north america-1-第108章

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e　to　the　North　must　be　enforced　upon　Maryland。　　Otherwise　the　City　of　Washington　could　not　be　maintained　as　the　existing　capital　of　the　nation。　The　question　of　the　fidelity　of　the　State　to　the　Union　was　first　tried　by　the　arrival　at　Baltimore　of　a　certain　Commissioner　from　the　State　of　Mississippi；　who　visited　that　city　with　the　object　of　inducing　secession。　　It　must　be　understood　that　Baltimore　is　the　commercial　capital　of　Maryland；　whereas　Annapolis　is　the　seat　of　government　and　the　legislatureor　is；　in　other　terms；　the　political　capital。　　Baltimore　is　a　city　containing　230；000　inhabitants；　and　is　considered　to　have　as　strong　and　perhaps　as　violent　a　mob　as　any　city　in　the　Union。　　Of　the　above　number　30；000　are　negroes　and　2000　are　slaves。　　The　Commissioner　made　his　appeal；　telling　his　tale　of　Southern　grievances；　declaring；　among　other　things；　that　secession　was　not　intended　to　break　up　the　government　but　to　perpetuate　it；　and　asked　for　the　assistance　and　sympathy　of　Maryland。　　This　was　in　December；　1860。　　The　Commissioner　was　answered　by　Governor　Hicks；　who　was　placed　in　a　somewhat　difficult　position。　　The　existing　legislature　of　the　State　was　presumed　to　be　secessionist；　but　the　legislature　was　not　sitting；　nor　in　the　ordinary　course　of　things　would　that　legislature　have　been　called　on　to　sit　again。　　The　legislature　of　Maryland　is　elected　every　other　year；　and　in　the　ordinary　course　sits　only　once　in　the　two　years。　　That　session　had　been　held；　and　the　existing　legislature　was　therefore　exempt　from　further　workunless　specially　summoned　for　an　extraordinary　session。　　To　do　this　is　within　the　power　of　the　Governor。　　But　Governor　Hicks；　who　seems　to　have　been　mainly　anxious　to　keep　things　quiet；　and　whose　individual　politics　did　not　come　out　strongly；　was　not　inclined　to　issue　the　summons。　　〃Let　us　show　moderation　as　well　as　firmness；〃　he　said；　and　that　was　about　all　he　did　say　to　the　Commissioner　from　Mississippi。　　The　Governor　after　that　was　directly　called　on　to　convene　the　legislature；　but　this　he　refused　to　do；　alleging　that　it　would　not　be　safe　to　trust　the　discussion　of　such　a　subject　as　secession　to　〃excited　politicians；　many　of　whom；　having　nothing　to　lose　from　the　destruction　of　the　government；　may　hope　to　derive　some　gain　from　the　ruin　of　the　State！〃　　I　quote　these　words；　coming　from　the　head　of　the　executive　of　the　State　and　spoken　with　reference　to　the　legislature　of　the　State；　with　the　object　of　showing　in　what　light　the　political　leaders　of　a　State　may　be　held　in　that　very　State　to　which　they　belong。　　If　we　are　to　judge　of　these　legislators　from　the　opinion　expressed　by　Governor　Hicks；　they　could　hardly　have　been　fit　for　their　places。　　That　plan　of　governing　by　the　little　men　has　certainly　not　answered。　　It　need　hardly　be　said　that　Governor　Hicks；　having　expressed　such　an　opinion　of　his　State's　legislature；　refused　to　call　them　to　an　extraordinary　session。　On　the　18th　of　April；　1860；　Governor　Hicks　issued　a　proclamation　to　the　people　of　Maryland；　begging　them　to　be　quiet；　the　chief　object　of　which；　however；　was　that　of　promising　that　no　troops　should　be　sent　from　their　State；　unless　with　the　object　of　guarding　the　neighboring　City　of　Washingtona　promise　which　he　had　no　means　of　fulfilling；　seeing　that　the　President　of　the　United　States　is　the　commander…in…chief　of　the　army　of　the　nation；　and　can　summon　the　militia　of　the　several　States。　　This　proclamation　by　the　Governor　to　the　State　was　immediately　backed　up　by　one　from　the　Mayor　of　Baltimore　to　the　city；　in　which　he　congratulates　the　citizens　on　the　Governor's　promise　that　none　of　their　troops　are　to　be　sent　to　another　State；　and　then　he　tells　them　that　they　shall　be　preserved　from　the　horrors　of　civil　war。　But　on　the　very　next　day　the　horrors　of　civil　war　began　in　Baltimore。　　By　this　time　President　Lincoln　was　collecting　troops　at　Washington　for　the　protection　of　the　capital；　and　that　army　of　the　Potomac；　which　has　ever　since　occupied　the　Virginian　side　of　the　river；　was　in　course　of　construction。　　To　join　this；　certain　troops　from　Massachusetts　were　sent　down　by　the　usual　route；　via　New　York；　Philadelphia；　and　Baltimore；　but　on　their　reaching　Baltimore　by　railway；　the　mob　of　that　town　refused　to　allow　them　to　pass　through；and　a　fight　began。　　Nine　citizens　were　killed　and　two　soldiers；　and　as　many　more　were　wounded。　　This；　I　think；　was　the　first　blood　spilt　in　the　civil　war；　and　the　attack　was　first　made　by　the　mob　of　the　first　slave　city　reached　by　the　Northern　soldiers。　　This　goes　far　to　show；　not　that　the　border　States　desired　secession；　but　that；　when　compelled　to　choose　between　secession　and　Union；　when　not　allowed　by　circumstances　to　remain　neutral；　their　sympathies　were　with　their　sister　slave　States　rather　than　with　the　North。　Then　there　was　a　great　running　about　of　official　men　between　Baltimore　and　Washington；　and　the　President　was　besieged　with　entreaties　that　no　troops　should　be　sent　through　Baltimore。　　Now　this　was　hard　enough　upon　President　Lincoln；　seeing　that　he　was　bound　to　defend　his　capital；　that　he　could　get　no　troops　from　the　South；　and　that　Baltimore　is　on　the　high…road　from　Washington　both　to　the　West　and　to　the　North；　but；　nevertheless；　he　gave　way。　　Had　he　not　done　so；　all　Baltimore　would　have　been　in　a　blaze　of　rebellion；　and　the　scene　of　the　coming　contest　must　have　been　removed　from　Virginia　to　Maryland；　and　Congress　and　the　government　must　have　traveled　from　Washington　north　to　Philadelphia。　　〃They　shall　not　come　through　Baltimore；〃　said　Mr。　Lincoln。　　〃But　they　shall　come　through　the　State　of　Maryland。　　They　shall　be　passed　over　Chesapeake　Bay　by　water　to　Annapolis；　and　shall　come　up　by　rail　from　thence。〃　　This　arrangement　was　as　distasteful　to　the　State　of　Maryland　as　the　other；　but　Annapolis　is　a　small　town　without　a　mob；　and　the　Marylanders　had　no　means　of　preventing　the　passage　of　the　troops。　　Attempts　were　made　to　refuse　the　use　of　the　Annapolis　branch　railway；　but　General　Butler　had　the　arranging　of　that。　　General　Butler　was　a　lawyer　from　Boston；　and　by　no　means　inclined　to　indulge　the　scruples　of　the　Marylanders　who　had　so　roughly　treated　his　fellow…citizens　from　Massachusetts。　　The　troops　did　therefore　pass　by　Annapolis；　much　to　the　disgust　of　the　State。　On　the　27th　of　April；　Governor　Hicks；　having　now　had　a　sufficiency　of　individual　responsibility；　summoned　the　legislature　of　which　he　had　expressed　so　bad　an　opinion；　but　on　this　occasion　he　omitted　to　repeat　that　opinion；　and　submitted　his　views　in　very　proper　terms　to　the　wisdom　of　the　senators　and　representatives。　　He　entertains；　as　he　says；　an　honest　conviction　that　the　safety　of　Maryland　lies　in　preserving　a　neutral　position　between　the　North　and　the　South。　Certainly；　Governor　Hicks；　if　it　were　only　possible！　　The　legislature　again　went　to　work　to　prevent；　if　it　might　be　prevented；　the　passage　of　troops　through　their　State；　but　luckily　for　them；　they　failed。　　The　President　was　bound　to　defend　Washington；　and　the　Marylanders　were　denied　their　wish　of　having　their　own　fields　made　the　fighting　ground　of　the　civil　war。　That　which　appears　to　me　to　be　the　most　remarkable　feature　in　all　this　is　the　antagonism　between　United　States　law　and　individual　State　feeling。　　Through　the