The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-07-03
SLAVERY IN MASSACHUSETTS.

An interesting paper was read recently
before meeting Of the Connecticut Val.
ley Historical Society, at Springfield,
Massachusetts,, in relation to slavery in
the early days Of that Commonwealth.
The people then we're not very far differ
ent from those of later times, as speci-
men reference will show. We quote from
the address: ~
GA case tried in Worcester in 1906, in
which the Town of Winchendon sued the
town of Hatfield for the support of a ne
gro pauper, developed in remarkable
degree the chattle principle of slavery.
The name Of the negro was Edom LON
don. In 1857 Edom was the slave of one
Samuel Bond. Bond sold him to Will
liam Williams, of Weston. In 1850. after
Williams death, Edom was set off in the
distribution Of his estate to bis daughter.
who was thewifs Of Oliver Partridge, Of
Hatfield. There he lived with Partridge
as slave until 1857. Partridge then sold
him to John Lngersoll, of West6eld.
There he remained three years, when
Ingersoll sold him to John McClustet, Of
Longmeadow. He stayed in Longmead.
ow few weeks, and then was sold by
McCluster to Joshua Holcomb, OF Sims
bury, Connecticut, where he lived about
four years. Holcomb then sold him to
William Bond, OF Lincoln, Mass. Bond
kept him short time and sold him to
one Cowden, of Fitchburg. Cowden sold
him to Stimson, of Wimbledon. This
was Just at the beginning of the Ameri'
can Revolution, and Elom, feeling per-
haps stirring within him that spirit Of
freedom which the orators Of that day
SO often aroused by their eloquence ran
away from Stimson the very next day
and enlisted as a soldier in the American
army at Cambridge for the eight months
service. Before his term of service ex.
pired Stimson sold him to one Sawyer!
Think of this selling soldier fighting
the battles of his country for liberty.)
Sawyer sold him TO 'Goodridge, OF Win
chendon, in July, 1879 (perhaps on the
glorious Fourth) He stayed in Win.
chehdon about five weeks. Then he en-.
listed for three years in the service of our
country, and served his full term Of en-
listmeht.f His master, Goodridge, receiv-
ed his bounty money and part OF his
wages. Thus this man, after having been
the slave of eleven different masters, and
been sold from one to another until the
list grew to be almost as long as Scotch
pedigree, and having served for years in
the armies Of his country, at last drifts
into poor.house and lives and dies a
pauper, and two towns 60 to law tolget
rid Of the burden of his support
How slavery came to be abolished in
Massachusetts there Is difference ofopin-
ion. Legislation did not make it legis
lation did not destroy it; and the courts
had no authority to pronounce it illegal.
The address thinks 1T withered and fell
before the spirit Of liberty, which inner.
ed in the people. John Adams seemed
to have different opinion Atthe same
meeting of the said society the address
was supplemented by the reading of an
unpublished letter from James Adams
to DR.. Belknap, in which Mr.. Adams said
the real cause of the emancipation was
the multiplication of laboring white peo-
pie, who would not allow the labor by
which they could gain subsistence to be
done by slaves. The SCOTS and jeers Of
the white people led the negroes to be
80 idle and dissipated that slavery was
abolished as matter of economy" The
white laboring people Of that day were
moved by like impulses that move the
opponents of Chinese immigration to-
day. AS the struggle for existence grows
more difficult by increasing numbers,
that impulse against Chinese cheap labor
will strengthen among white laborers,
and also among Colored laborers. The
spirit of liberty does not exactly ct this
Chinese case In the estimation Of those
whose occupations come in conflict with
those ofalmoh. eyed foreigners.