The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-22
FUGITIVE SLAVES THEIR NUMBERS RAN
DOLPH OF ROANOKE.

A writer styling himself Randolph Of Roam.
oke,D nas .esA.tiy As-a engaged In e~-i--s-e up
all sorts of Hydras and Gorgons dire" for the
amusement Of the Southern people Among the
chimeras with which he has attempted to relieve
the dreary monotony Of the dogdsys, is very
imposing calculation of the number and value OF
the slaves who escape from their masters in the
South to the free States. We have rarely met
with an estimate Of the kind herslded forth with
greater pretensions to fairness and accuracy Of
statement and inference; and we have as seldom
witnessed more absurd or ridiculous perverson
of facts
In order to show that there must have been an
immense stream of fugitves pouring into the free
States for the last forty years, he sets out with
statement of the numbers of free colored persons
in the years 1910 and 1s4O, as shown by the cen
sus and since the number at the latter period is
far greater than the natural increase of that ex-
listing at the former, he assumes that the differ
ence is to be accounted for by the fugitives from
the South The excess Of free colored people in
1910 over the increase Of those existing in 1910,
and which the writer assumes to be fugitive
slaves is estimated to amount to 46, 224 and by
the year 1850 he supposes il to rise to 81 ,624
This property, valued at S27,730s 800, Randolph
regards as spoliations of the North upon the South
unjust and iniquitous, and warranting reprisals,
ter upon the recognised principles of information
al law, which governs the intercourse of the ma
tions of the world.
After wading through three or four columns of
statements and differences, Of moralzing and
matchmaking upon the euormity Of the wrongs
the North, as shown by his unnerring calcula-
tions, the fact suddenly flashes upon the mind of
the writer, that there were few slaves emanc-
pated in the Northern States between the years
1910 and 1850, which circumstance, to unsophis-
ticated minds, might in some degree account for
the great increase of the free blacks. This
thought could not have been indigenous in mind
having such proclivity to error. 1t must have
been suggested by some less demented friend at
the writer's elbow. We are warranted In this
suspicion by the manner in which the objection
to his foregore conclusion is disposed Of He
says:
81 believe the data which have formed the basis
of all my calculations and estimates, have been
moderate TO q fsrlt, Just, I Am sure they are,
and fairer they could not be- But it has just oc-
Cured to me that New York and New Jersey
manumitted number Of slaves in the course of
the thirty years between 1910 and ls40, and Penn
| sylvanis some also. ! have heard, indeed that a
large proportion Of these were removed to the
South before their terms of manumission took
effect, and that their bondage, or at least their
service, continuing there, their domicils in these
States were lost. BE that as it may, | am not
willing to leave these estimates to dstrust So to
guard all possible mistakes, shall now strike
one-ffh, or twenty per centum, from the esti-
mates Of both the aggregate and annual losses,
reducing the former to s22, ls4 $40, and the lat
ter to $685., 400; and flor good measure) casting
into the amount, New England's share of liability
to the South during the same period, for the like
aggressions, and not less than five hundred slaves
valued at seas, 0OO) whom the North assists an.
nually to escape to Canada"
The above paragraph occurs near the middle
Of the fourth column of the essay Of Randolph,
after the author has entirely disposed OF the sta
tistical question involved We leave it to candid
men to say how far we are warranted in hazard
ing the conjecture that some friend must have
suggested the important drawback upon the sound.
ness Of his conclusion. He admits, evades, ex-
tenuates, denies, and at last compromises with
the objectiop, by allowing one-nfth Of the 81 e24
colored Sls to have been manumitted by the
Northern Peoplei Now, we should like to know
Why the writer pouncss thus suddenly upon the
proportion Of ons-6hh7 Where are his premi-
sesl Why not 60 the whole hog, and insist that
every slave existing In the free States at the re-
spsctivs srss Of the passage Of emancipation acts,
were forth Nth spirited of to the SOUTH Why,