MARYLAND. 



479 



societies to visit and inspect the condition of 

 the suffering poor. The presidents of these 

 organizations, composed of both men and wom- 

 en, hold a commission from the Governor, 

 and, while they are not authorized to interfere 

 in any way with the management of the alms- 

 houses, are required to visit them regularly, 

 and report to the county authorities any ill- 

 treatment or neglect that may come under 

 their observation, and annually to make a re- 

 port which is published with that of the State 

 Board of Charities. 



If any such organizations could be formed 

 throughout Maryland, and be authorized to 

 report to " the State Board of Health," it can- 

 not be doubted that the existing abuses would 

 soon give place to effective management. 



WASHINGTON MONUMENT, BALTIMORE. 



The political canvass of the year created no 

 little excitement, and long before the conven- 

 tions were held general interest was aroused 

 as to the position the respective parties would 

 take relative to the exciting events following 

 the presidential election of 1876 and the ad- 

 ministration of President Hayes. The Repub- 

 lican convention met in Baltimore, September 

 20th, nominated Dr. Gabriel E. Porter for 

 State Controller, and passed tlie following reso- 

 lutions: 



Resolved, That the President of the United States 

 possesses our entire confidence as a public officer, 

 and commands our fullest respect for his high per- 

 sonal character. His patriotism was demonstrated 

 by a four-years' service in the Army of the Union, 

 and is still attested by the scars of honorable wounds. 

 His probity and purity of character were proven by 

 his blameless conduct and successful administration 

 during three terms of office as Governor of Ohio. In 

 determining upon a policy toward thn people of the 

 South, which imposes upon their leaders and public 

 men the responsibility of establishing peaceable re- 

 lations among all classes in every community, of 

 building up strong and beneficent governments for 

 the several States, under which justice may be im- 

 partially dispensed and freedom be universally en- 

 joyed, and of selecting for all public places capable 



and right-minded public servants, the President has 

 evinced a praiseworthy desire to put an end to the 

 sad antagonisms of civil strife, with all their attend- 

 ant evils and disasters. The step taken by him 

 was a patriotic endeavor to carry out in good faith 

 the pledges of the Republican platform of 1876, and 

 the explicit promises of his letter of acceptance. 

 We, therefore, believe it to be due to the President, 

 as well as to the Republican parly, to declare that 

 he has our cordial approbation in hia undertaking to 

 restore just and salutary governments throughout 

 the South, and the kindliest relations among all its 

 inhabitants, so that law may be everywhere obeyed, 

 life may be everywhere hem inviolable, and genuine 

 liberty be made the actual possession of the least 

 aud lowliest of the American people. 



Resolved, That we recognize, in the steady dimi- 

 nution of the premium on gold and the correlative 

 appreciation of national currency, the wisdom and 

 courage of the Republican party in opposing all forms 

 of inflation and repudiation, and that the statesman- 

 ship which was based on honesty and a deference 

 to economic laws is surely but gradually bringing 

 about the resumption of specie payments. We are, 

 therefore, unwilling to unite with demagogues in 

 favoring the repeal of the resumption act of 1875, 

 feeling assured by the restoration of prosperity to 

 the country through a revival of our commerce, man- 

 ufactures and agriculture, of which numerous and 

 healthy signs are already visible, that before Janu- 

 ary 1, 1879, the resumption of specie payments will 

 be deemed by all honorable and sensible men as ab- 

 solutely necessary to the stability of our trade and 

 the due development of all our industries. The 

 efforts of the Democratic party to impugn the title 

 of Rutherford B. Hayes as President of the United 

 States is only equaled by their audacity in claiming 

 that John Lee Carroll is the legally elected Governor 

 of Maryland ; and while the title of the former was 

 confirmed by a hightribunal,composedof Republicans 

 and Democrats, and created by Democratic votes, 

 the title of the latter has never been acknowledged 

 by any respectable majority of the people in the 

 State, and WHS only acquiesced in because there was 

 no tribunal in the State that was willing to decide 

 upon the proofs of fraud and violence through which 

 he only became a governor. We denounce as shame- 

 ful the conduct of the Democratic officials, charged 

 under their solemn paths faithfully and honestly to 

 administer the election laws. 



1. In permitting fictitious names to be placed on 

 the registration lists. 



2. In not striking from the lists the names of 

 hundreds of dead men, whoso names are annually 

 voted upon by repeaters. 



3. In omitting from the lists hundreds of col- 

 ored and white Republicans, who are thus disfran- 

 chised. 



4. In appointing partisan judges of election, who 

 either wink at fraud, or are in direct complicity 

 with hired repeaters. In contrast to this shameless 

 conduct of the Democrats, we oall attention to the 

 Republican counties of the State, for the fairness with 

 which judges are appointed, the elections conducted, 

 and the election laws enforced, and wo appeal to the 

 honest element of the Democratic party to insist that 

 the members of the next Legislature shall repeal the 

 present laws on registration, and enact others pro- 

 viding for a new registration throughout the State, 

 tinder a registration board in which all parties should 

 be equally represented. 



We hold the Democratic party of the State respon- 

 sible for the high taxes now imposed upon the peo- 

 ple. The lavish expenditure of the public money, 

 the creation of useless offices in order to maintain 

 their organizations, compelled it to pass the law of 

 1876 for a reassessment of property. This law in- 

 troduced a vast army of officials, who, in order to 

 increase the basis of taxation, have over estimated 

 the value of real estate, and have taxed divers p- 



