Draft of Address for Sanitary Fair at Baltimore1Jump to section
Mr. Webster once stated the proposition that a President could not be so applauded, and ministered unto, when his term of office, and with it, his power to confer favors, drew near to it's close, as he had been in the hey-day of his inaugeration. To illustrate this, he said: ``Politicians---office-seekers---are not sun-flowers; they do not turn upon their god when he sets, the same look they gave when he rose.'' This may be a general truth; but, to my personal knowledge it is not particularly true in Baltimore. For intance, on the 22nd. or 23rd. of February 1861 (so near the end of one and the beginning of the other, as to be doubtful which) I passed through Baltimore, rich with honorable and fat offices, soon to be dispensed, and not one hand reached forth to greet me, not one voice broke the stillness to cheer me. Now, three years having past, and offices having passed away, Baltimore marks my coming, and cheers me when I come. Traitorous malice has sought to wrong Baltimore herein, ascribing to one cause what is justly due to another. For instance the Richmond,2Jump to section alluding to that passage through Baltimore, said: ``We have no fear of any bold action by the federal government; we remember Baltimore, and our faith is unwavering in Lincoln's cowardice'' Now this is hugely unjust to Baltimore. I take it to be unquestionable that what happened here three years ago, and what happens here now, was contempt of office then, and is purely appreciation of merit now.