The national Republican., 1861-02-21
RUNAWAY NEGROES.

rent events. Mr.. Spencer is decidedly OF oPin'
ion that the wrongs suffered by the South de-
mand reconstruction" Of the Government
but his specification of these wrongs is
an incident in his own history, which he gives
in the following language;
"The non -slaveholding States have manifest.
ed great hostility to the South, and have acted
in bad faith, rather as enemies than friends,
and from which we in Maryland have been
great sufferers, and I amongst the rest. II is
now nearly forty years since my father lost by
euticement from his service upwards Of twenty
as valuable and as happy slaves as ever were
held to service. Some Of them were arrested
at Frankiord, near Philadelphia. went there
to identify them, when was attacked by
furious mob, knocked down and beaten and
although I succeeded in holding the servants
against the mob, and detained them until, for
safe keeping, they were placed in the custody
of Justice of the peace, they were, as soon as
/ was fully in his power, turned loose, and 1
arrested and committed to Jail on two war.
rants; the first for kidnapping, and the second
for an assault with intent to kill and murder,
and an effort would have been made to i'm
prison me, but for the intervention OF two
noble-sprited Democrats Of that place, and
the interposition of the Hon. George M. Dallas,
then Attorney General Of Pennsylvania"
1t may be a popularity Of the ancient and
honorable city of Annapolis, that nothing is
talked of there, which is less than forty years
old. But if this is not a merely local pecu.
liarity, it is certainly gratifying that nothing
has happened during the present generation,
which Mr.. Spencer can find to complain Of.
Why Mr.. Spencer has not, until now, seen in
this loss of his fathers slaves, an occasion for
reconstruction" may be explained in the fol-
lowing extract from the report Of his speech:
"He had been Democrat all his life, and
since 1922 had taken an active part in nearly
all the political contests which had occurred"
1t may be presumed that his forty years
patience under his family losses of slaves, may
have been aided by the fact that his political
friends have been in power most OF the time
since, in the National Government, and that
he did not view the bad faith" Of the North,
and their hostility to the South," in the true
light, until his political enemies are about to
come into power. This is the case with a
good many Democrats, if it is not the case
with Mr.. Spencer. They have been as pas
sive as lambs for years under grievances which
now seem to them insupportable for days.
To follow Mr.. Spencer in his antiquarian
vein, we will tell him o story worth two OF his
which we get from Pennsylvania friends.
A century ago, the time being fixed by ira
dition at about the date of Braddock's defeat
large number of the negroes of the Loyds, OF
the Eastern Shore, escaped into Pennsylvania
and, uniting with some Indians on the Juniata
gave good deal of trouble in the vicinage.
This was,
an good old Colony times,
When pe all lived under the King"
1t was thirty years, at least, before the Qua
kers of Pennsylvania abolished slavery in Penn
sylvania, and preceded by century the for,
nation of the Black Republican party.
Mr.. Spencer will see that this propensity Of
negroes to run off when they get good chance
has been exhibited so long, that it must be re
garded as fixed and incurable, and he will b.
confirmed in this opinion if he embraces in hi
inquiries different places, as we'll as differen
times. He will find that they ran off from thu
Jamaica plantations, and became the Ma
rooms" of the mountains, Of whom diver
stories have been written. He will find tha
they run off now from the plantations of the ex
treme South, and not into free States, but int
swamps, city alleys, or whatever hiding place
happen to be most opportune.
Mr.. Spencer will find that this escaping pre-
pensity Of the negro was as fully known to ou
grandfathers as to US, and that they recognis
and provide for it in provision of the Const
tuition, put into operation by them in l7s'
And he will find that this provision is tolerabl
we'll executed, taking the whole line betwee
the free and slave States into the account, an
at any rate, and what is of the chiefest mt
ment, that it is as we'll executed as it ever wa
and that there is no particular occasion for 81
lecting this present moment, to dissolve tn
Union because of its non.execution. MI
Spencer himself had worse time of it fort
years ago, than any Shareholder has had sine
within our knowledge. The thing is not gro'
ing any worse, and if We have continued
live under the old Constitution seventy.tw
years, let US hold on little longer. Hope OIL
and hope ever, Mr.. Spencer.
The route agent between Grafton and Pa
kersburg has been removed by the Post Offit
Department, for leaving his business witho'
permission, to engage in secession movement
Several postmasters in Tennessee and kentucl
have been removed for similar cause.
MAJOR ANDERSON SICK.-The Charlestc
papers state that it was currently reporte
throughout the city on Sunday last that Maj
, Anderson was i'll.
FINE TINES IN MIssIssIPPI.-We learn fro
the Memphis appeal, that the Mississip
Legislature, now in session, has levied an a'
| d;tfanal tn Y Of CIV nor cant nnnn the nreae