The critic., 1890-12-31

the Governor that Ebenczcr Wilson de-
tanned money and negro, willcd him by
Norton.
Negroes and Indians were regarded by
our enlightened forefathcrs as children Of
the devil and efforts were made early TO
christianizc them. This task proved
difficult. In lG90 Governor Bcllcmont
reported the bill for converting the
Indians and negroes, but it would not "go
down" with the assembly Masters
feared their conversion would free them
from slavery.
The main Linterest of the slave code
turns on the regulations to prevent CON
spiracy. Thefear Of sCrvile risings was con-
stantly in the thoughts of our ancestors,
II alone explains their savage lcg-
islation governing slave life. In
1902 the Assembly forbade more
than three slaves TO meet out
Of their masters presence. No person,
without masters conceIit, was allowed
to employ or entertain other mems slaves.
Several city ordinances reinforced this act.
The corporation of New York forbade any
slave TO appear in the street after night
fall without a lantern.
Indian slavery, however, prckcd the
conscience of the authorities In 1850,
the Governor and the Council resolved
that all Indians had been and were free,
except such as had been brought from
foreign parts. But this resolve, If put in
force at ALL appears soon to have become
dead letter.
White slavery and the apprentice sys-
tenn were so closely linked IL is difficult
to separate them. White slaves were,
however, as q rule either criminals re-
prieyed from imprisonment at home to
bOnd-service in America, or cmigrants
who served out the price of their passage
advanced by shipmaster. In the first
class falls the case of Scotchman who,
about 100, for burning The Bible, was sold
Il servant to New York. Under the sec
ond comes French woman who agreed
TO pay fS for the passage of herself and
four children from London to New York.
IL she could not procure the money in six
weeks after her arrival, her children were
to be disposed of at the shipmaster's pleas
ure. White criminals were sold from
New York to the West Indies. In 1869
Governor Lovelace ordered Marcus Jacob
son to be sold servant to Barbados. He
had been tried by. a special commission
and sentenced to death, but his sentence
was sotte"fd to whipping, branding, i'm
prisonment, transportation and slavery.
The last paper read this morning was
the one of most interest to the citizens of
the District. 1t was entitled slavery in
the District of Columbia and the Policy of
Congress and the Struggle for Abolition"
and was prepared by Mary Tremain, A.
NJ. II was read, however, by Professor
George G. Howard of the University of
Nebraska.
In the choice of thcseat of Government,
said the writer, slavery played no part.
Virginians hoped to gain financial adj
vantages from a location and to win n few
Southern votes. On assumption, the Capital
was given to the South. While legisla-
ton for the Federal District was affected
by the character of the institutions in the
adjacent. States, there is no reason for be-
lieving that legislation ON other subjects,
or on slavery in general, shows the influ-
ence of the Southern surroundings of
Congress. II has been asserted that the
existence of slavery in the District rendered
the Government incapable of resisting the
encroachments of the southern system.
There is no proof of this, but it is most
certain that the fear of offending slave
holders and endangering the Union pre-
vented Congress from legislating properly
ON slavery in the District.
The first act passed for the government
of the District in 1901, declared that the
laws of Maryland up to December /, 1900,
should remain in force in the county
north, and those of Virginia in the county
south of the Potomac. This was one of
the worst of the measures passed. Thus
che task was rendered q difficult one for
Congress, and the people were restless and
dissatisfied. Retrocession of the two
counties to their respective States, the
establishment of q local govern
ment and representation of the
District in Congress, were some Of the
remedies discussed. The bittcrest COM
plants were against the laws, and several
unsuccessful attempts. were made to pre-
pare and adopt q uniform system. The
fault of Congress lay less in making q
mistake in its first measure of government
than in ncglecting to remedy that mistake
when IL was discovered.
On the whole, much time and money
were spent in legislating for the District.
But matters of Importance that promised
to involve care and discussion We're as far
as possible avoided. This is not merely in
relation to the slavery question, but in
relation TO other questions.
The law in Maryland against runaways
led to the practice of selling for imprison-
ment charges all unclaimed negroes taken
up as runaways. The same practice was
followed in Washington County. The
Committee Of the District Of Columbia in
1927, though denying the. practice, re-
ported bill to amend the law. 1t was
left on the table, however and another
reported in 1S2Sfailed for the same reason.
1t is evident that some free negroes were
sold into slavery under this law, though
the extent to which the wrong was
carried cannot be known. Probably the
local magistrates were careless in COM
mitting as runaways persons not proven
to be such. The stealing of free persons
or persons bound to service was also very
common and was unchecked by law
until 1881. The slave trade was carried
on extensively in the District till 1850.
Though many leading men in Virginia
and Maryland were opposed to slavery,
they believed it would die out and adopted
no plan for its abolition, The earliest
movetoward abolition in the District was
made in 1906. The first systematic work
early as 1916. In February, 1927, me-
mortal from citizens of Baltimore was in
troduced asking abolition in the District
for the example IL would afford to the
rest of the States. The fact that it ex-
pressed the hope of influencing the slave
States aroused suspicion of the purpose of
the petitioners. In 1S2Sa petition signed
by a thousand inhabitants of the District
was presented to Congress, but nothing
came of it.
In 1890 Mr.. Miner offered q resolution,
the preamble of which set forth the con
dition of the slavery system in the Dis
trict. The resolution moved that the
committee inquire into the statements
made in the preamble and report ON the
law in the District, and also to inquire
into, the expedienoy of providing for
lost but the resolutions were adopted.
| The committee reported bill for the
amendment of the laws, and in the debate
| II was asserted for the first time that
Maryland and Virginia would not have
ceded the two counties to the Govern
ment If they had thought there was any
danger of abolition in the District.
A session of the association was held
| this afternoon at the Columbian Uni
versity and papers We're read bearing upon
American history and historical science.
The evening session at the University
will be devoted to discussing papers ON
historical science and hearing the reports
Of various committees. The officers for
the ensuing year will also be elected.