Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-03-12
Letter from Hon. Mr.. Gillette,

The following letter from the Hon. Fran
els Gillette was addressed to Mr.. Bassett. a
colored gentleman in New Haven. If any
one can read it without his blood's boiling
with indignation, that such things can be,
under our nominally Hfree and equal gov.
eminent, he must possess qualities of mind,
to which we can lay no claim. We do most
ardently hope we shall live to see the time.
when Frederick Douglas nr some other equal
ly talented colored man, shall represent
northern district in Congress, and when the
contunacious Southerners shall feel it but too
much honor, to be permitted to be his asso-
ciates.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30th, 1854.
Mr.. BasSett, dear Sir In answer to your
inquiry whether. in my opinion, it would be
safe for a free colored man of the North to visit
Washington am under the sad necessity of
saying, that free persons of color cominr .pto
the National District are presumed Dy the
laws to be absconding slaves, and are liable to
be arrested, and # unable to prove their free
dom, to be sold into slavery for life to paw
their Jail fees. BY the law, if free man of
color is apprehended as runaway slave, he is
subjected to all the fees and rewards given for
experimenting runaways, and upon failure to
make such payment, is liable to be sold Is
slave; and, to crown the yillainy, the United
States Marshal Is con9tituted the Judge into
whose pocket goes the price of blood. In.
stances are numerous in which unclaimed
persons have been sold, under this law. into
lifelong slayery-and their price has been re.
ceived by the Marshal, under the specious
pretext Of paying their expenses, while in
prison.
In relation to your second inquiry heth
er, if not utterly hazardous for free colored
man of the North to venture into the CapItal
what precautions should be used-I would
advise him to take a letter from some promi
nent citizen of the State from which he might
come, setting forth his name, character, and
ooIecs OF 0eJe"fS IN visiting the national Me-
tropolis, and commencing him to rlfslelllssz
of some man residing here, who, should he
fall into the clutches Of the slavehunting
kidnapper and pirate. would interpose for his
rescue.
Whether a colored gentleman would be per-
mitted TO attend upon the debates and discus
sions in the Capitol, l can only say there is no
rule in either house of Congress excluding
such persons. The galleries are free, and un-
guarded by door.keepers, and | presume,
coloIed spectator would not be rudely thrust
out, though he might be annoyed and in
suited by
"The oppressor's wrong the proud mans contumely"
l will add in conclusion, that the free col
ored in this District amount to several thou
sand, and are, as 1 understand to consider
able extent, the owners of property, which is
taxed to supp ort the city schools and for other
m municipal purposes, while they are summary
excluded from any participation in the benefit
of those schools, and necessitated to support
other schools for educating their children
Still. Notwithstanding all the injustice and
outrage which are heaped upon them. they
seem to bear up herolcally under their wrongs,
and demean themselves more virtuously than
their oppressors for while have been panied
to see, during my short residence here, scores
of drunken white men, III all the intermedi.
ate conditions, from the hackney coach to the
gutter, | never have yet seen drunken coll
ored man, nor any apparently sunk to so low
an abyss Of degradation and shame, as a nu-
merous class of white prohigates and debauch-
ees. These observations go to verify remark
Of the late DR.. Claiming, that we are tramp
ling upon one of the best branches of the hu-
man family.
In the hope that the nation may turn and
expiate its great wickedness, before it shall be
overwhelmed by the Divine judgments,
remain, truly, your friend,
FRANCIS GILLETTE.