The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-09-10
LOGAN SELLING
FREE NEGROES INTO SLAV-
ERY AT AUCTION.
From the Memphis Appeal.

sacred to be polluted by his cen
Eliminating tread. If there is a col
ored man in the South so lost tt
self-respect as TO vote for John A
Logan after reading the exposure
we intend to make in this article
then he is SO debased and degraded
as to vote for the most cruel slave.
driver that ever welded the lash
Ignorant of the past record of Lo-
gan-hls atrocious cruelty to the
race when he proposed to hunt
them down as wild bcasts-the neA
grees are bowling for his election.
Can it be possible that this is the
same John A. Logan who, in the
illinois Legislature, secured the
passage of bill selling into slavery,
at public auction, all free negroes in
the State? When the constitution
of Illinois was framed in 1948, there
were two provisions in it which
were separately submitted to the
people for their adoption or rejec-
ton. One was that no negro or
mulatto shall be permitted to mi
CRATE or settle in the State. On
this the vote was III, 1896 to II ,306,
being 3. majority of 100,590 for the
provision against the admission of
negroes or mulattoes into Illinois,
John A. Logan voted with the ma
jority to exclude the negroes from
the State. The other constitutional
provision submitted to the people
was that the negroes should not
hold Office or have the right of suf-
frage On this question the vote
stood z11,o2o to 35,649. being ma
jority of 1921 against allowing
negroes or mulattoes to hold office
or to vote in Illinois. John A. Lo-
gan voted with the majority against
the negroes. To carry these pro.
visions into effect, John A Logan,
who was a member of the Legisla-
thre and of the Judiciary Commit
tee, reported to the Legislature of
1853 and secured the passage of the
following bill:
IF A NEGRO OR MULATTO,
BOND OR FREE, SHALL HERE
AFTER COME INTO THIS
STATE AND REM AIN TEN
DAYS WITH THE EVIDENT IN
TENTION OF RESIDING IN
THE SAME, EVERY SUCH NE
GRO OR MULATTO SHALL BE
DEEMED GUILTY OF A HIGH
MISQEMEANOR, AND FOR THE
FIRST OFFENSE SHALL BE
FINED THE SUM OF $50. IF
SUCH NEGRO OR MULATTO
SHALL BE FOUND GUILTY,
AND THE FINE ASSESSED BE
NOT PAID FORTH WITH TO
THE JUSTICE OF THE PEACE
BEFORE WHOM T HE PRO
CEEDINGS WERE H AD, IT
SHALL BE THE DUTY OF
SAID JUSTICE TO COMMIT
SAID NEGRO OR. .MULATTO TO
THE CUSTODY OF THE SHER-
IFF, OR OTHERWISE KEEP
HIM, HER OR THEM IN GUS
TODY; AND SAID JUSTICE
SHALL FORTHWITH. ADVER-
TISE SAID NEGRO OR MULAT-
TO, AND ON THE DAY AND
AT THE. TIME AND PLACE |
MENTIONED IN SAID ADVER-
TISEMENT THE SAID JUSTICE |
AT PUBLIC AUCTION,
PROCEED TO SELL SAID Ne
GRO OR MULATTO TO ANY
PERSON, OR PERSONS, WHO
WILL PAY SUCH FINE AND
COSTS FOR THE SHORTEST
TINE; AND SAID PURCHASER
SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO
COMPEL SAID NEGRO OR MU-
LATTO TO WORK FOR, AND
SERVE OUT SAID TIME. IF
SAID NEGRO OR MULATTO
SHALL NOT WITHIN TEN
DAYS AFTER THE EXPIRA-
TION OF HIS, HER OR THEIR
TIME OF SERVICE, AS AFORE-
SAID, LEAVE THE STATE, HE,
SHE, OR THEY SHALL BE Ii
ABLE TO A SECOND PROSE-
CUTION, IN WHICH THE PEN
Atty TO BE INFLICTED
SHALL BE 300. AND so
ON. FOR EVERY SUBSEQUENT
OFFENSE THE PEN Alt Y
SHALL BE INCREASED $50
OVER AND ABOVE THE LAST
PENALTY.
John A. Logan was the author
and champion of this bill, which
was not repealed until 1865. He
drafted it, and the records of the
Illinois Legislature show that he
carefully guarded its severe and
cruel provisions against all amends
ments. The slave code was called
bloody, and it is charged that the
neoraes were often treated with