Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-05-22
hear from him for some months. But at
length the following letter came, dated
SAINT VERAN, ~AVIGNON,
'VAUCLUSE, France,


send me. You are SO clearly right as to
the political economy of the question that
one Is only surprised at its being necessary
to take so much pains to make the matter
obvious to others. But the absurdcst opin-
Ions are often the most tenacious of life.
What can be more ridiculous than to sup
pose that laborfng man Is an item in the
wealth OF the country that possesses him
when he is owned by a fellow man, but
not an Item In 1t when he owns himself!
But great merit may be shown in explain
ing truths which ought not to need expla-
nation, and that merit your pamphlet pos
sesses in high degree.
am Indebted to you for an excellent
Illustration Of the point you notice in my
Principles Of Political Economy which I
shall not fail to make use of in a new edi-
ton which am now preparing.
AS a native of slave state. who
twenty-five years ago saw and proclaimed
the doctrine Of common sense as well IS
justice respecting slavery, you must be
highly gratified by the prospect now OPEN
ed OF the early realization of your utmost
wishes ON that subject. however painful to
you. IN many respects. may be the process
by which it is coming to pass.
With sincere respect, 1 am
":veF S truly YOURS,
Daniel r. Goodloe, ESQ.,
Mr.. Mill lost his wife about this time, to
whom he was greatly devoted, and If the
edition of his work. which he was revis-
ing, was puUlLSHeu DeIOro MS death, 1t Is
probable that the revision was not com
pleted, and in that way l lost the honor
able mention he would have given me. At
any rate, an American edition, published
after his death, did not contain it."
Back to journalism.
How did you come to sever your connec-
ton with the government service?" Mr.,
Goodloe was asked.
Il held the clerkship under the admins
trations of Taylor and Fillmore, and might
possibly have continued to hold it under
Mr., Pierce but for my habit of saying
what l think about public affairs and es-
pecially, at that time, about slavery. In
December. 1852, A. NJ. Gangewer, still a
resident of Washington, called on me and
ING upon the merits of Uncle Toms
CaDin as a fair representation of the con-
dltion OF things at the south. 1 replied
mat there was no reason why 1 should
fear of public opinion (his object being. as
understood the publication of my reply):
and 1 therefore gave it In some detail it
was published in the key to Unc.e Toms
CABIN soon after, and was harshly COM
mented on in one or more leading North
Carolina democratic newspapers. Mr.. Dob
bin of that state was placed in the office of
secretary OF the Navy, the department in
Whlch held a place. and he removed me
as soon as convenient. while retaining sew
eral other wings from the state.
FROM this time forward l continued to
write Tor the anti-slavery press, sometimes
Inc New York Tribune, and sometimes the
National Era in this city. The editor. DR..
Gamallel Bailey, of the Era was in the
habit of spending his summers in northern
watering places, and while absent he would
employ me to take his place here. Our
views were not quite in accord, and 1 gen.
orally signed the initial letter G. to my
articles, though editorial in place and
character. This practice went on for some
years, until at length the doctors health
gave way. and he then sent for me to take
his place in the editorial chair. This was in
the fall of 1855 He remained here until
May of the following year, when he sailed
son Marcellus, then a youth of about sly
teen years. But the doctor died when five
days out from Havre. Mr. Raymond of
the New York Times was on board, and
the Intelligent youth. the Doctors son, who
returned with the body to Washington.
As Editor of the Era.
Il then continued to edit the Era as long
as the patronage would justify its publ
cation. The paper had no local support
Whatever-no subscribers here and no adj
Vertisements from any quarter, and when
the election of Mr.. Lincoln took place
even when it became probable-thousands
OF ahu-siaVery papers sprang up all over
tne northern country. which took away
a.
that the success of the cause was fatal
to anti-slavery newspapers which had
borne the heat and burden of the day. 1t
brought Mr.. Garrisons paper, the Lib
orator, to a close also, and the Anti-Slav-
cry Standard of New York as well. These
papers published weekly, were devoted to
the one idea Of overthrowing the slave
power The Era had high claims to sun
port as a literary newspaper, and the
others doubtless had About twenty vol
umes of valuable literature were made up
from the columns of the Era during the
thirteen years of its existence from Janu-
airy, 1S47 to the spring or summer of 1860
Mr.. Whittier had been, from its founda-
ten, and for a number of years, the cor
responding editor. Many of his poems first
appeared in the Era, while Alice and
Phoebe Cary, Lucy Larcom and DR.. Pier
pcnt were regular poetical contributors.
TIE odore Parker, DR.. Elder and Horace
Mann were among the occasional con-
tributors. A gentleman whose name l fail
to recall, under the nom de plume of John
Smith the Younger" wrote series of bril-
liant sketches of the men in Congress and
in public life. He was at the time the re-
porter of debates in one of the houses,
which gave him the opportunity of seeing
the men he described so graphically. Mr..
Adams, then dead, was styled The Old
Man Eloquent" perhaps for the first time.
There were other pen pictures of persons
who were described by their characters
tics, without naming them. Among them
remember a thousand-dollar clerk. with
a family Of daughters, and a position to
maintain, in social life.
1.-TWO brilliant lady writers for the Era
were Grace Greenwood Miss Clark and
Gail Hamilton Miss Dodgel.
Mrs. Southworth commenced writing for
the Era in 1S49 She has told me the cir
cumstances under which it came about.
She was teaching public school, and was
paid a very small salary. She had COM
menced writing a short story for a paper
in Baltimore entitled The Visitor The edi-
tor and proprietor, DR.. Snodgrass, found it
convenient about that time to sell out to
DR.. Bailey Of the National Era, and took
occasion to call the Doctors attention to
tine story which was begun in his columns
by Washington lady. The doctor sent for
Mrs. Southworth and asked her to finish
the story in the Era. She did So and she
says that when DR.. Bailey paid her SIS for
1t, 1t caused her to feel more happy than
she had since done when receiving thou
sands a year. That first little earning of
her pen made her feel that she had an
other resource for the support of herseIf
and children better than that of teaching
a public school. After writing for the Era
while she was employed by the Saturday
Evening Post of Philadelphia, and then nv
MI Bonner of the New York Ledger who
paid her weekly wages greater than she
received for half a year as teacher of the
pubic schools in Washington"
"Uncle Toms Cabin.n