote of her people in a very few days. As well might we tamper with the force of a mighty torrent as to under- take to curb the determination of the people upon the subject of slavery." "The doom of slavery is fixed, and the shackles will be stricken from the hands of every bondman within the limits of this free country."
The Legislature provided for a Constitu- tional State Convention, which assembled in June of this year. After a session of eighty-nine days, the new Constitution abolishing slavery was on the 27th of Au- gust ordered to be submitted to a vote Oc- tober 12th for ratification or rejection. By one of its features the Maryland soldiers in the Federal service, in the field, were per- mitted to exercise the right of suffrage un- der provisions providing for the taking of their vote.
Baltimore City, under the new Constitu- tion, had its representative basis in the Gen- eral Assembly fixed at three Senators and eighteen delegates.
The Unconditional Union Convention on the 23d of June nominated Archibald Ster-
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ling, Jr,. as its candidate for Mayor of Balti- more. John Lee Chapman on the same day by another body of Unionists was placed in nomination for that office. September 22d the Unconditional Union men of East Baltimore held a meeting on Broadway and Eastern avenue. The resolutions adopted were favorable to the election of Lincoln and Johnson and denounced the nomina- tion of McClellan and Pendleton as a method to embarrass the Government and prevent its restoration to its rightful au- thority. They declared that the new Con- stitution received their cordial support, and the principle of emancipation was dearest to their hearts. John Lee Chapman was held to be the regular nominee of the party and not Archibald Sterling, Jr., the nominee of D. H. Hoopes and the men who sympa- thized with him. They declared that Reverdy Johnson in supporting the Copperhead can- didate nominated at Chicago, does not as- tonish that portion of the people of Mary- land who know him best. Thomas Swann made a speech setting forth the reasons why the new Constitution should receive the support of every true Union man.
A Maryland Democratic Convention met in Baltimore September 29th at the New Assembly Rooms. Oden Bowie called the convention to order. He observed: "There were two roads on either of which they could travel. One is through a relentless war of subjugation and extermination, and the other is by the-peaceful counsels of the Democrats of the country." The nomina- tions of McClellan and Pendleton for Presi- dent and Vice-President were heartily ac- quiesced in. The platform of the party was approved. The electors were named and the oath prescribed by the convention to be
taken by all voters before voting for the adoption or rejection of the new Constitu- tion was denounced as illegal.
During the interval between the submis- sion of the new Constitution and its adop- tion by the people a wordy warfare for and against it was carried on in the columns of the different newspapers, participated in by the leading minds of the State.
On the night of October 10, 1864, the supporters of Lincoln and Johnson, and the proposed new Constitution of the State abolishing slavery, met in Monument Square. Gen. John R. Kenly was the chair- man of the meeting. He delivered the fol- lowing address:
Fellow-Citizens of Baltimore: "I thank you for the distinguished honor you have conferred by calling me to preside over this meeting. I esteem myself especially for- tunate that a kind Providence has permit- ted me to be in your midst at this time, to unite with you in freeing our State from the blight of slavery, and to assist you in your efforts to re-elect that honest citizen, that fearless and incorruptible patriot, Abra- ham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the United States. I am proud of this oppor- tunity to express to you, my own fellow- citizens of Baltimore, that I stand now where I stood nearly four years ago in your midst, to uphold with you this Federal Gov- ernment of the people, and to stand to the death by the man of the people, Abraham Lincoln. To aid you, my fellow-citizens of Maryland, in ridding yourselves of slavery, I shall cast my vote for the adoption of the Constitution about being submitted for your suffrages. I shall do so because by the adoption of this Constitution we shall re- lieve our State of the blighting influences
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of that institution, which has ever been a curse and a hindrance to the prosperity and happiness of those people in whose midst it has existed. As long back as I can re- member, I have been a consistent and con- scientious opponent of slavery, and there are some in your midst who can bear tes- timony to this fact; and if I can, by any act, aid in removing this blight from the people of Maryland I shall consider it more praise- worthy ana manly than any other political act of my life.
"Some fourteen years ago this square was filled with citizens of Baltimore, agitated by the discussion of a question somewhat simi- lar to the one before you. A new Consti- tution was about to be submitted to the people; parties were divided; all was con- fusion so far as party organization existed, because there was one element in that pro- posed new Constitution which shook old prejudices, and hence broke up old parties. The main feature of that new Constitution, the Constitution under which we now live, was the abolition of imprisonment for debt. Most of my old party, most of my profession differed. I cared for nothing else than that feature. I looked to that through all the intricacies, and all the doubts, and all the influences of the wise men, and the distin- guished lawyers, who were appealed to at that time. I looked to that. I voted to adopt that Constitution because it abolished imprisonment for debt. And can any man doubt, entertaining the views which I did then, that I would now do other than vote for the abolition of slavery? May God grant that we may be as successful in our efforts at this time.
"Another object of this meeting is to re- elect Abraham Lincoln and to give him a
worthy coadjutor in Andrew Johnson. The suppression of this rebellion and the main- tenance of the authority of the Federal Gov- ernment over the entire Nation will be, in my judgment, fully accomplished with the gallant army which we have in the field, by the re-election of Mr. Lincoln to the Presi- dency of the United States, for "the last ditch" of the rebellion is the hope of the defeat of our ticket and the election of the nominees on the Chicago platform. Rebels in arms in the Southern States, those not in arms in the Northern States, aye, and every opponent of the Federal Government, are now by every specious and varied pretext directing their efforts to prevent the elec- tion of Mr. Lincoln.
"These are not the only classes that know that the election of Mr. Lincoln will not alone crush the rebellion, but will give peace to this country. I beg leave to refer to a few extracts from the last confession of Mr. Jefferson Davis made a few days ago in Macon. He regretted that he was meeting the people in a time of adversity, and he called their attention to the absolute neces- sity of sending him more troops; his lan- guage is remarkable as coming from him, because it exposes that which I and thou- sands of others knew to be true, but which has ever been ignored by the press of the Rebel States. He spoke thus: [The Gen- eral read from the speech of Mr. Davis, that two-thirds of his soldiers were absent, sick and wounded, but most of them without leave.] It appears then from this despond- ent language that two-thirds of their army was away-two-thirds, mark you. Some were sick, some were wounded, but most of those two-thirds were absent without leave. There are at this time a hundred thousand
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
men waiting for you to give them peace by the re-election of Mr. Lincoln. Come forward then, my fellow-citizens of Mary- land, drop and forget all your private feuds, all your sectional differences. Come up, shoulder to shoulder, and keep step once more, as you have heretofore done, to the music of the Union, and on November next you will give the homage of free Maryland and her electoral vote to Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson."
A letter of Mr. Lincoln's, which has been forgotten by the public, dated from the Ex- ecutive Mansion, October 10, 1864, and addressed to Henry W. Hoffman, was read. "A convention of Maryland has framed a new Constitution for the State; a public meeting is called for this evening at Bal- timore to aid in securing its ratification by the people; and you ask a word from me for the occasion. I presume the only feature of the instrument about which there is se- rious controversy is that which provides for the extinction of slavery. It need not be a secret, and I presume it is no secret, that I wish success to this provision. I de- sire it on every consideration. I wish all men to be free. I wish the material pros- perity of the already free, which I feel sure the extinction of slavery would bring. I wish to see in process of disappearing that only thing which ever could bring this Na- tion to Civil War. I attempt no argument. Argument upon the question is already ex- hausted by the abler, better informed and more immediately interested sons of Mary- land herself. I only add that I shall be gratified exceedingly if the good people of the State shall by their votes ratify the new Constitution."
The vote on the Constitution in Baltimore
was for the adoption 9,660, and against 2,079; Chapman, for Mayor, 11,334; Ster- ling, 3,284.
The Union Convention met in Baltimore Tuesday, October 18th, and nominated Thomas Swann for Governor. He was made the unanimous choice of the party. Christopher C. Cox for Lieutenant Gover- nor received sixty-two votes against forty for Capt. William Frazier. Mr. Swann, the nominee of the convention, had announced that no matter who saddled the horse of emancipation, he meant to ride it. He ap- peared before the convention and declared "that not the least of our causes for thank- fulness and congratulation, when we shall have emerged from the war in which we are now engaged, will be that Maryland will find herself in the category of free States.
One of the resolutions adopted congratu- lated the Union men of the State that Rev- erdy Johnson had left them and was with the traitors to his country; that the opinion lately announced by him, which was to the effect that any one could take the oath pre- scribed by the new Constitution and violate it without perjuring himself, was a pretext of the rebel voters of the State to swear to wilful perjury.
Friday, October 21st, Charles E. Phelps was nominated for Congress by the Union Convention in the Third Congressional District. John V. L. Findlay, Baltis H. Kennard and John P. Kennedy were placed in nomination, all of whom were subse- quently withdrawn, excepting Col. Phelps, who was nominated by acclamation. In ac- cepting the nomination he maintained that he "had always looked to the Constitution with reverence and its test should be his
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guide. It became necessary, however, in treating with those who had disregarded all the principles and rights under the Consti- tution, in tearing that instrument to pieces, that precedent should be made and followed too, and that recourse should be had to the highest law, the safety of the people; that when danger to the great cause was threat- ened, and the old paths entirely covered from view, that it would be necessary to press on, even out of beaten paths. He should support Lincoln and not McClellan, for the country would be in an ignominious position should McClellan be elected Presi- dent. He had been in favor of the move- ment having for its object the framing of the new Constitution. In peace he was a conservative, in war a radical."
The nominee of the Democratic party for Governor was Ezekiel Chambers and for Lieut. Governor Oden Bowie. At the elec- tion on November 8th Abraham Lincoln received in Baltimore 14,826; McClellan 2,890. Webster, for Congress, in the lower seven wards, 6,233 votes; Kimmell, Demo- crat, 1,136. In the Third District Phelps had 8,468; A. Leo Knott, Democrat, 1,648; Swann received for Governor 14,446, Cham- bers 2,337; Cox, for Lieutenant Governor, 14,725, Bowie 2,827.
The Democracy was totally wrecked. Its leading members were in retirement and out of politics. A few men sought to ele- vate its banner and keep it floating to the winds. A young lawyer, since dead, An- drew J. Wilcox, and associated with him, A. Leo Knott, William Kimmel and others guided its destinies in these its darkest hours.
I865.
At the election in Baltimore, Tuesday,
November the 7th, John L. Thomas, Jr., Unionist, who was nominated to succeed Webster, appointed Collector of the Port of Baltimore, received in the seven lower wards for Congress 2,040 votes, and Wil- liam Kimmel, Democrat, received 54 votes. The vote as cast was 5,504 in the twenty wards of the city; - 10,842 were registered and 5,338 did not vote.
I866.
The Constitution of 1864 disqualified from the exercise of suffrage those who sympathized with the Southern States in their rebellion against the Government of the United States.
Soon after the inauguration of Thomas Swann as Governor he conceived the idea of repealing that part of the Constitution disfranchising certain citizens. This was then the issue in the State.
On Wednesday, January 24th, a conven- tion met in Baltimore, presided over by Montgomery Blair, favoring the repeal of the registry law of Maryland. As a result of its deliberations an address was issued to the people in favor of restoring to their political rights those who had been disfran- chised. A committee was appointed to visit Annapolis to urge on the Legislature the repeal of the objectionable Constitu- tional proviso. The committee waited on the Legislature on January 26th.
Mr. Blair made a lengthy address, and Mr. Pilkington, of Baltimore City, moved a resolution of censure, which was laid on the table.
On Friday, February 2d, the City Union Convention met at Temperance Temple and adopted a series of resolutions opposed to the repeal of the disfranchising provisions of the State law.
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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.
Mr. C. Herbert Richardson moved to endorse the votes of Francis Thomas and John L. Thomas in the House of Repre- sentatives, and disapproving of the vote of Charles E. Phelps, on the subject of fixing the basis of representation, which was adopted. This resolution, with others passed, were presented to Governor Swann by a committee appointed for that purpose. The Governor regarded one of them as re- flecting upon himself.
A meeting favorable to the policy of An- drew Johnson was held in Baltimore Mon- day evening, February 26th. It was at- tended by the friends of Governor Swann and the Democrats. A new party was pro- posed to be known in Maryland as the Democratic Conservative party. Lieuten- ant Governor C. C. Cox presided and led off in a speech unlike those he had hereto- fore delivered in his active political career. Of the other Baltimore speakers, there were William Price, John M. Frazier, Speaker of the House of Delegates, and I. Nevitt Steele. The tone of the speeches was laud- atory of President Johnson, for his policy towards the Southern States, on the sub- ject of their readmittance into the Union, and of the attitude of Governor Swann in determining to overthrow the disfranchis- ing provisions of the Registration Law.
The Union party was now divided into two wings, the Swann wing having allied itself with the Democrats, while the Simon pure Unionists met the counter movement of their opponents and formed the Repub- lican party.
A meeting for such a purpose was adver- tised in the Baltimore American on the 28th of February, to be held in the Front Street Theatre, Thursday evening, March 2d. The
call was addressed to "those who voted for Abraham Lincoln," and who wished "to support the loyal men of the Nation, through their representatives in Congress," and to "provide terms of admission for the rebellious States." By this movement the Unconditional Union party passed out of being in Maryland, and for a second time the Republican party was ushered into ex- istence and became a permanent organiza- tion in this State.
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