Alexandria Gazette

GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND'S MESSAGE
Gentlemen of the Senate, and of the House of Delegates:

Prompted alike by duty and inclination, to render to you in your high character of immediate representatives of the people, an account of the manner in which we have discharged the duties of the important trusts confided to us, as well as to make such suggestions as reflection and experience may have dictated, it may be permitted us first to offer you individually and collectively our sincere congratulations upon your safe arrival, in good health, at the Seat of Government, and to felicitate both you and ourselves upon the generally prosperous and happy condition of our fellow citizens throughout the State.

Although there is much to admire in the annual accounting of those who have been entrusted with the chief Executive power, with the more immediate are representatives of the people, and through them, with the people, as a beautiful practical commentary upon the theory and principles of our happy form of government; yet confined as we are, chiefly to the circle of our domestic relations, it is not to be expected, nor indeed desired, that there should not be much that is new or of awakening interest in this or similar communications.

Based as our government is upon written constitutions and laws, carefully protecting the right of every citizen, and wisely and clearly defining the powers, rights and duties of the several public functionaries to whom the sovereign people have confided the management of their affairs, it would seem that peace, order, and harmonious accord, in all its internal operations, should ever attend its progress.

Such has hitherto been eminently the case within our own State, and with few exceptions it has so far, been the happy fortune of our sister states, and of the Union. Time may now be said to have demonstrated to these U. States, the inestimable value of the form of Government devised by the enlightened patriotism, and brought into successful operation by the patriarchal virtues of our ancestors; but it has equally shown that human wisdom can devise nothing however excellent, which may not, by human ingenuity, be perverted. It is in vain to hope to be entirely freed, by any forms of government, from the workings of those adversary principles, between the governing and the governed, which have marked the history of mankind through all time: and while our admirable Constitution may be found to have done, and to be still capable of doing, much towards preserving the just balance of our political system, it must ultimately prove but a weak barrier against the inroads of ambition and power, unless strengthened by the constant devotion, and guarded by the wakeful vigilance of the free people, to whom it is the sheet-anchor of hope. When the people of this country shall become indifferent to this subject; whenever they shall fail to rally with alacrity and zeal to the repair of any breach which may have been made in the pillar and bulwarks of their liberties, then shall we have passed our meridian as a confederated Republic, and near itly descending to servility and despotism.

We transmit (as was made our duty) to His Excellency, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, two reports of a Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Delegates, and sundry resolutions of the General Assembly at its last session, on the subject of our Southern and Western boundaries, and the long pending controversy with Virginia in relation thereto. And in further compliance with the directions of the General Assembly, we selected and engaged the services of two additional counsel, Jos. Piggott and Joseph J. Merrick, Esquires, to assist the Attorney General in conducting and prosecuting the suit directed to be instituted for "procuring a final legal adjustment, and settlement of said boundaries."

A copy of our communication to His Excellency, Governor Tazewell, and of his reply, acknowledging receipt of the report and resolutions, being the only correspondence since your last session, upon this interesting and delicate subject, are herewith submitted, which it will be seen are, on both parts, couched in the terms of courtesy and respect which ought ever to be observed between sister States.

Under the resolutions directing us to contract for the building of a Gun House, and to have the out buildings within and wall around the public circle repaired, we advertised for proposals for said work, and several drawings, estimates and proposals having been submitted to us, it appeared so manifest that the interests of the State would be promoted by the erection of a Gun House upon a plan and of dimensions which required a larger sum of money than had been appropriated for that purpose, that we could not doubt that you would approve of the small additional expenditure which it required; and Mr. Elijah Wells, who had proposed to contract for building it, according to the drawing which we approved, for $750, having expressed a willingness to proceed with the work, by our paying him the sum appropriated, and to look to you for the additional amount of its cost, we closed a contract with him for its erection, which he has completed; and the guns and other public property intended to be kept therein, have been removed to it. The erection of this building will save the State the annual expenditure of $95, the amount long paid for rent of a Gun House and Magazine; besides being a much more suitable and secure place of keeping the public property there deposited. The out houses within the circle have been repaired, but we declined accepting any of the proposals received for repair or covering of the wall around it: the sum appropriated for the purpose being wholly inadequate to repair and cover it in a suitable and substantial manner.

The full length painting of the likeness of the late venerable Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, by Mr. Sully, which had been contracted for in the summer of 1833, has been received and placed in the Senate Chamber.

At December Session, 1826, a resolution was passed authorizing the Governor "to procure a portrait of the late Colonel John Eager Howard, a native of the State, one of the most distinguished officers of the war of the Revolution, formerly Chief Magistrate of the state; and at all times one of the most honorable & virtuous of our citizens." Our attention having been called to this resolution by the letter of William Stewart Esqr. (who was then a member of the Executive Council) herewith submitted, and which satisfactorily accounts for the delay in carrying it into effect, we engaged Mr. Sully to paint said portrait; which has been received and placed in the House of Delegates as required by said resolution.

We herewith lay before you a report, with several accompanying statements, of the Directors of the Penitentiary, shewing the account of profit and loss of its operations, its progress, and present state, with a detail of facts and many interesting speculations and suggestions in relation to the Penitentiary System and the general subject of criminal punishment, which appear to us to be made with much ability and in a candid and liberal spirit. This subject being one of great importance will, of course, engage the serious attention from you which it so justly merits.

The communication from Jno. C. Dickinson, Esq., the commissioner and Jno. H. Alexander, Esq the Engineer on the part of this State, for surveying the coast between Cape Charles and Lewistown creek, on the bay of Delaware, will afford you all the information in our possession in relation to that survey.

All the other minor matters of business committed to our charge by the Legislature, have received our attention, and been executed, or the necessary steps taken to carry into effect the wishes of the General Assembly.

A vacancy having occurred in the Representation of this State in the Senate of the United States, occasioned by the resignation of the honorable Ezekiel F. Chambers, we invite your attention to the subject with a view to prompt action on your part. There seeming to be no imperious necessity for filling the vacancy by the Executive, and the Legislature being soon to convene, we deemed it advisable and respectful to leave the selection to you on whom, under any circumstance, the appointment would ultimately devolve.

It gives us much pleasure to announce to you the opening of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road, as far as Harper's Ferry, for travel and transportation.

This great work, now the most extensive of the kind on this side of the Atlantic, long prosecuted with untiring zeal and signal ability, and fidelity on the part of those immediately charged with its construction, has at length reached a point which justifies the expectation, that it will cease to be but a remorseless drain upon the treasury of the state, or the individual citizens who have embarked their capital in the enterprize; indeed it is believed we may calculate with confidence on receiving into the treasury, in future, from that source, a fair return for the large capital expended in its construction. Should this anticipation be realized, we shall have to acknowledge ourselves indebted to the projectors of the scheme for the possession of a work of incalculable advantage to the agriculture, commerce and manufactures of the state; and the work itself will stand a lasting monument to the liberal and enlightened policy of the State, and a perpetual blessing to ourselves and to posterity.

In immediate connection with this work, and not less interesting to the State, is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, but we regret to say that its prospects, for early completion, are not at this time so flattering as could be desired. This magnificent enterprize has been prosecuted to completion through more than a hundred miles of its course, with talents and zeal never surpassed and in a manner to command admiration; but it has not yet reached the first great source of the immense trade, destined ultimately to be borne upon its bosom-the coal mines of Alleghany; and now the available funds of the company being nearly, if not quite exhausted, this truly great work languishes for want of pecuniary means for its further prosecution, and the millions which have been already expended upon it must remain unproductive, and the inexhaustible mineral wealth, which awaits its further construction, lie dormant in the earth, unless means are devised of extending to it further pecuniary aid.

The hope has been long cherished, that the powerful and abundant resources of the Federal Government would be extended to this enterprize; than which there is certainly none more national in its character, or more interesting to the District over which Congress exercises "exclusive jurisdiction." And when it is considered, that this improvement, originally projected to terminate at the coal banks within our borders, was, at the suggestion of the federal government, and under its auspices, enlarged to a work of indisputable national character, extending beyond our limits and terminating upon the navigable waters of the west; that upon the faith of this change and the promise which it held out of the continuing favor and patronage of the general government, individuals as well as the District cities and the States more immediately interested were induced to embark their capital to the amount of millions, it should not be doubted that such further aid should be granted. With equal confidence we may indulge the hope, that liberal contributions will be made to accomplish this great undertaking, by the other states concerned.

The course to be pursued by Maryland in reference to the deep interest which she has in this work, and especially as now connected with the prosperity of her great commercial emporium-the city of Baltimore-is left entirely to your decision, in perfect confidence, that it will be regulated by a just and liberal regard to the wants and interests of our common constituents.

The lateral Rail Road from Baltimore to Washington is rapidly advancing towards completion, and promises, at an early day, to be a prolific source of revenue to the state, as well as eminently promotive of the general convenience and public prosperity. It is deeply to be regretted, that scenes of riot and lawless outrage should have frequently occurred among the laborers on this road, and also on the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, making it necessary, on more than one occasion, during the past season, to call out a portion of the military of the state, to quell the rioters and restore the supremacy of the laws. These calls have been obeyed with a promptitude and alacrity worthy of all praise.

The accompanying interesting reports of Brigadier General Charles Sterett Ridgely, who commanded the forces employed in quelling the most formidable and alarming of these riots, are submitted for your consideration, and afford indubitable evidence of the zeal, fidelity and ability, with which his own duties, and those of the officers and men generally under his command, were discharged.

We regret that the means of paying the expenses of these and other similar services were not at our disposal, and now invite your attention to the subject, in the hope that you will promptly provide for that object. We would further suggest the propriety of placing permanently at the disposal of the executive, such fund as may be deemed sufficient, to meet contingencies of this sort for the future.

While on this subject, we will call your attention to the organization and discipline of the Militia of the State, generally. We suggested in our last annual communication the propriety of "providing more effectually for the enrollment of all the citizens of the State subject to militia duty; and the exercise and instruction of the commissioned officers in camp and field service," a plan which, it is yet believed, might be carried out in such a manner as to afford us all the advantages of a well organized and well disciplined Militia, without a sacrifice of any portion of the time or convenience of the citizens generally, or requiring more of the commissioned officers than they would most willingly yield. Out of the city of Baltimore, with few exceptions, we may now be said to have no organized militia. There is scarcely the semblance of organization in the greater portion of the State. Our militia is, or should be, our chief reliance or protection against outrage and violence, and unless they be kept in a state of at least partial organization, we must become dependent upon the Federal Government,-to a degree utterly incompatible with our character or dignity. Those who hold the greatest stake in the community, should be themselves, always, not only willing, but-prepared, to defend it. Freemen should ever rely upon themselves alone-for protection and defence; then there would be no fear that the defenders of the land will become its oppressors. We submit this subject to your consideration, again expressing the earnest hope that your present session will not be permitted to pass without its receiving that deliberate attention its importance seems to demand.

We also endeavored to press upon the consideration of the Legislature, at its last session, the great importance of providing more effectually for extending to the children of every citizen the blessings of Education; and we cannot now forbear urging it upon you. It would seem to us that the very first object of solicitude for a government, instituted for the good of the whole people and depending for its permanency and ability to answer the ends of its institution, upon the intelligence, virtue, and attachment of the great body of its constituents, should be the improvement of their moral and intellectual condition; yet but little, comparatively, has been done for this object by the constituted authorities of our State, although in every other respect there has been constantly exhibited a most commendable liberality in endeavouring to provide for the general welfare. It cannot be that there exists an apprehension that any reasonable expenditure, which the Legislature, in its wisdom, might think proper to incur, for so desirable a purpose, would not meet the approbation of our fellow citizens generally; for there is not one among them who would not derive from a judicious and well regulated system of public instruction, directly, or indirectly benefits more than equivalent to any portion of the expenditure, which he might be required to pay. Institutions founded like ours, in wisdom and virtue, require for their guardianship and preservation, knowledge and intelligence. With these we shall always be safe; without them dangers immediately threaten: but this knowledge and intelligence, to be effectual to that end, must not be confined to the few-it must be generally diffused. The sovereign power-the right to judge and control, resides equally in all: let all then be furnished with the lights to guide that judgment, and regulate the exercise of that power.

The state of our finances will be found to be such as to require your early and serious attention. A considerable amount of the stocks heretofore issued in payment of the State subscription to the different works of internal improvement, is now bearing interest, and this amount is progressively increasing, as the periods, to which it was deferred by the laws directing its issue, successively expire. The demands upon the Treasury will be considerably increased from this cause during the coming season, rendering it indispensably necessary, that you should provide for a correspondent increase of resources.

The national debt being extinguished, and the national Treasury abundantly supplied with revenue by the existing tariff, which none seems disposed to disturb, the future disposition of the public lands, or the revenue arising therefrom, becomes a question of deep concernment, especially to the elder members of the confederacy. Various propositions having been made in relation to this subject, at different times and from different sources, some of them evidently conflicting with the interests and just rights of this State, it has appeared to us proper to present the question to your consideration for such action on your part as, under all circumstances, shall seem meet and expedient. That this domain is the common property of the Union, cannot, with propriety be denied. A very large portion of it was acquired by the blood and treasure of the original states, and the residue purchased by funds equally contributed by all. What semblance of justice then there can be found for bestowing it, gratuitously upon the states, within whose borders it happens to lie, it is difficult, if not impossible to perceive. Reducing the price, at which these lands shall be sold to a mere nominal sum, or at all below the rate now fixed, appears to be no less if not more objectionable; for this would equally deprive us of our rightful claim to a participation in their full value. The abundance and cheapness of the public lands has long been a serious obstacle to the growth and prosperity of most of the Atlantic states, and to few if any, more so than to Maryland. We would not be understood as wishing in any manner to impede the fortunes of such of our fellow citizens, as may choose to emigrate, with the hope of bettering their condition. Neither are we actuated by the least feeling of unkindness towards our younger sisters of the west; but it would be unnatural and unjust to all the old states not to insist upon one indisputable right to at least, a fair proportion of the proper avails of this common property: to be applied to such objects within our own borders, as the wants and interests of the community may dictate.

Whilst the national debt existed no claim was advanced for participation in the avails of these lands, because they were known to be pledged for its redemption; but now that is extinguished, the propriety of urging such claim upon the justice of the Federal Government, must be admitted. Far from complaining of the liberal grants of this property, heretofore made to the new States for the purposes of Education and Internal improvements, Maryland has witnessed them with pleasure; but while she exults in their prosperity, she must not be unmindful of her own.

How severely the want of adequate means for the furtherance of these great objects is felt by us, all know and admit; and how rapidly works and institutions of these kinds, dear to the policy, and vital to the interests of our State might be made to advance, had we at command our just portion of the redundant resources of the Federal Government, derived from the public Lands, will be at once perceived. It cannot therefore be expected, that we should be passive or indifferent to any schemes of policy calculated to cut off this source of revenue, by disposing of the public domain in any manner, in the benefits and advantages of which we would not be admitted to a full and fair participation.

Perfectly assured of your ability and disposition, to discharge, with honor to yourselves and advantage to our common constituents, the high trusts confided to you, We have the honor to be.

With the highest consideration, and most perfect respect, your obedient servants,

THOMAS HOLMES,
GEORGE B. CRANE,
BENJAMIN G. WORTHINGTON,
JOHN S. OWINGS,
JAMES THOMAS.