Senator Kennedy, of the same State, presented a report of
the Legislature to the United States Senate, reciting the outrage
inflicted upon Maryland in the persons of her municipal officers and
citizens, and, after some opposition, merely obtained an order to have
it printed. Governor Hicks, whose promises had been so cheering in the
beginning of the year, sent his final message to the Legislature on
December 3, 1861. In that, referring to the action of the Maryland
Legislature at its several sessions before that when the arrest of its
members prevented an organization, he wrote, "This continued until the
General Government had ample reason to believe it was about to go
through the farce of enacting an ordinance of secession, when the
treason was summarily stopped by the dispersion of the traitors...."
After referring to the elections of the 13th of June and the 6th of
November, he says, the people have "declared, in the most emphatic
tones, what I have never doubted, that Maryland has no sympathy with the
rebellion, and desires to do her full share in the duty of suppressing
it." It would be more easy than gracious to point out the inconsistency
between his first statements and this last. The conclusion is inevitable
that he kept himself in equipoise, and fell at last, as men without
convictions usually do, upon the stronger side.
Henceforth the story of Maryland is sad to the last degree, only
relieved by the gallant men who left their homes to fight the battle of
State rights when Maryland no longer furnished them a field on which
they could maintain the rights their fathers left them.
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