The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-08-21
D r E D:
A TALE OF THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP.
BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
CHAP. XXI.
Frank R1sseps Opinions.


Frank Russeps Opinions.
Clayton was still pursuing the object which
he had undertaken. He determined to petition
the Legislature to grant to the slave the right OF
seeking legal redress in cases of iniury and
as a necessary step to this, the right of bearing
testimony in legal action. AS Frank Russell
was candidate for the next State Legislature
he visited him for the purpose of getting him to
present such petition.
Our readers will look in on the scene, in a
small retired back room of Frank office, where
his bachelor establishment as vet was kept
Clayton had been giving him an earnest &C.
count of his plans and designs.
"The only safe way of gradual emancipa-
to-" said Clayton, is the reforming of law
and the beginning of all legal reform must OF
course be giving the slave legal personality.
It's of no use to enact laws for his protection
in his family state, or in any other condition,
till we open to him an avenue through which,
if they are violated, his grievances can be heard,
and can be proved. A thousand laws for his
comfort, without this, are only dead letter."
~ know it." said Frank Russell; "there
never was anything under heaven so atrocious
as our slave code. It's bottomless pit of op,
preston. Nobody knows it so well as we law.
yers. But, then, Clayton it's quite another thing
what's to be done about it."
"Why, think it's very plain what's to be
DONE" said Clayton. eco right forward and
enlighten the community. Get the law reform
ed. That's what have taken for my work
and, Frank, you must help me-"
"Hum!" said Frank. "Now, the fact is,
Clayton, if wore stiff white neckcloth, and had
d. d. to my name, should tell you that the
interests of Zion stood in the way, and that it
was my duty to preserve my influence, for the
sake of being able to take care of the Lords
affairs. But, as / am not so fortunate, must
just say, without further preface, that it won't
do for me to compromise Frank Russel's in
terests. Clayton, can't afford it-that's Just
it. 1t won't do. You see, our party can't take
up that kind of thing. 1t would be just setting
| up fort, from which our enemies could fire on
us at their leisure. If 60 into the Legislature,
! have to go in by my party. l have to repre-
sent my party, and, of course, can't afford to
do anything that will compromise them"
swell, now, Frank" said Clayton, seriously
and soberly, "are you going to put your neck
into such moose as this, to be led about all
your life long-the bondslave of a party?"
"Not I, by good deall' said Russell. 1.-THE
moose will change ends, one of these days, and
I'll drag the party. But we must all stoop to
conquer, at frst."
"And do you really propose nothing more
to yourself than how to rise in the world ? |"
said Clayton. "Isn't there any great and good
work that has beauty for you Isn't there any.
thing in heroism and selfsacrifce
"WeI," said RUSSELL after short pause,
"may be there is; but, after ALL Clayton is there?
The world looks to me like COMPOUNDED hum.
bug, great hoax, and everything is going in
for grub; and, say, hang it all, why shouldn't
I have some of the grub, as we'll as the rest {"
"Man shall not live by bread alonel" said
Clayton.
breads pretty good thing, though, after
ALL" said Frank, struggling his shoulders.
"But," said Clayton, Frank, / am in ear
nest, and you've got to be. / want you to go
with me down to the depths of your soul, where
the water is still, and talk to me on honor This
kind of half Joking way that you have isn't good
makes a Joke of everything at your age, what
will he do before he is ifty7 Now, Frank, you
do know that this system of Slavery, if we don't
reform it, will eat out this country like can.
GER"
al know it." said Frank. "For that matter,
it has eaten into us pretty WELL"
aEow,u said Clayton, If for nothing else, il
we had no feeling Of humanity for the slave, we
must do something for the sake Of the whites,
for this is carrying us back into barbarism, as
fast as we can go. Virginia has been ruined
by it-run all down. North Carolina, / believe,
has the enviable notoriety of being the most ig-
norant and poorest State in the Union. / don't
believe there's any country in old, despotic Eu'
rope, where the poor are more miserable, vicious,
and degraded, than they are in our slave States.
And it's depopulating us our men of ability,
in the lower classes, who want to be respects-
bic, won't stand it. They viii go off to some
State where things more on. Hundreds and
hHndreds move out of North Carolina, every
year, to the Western States. And it's all this
unnatural organization of society that does it.
We have got to contemplate some mode for