The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-20


Buying Fugitive slaves.
O.r Northern brethren have recently taken
n.,bod of whipping the devil round the stump
and propitisting at once the Northern ana oou'h
ern sentiment, by liberating runaways oy pur
chase. This is chiefly confined to New York
and its effects must be very mlschlevous. i
our friends at the North are to pursue this line
of policy, they certainly furnish thereby potent
Arguments for our enemies II is stab at the
institution of slavery of the most dangerous
kind That rejecting men there regard II
in this light, is proven by the comments OF the
more candid among them upon these cases
We subjoin two extracts, one from paper
friendly, the other from one hostile to the South
From tie .New York Day Book.
To THE HUMANE. -Micajah KeeIin, formerly
an industrious slave in Florence, Ala, who pur
chased his freedom by the labor of his hands, at
4 cost of 1852, is desirous to purchase the free
dom of his four children, now in slavery in that
State. This will cost $4,000 of which amount
no can raise $500 in Cincinnati. In this city
he has secured about 500. We have examined
this mans case, and think il to be one which
appeals to the kindness and benevOlence OF
every true philanthrOpist. The children are q,
lo. is, and 10 years Of age. The wife OF Zee
lin ia free. aud both are laudably anxious to So
cure the freedom of their offspring. 1t will
give us great pleasure to be the agent Of others
IN purchasing the liberty of these four children,
two of whom are girls. In this money is
not raised by October, we hear that they will be
sold as part of an estate. Money or sub.
scriptions may be also left with Mr.. Charles
Starr, 1T Fulton street-N. Y. Express.
This business of buying negroes is getting TO
be quite fashionable, and when there is fair
probability that the slave purchased BY charita-
BILE contributions and given his freedom be-
comes better off, the efforts to raise the funds
are commendable. But those who take upon
themselves the responsibility of taking negro
from his master and setting him free, and tell
ing him to take care of himself, should look well
to the chances of his becoming miserable, de.
graded, worthless outcast We have seen con-
siderable of slavery, and know something of the
position, character and treatment of slaves at
the South, and never saw one yet who ifhe was
smart, quick, industrious enough to take care Of
himself in this State or any Northern State
could not earn enough by extra work, as "A
slave, to buy his freedom. When slave has
once bought his freedom, he is infinitely better
OH IIlaU mO6L ITc0 Iu0U WHO nave OocU OIOuOnL
up in free State, for this reason: The slave
care for The money he pays for his own free.
dom is no more and generally not so much as
poor man in this city will have to pay to sup
port his aged parents.
Therefore, a Southern slave can, in nine cases
ont of ten, earn money enough to pay for him
self-or in other words, pay for taking care of
those who in all States and all countries have
natural claim upon his time and servces-soon
er and easier than poor white man can in the
North.
1t is in our opinion more charitable to contri-
butte to take care of the aged and INDECENT pa
rents of our own poor white laborers than to
give for the support or freedom of Southern
blacks.
An Irishman with us has worked two years
to get money to bring his wife and children out
from Ireland where they are held in the bond
nge of poverty. One of his little ones has died
with starvation since he has been to work for
their freedom. He is much more an object OF
charity than this colored individual whose chill
dren are probably better off than they will be if
he succeeds in buying their freedom. Who
will give a hundred dollars to help the poor
irshman Nobody.
The other extract is from the New York
Times-a SEWARD paper-and puts the matter
in yet stronger light. The editor says:
The perculiar friends of the Union have Pc
culiar ways of disclosing their friendship; but al
always with sad misadaption ofmeans to ends.
This encouragement of flight from servitude is
che aim. Horace Preston escapes from servi
tade; is captured and carried back 1t is quite
obvious, that to make his example discounte
nance the offence, in slavery be should be left
But otherwise these phanthropists. They be-
come instantly ambitious to buy slave. 1t
will not do to argue with them, that they should
single out some other individual guitless of
stealing himself, and thus avoid the appearance
of rewarding crime. Nobody will answer but
this identical parsonage, and as a bounty for
violating the lave, setting the Constitution at
nought, and shaking the Union, Mr.. Preston
is presented with fifteen hundred dollars worth
Of freedom. 1t is no wonder our Southern
neighbors dstrust the North, while 80 shrewd
game is playing against them.