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in the administration of justice; but I believe that such inter-
ference might be injurious to our peace and harmony, decided-
ly adverse to the interests of the Freedmen, and reflect dis-
creditably upon our law-abiding people.

No doubt cases have occurred and will occur here and else-
where, in which the rights of the Freedmen and of all men
will be disregarded by the lawless, but such exceptional cases
can and will readily be disposed of by the officers of the State
according to law, and require no such extraordinary powers
to be exerted by the Government of the United States as are
here suggested.

Permit me also to add, that though living here all this
time, moving about daily among hundreds of my fellow-
citizens, I never even so much as heard until to-day, through
your communication, of these cases which, it is supposed,
have excited so much discussion and feeling.

I conclude by expressing the opinion that there exists no
necessity whatever for any interposition on the part of the
Government of the United States in these cases; nor for the
interposition of your Excellency—that they will be disposed
of, I believe, in the quiet, due execution of the law, justly,
efficiently and with proper regard for the rights of all.

With great respect, I am

Your obedient servant,

A. RANDALL,
Att'y Gen'l of Md.

STATE'S ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY,

Annapolis, Md., December 21, 1866.

To His Excellency, THOMAS SWANN,

Governor of Maryland, Annapolis:

SIR:—In reply to your communication of yesterday's date,
requesting me to state the facts relative to certain negroes
sentenced to be sold for crime in this County, I have the
honor to submit the following :

The first sentence of this character since the passage of the
law by Congress, commonly called the "Civil Rights Bill,"
was by the Hon. Wm. H. Tuck, in which case the prisoner's
Counsel argued that the provisions of the Act of Assembly of