New-York tribune., 1899-08-05

.n1 .cveraI ktdnapp,nR cases that occurred at
| Columbia, Penn. In 1904. stimulated active
intervention IN the runaways behalf among
the Friends IN ali the adjoining counties
New-Jersey was little behind Pennsylvania IN
the rood work and New-York followed SUIT
| though not much seems TO have been done IN
the last named State until later. In the west
| at least one case of underground procedure Is
1 reported to have occurred in Central ONO as
! early as 1872" and tracks were laid IN ILLINOIS,
| very soon after. These beginnings were oI
| course, small as compared with the operations
| of the road In later years. but they were doubt
| less much larger than the meagre evidence that
can now be collected indicates. AT least II is
clear even from this evidence, that from the
| foundation Of the Nation there was GROWING
| though for the most part silent DETERMINATION
| on the part Of rapidly increasing numoeT a'
! the North that the slave who set root on Tree
! soil should have an open course 10 freedom II
| he wished It. and that not even the law OF 'he
| land should be permitted to hinder him
The Road" soon, in fact became the most
effective and the grandest protest that AooHtloh-
ism ever made. Its lines were crowdeo WIN
escaping bondmen, and there is nothing IN MS
tory sublimer than the self-devouon with "hlch
thousands OF heroic men and women incurred
danger and reproach in actually giving 10 'he
oppressed the liberty which others only preachea'
It is on record that one conductor aided over
three thousand fugitivesi others assisted over
two thousand; while many could put hunareos
TO their credit. The testimony Of the south 10
the size Of the traffic OF the road is emphatic
LAS early as 1922. Moore, OF Virginia, speaking
in the House IN favor OF q new fu8luVe re-
covery law. said that the district he repreSen'eo
lost 81 100 or $1,000 worth Of runaway slaves
annually. In August, 1880 Atchison OF heh-
tucky informed the Senate that depredations
10 the amount OF hundreds OF thousands or dol
lars are committed upon the property OF the
people OF the border slave States OF this Union
annually Clingman Of North Carolina
said that the thirty thousand fugitives then re-
ported TO be living in the North were worth at
current prices little less than Sl5ooOco C!al-
borne the biographer OF General John "A quit
man who was at cne time Governor or Loulsleha
indicated as one OF the defects OF the Second
Fugitive Slave law It's failure 10 make pro
vision for the restitution 10 the South OF the
S3OOOOOOO OF which she had been plundered
through the one hundred thousand slaves ao-
Quoted from her in the course Of the last forty
wears OS1O-1S5O." What the exact facts OF
the case-as regards numbers and financial loss
Ara II is impossible TO say since trustworthy
statistics do not exist but 1t is altogether prob
able that Claiborne's estimate is not far out or
the way even for the perod-more than ten
wears before the Civil War-at which he spoke.
Professor Siebert concludes that not less than
forty thousand fugitives passed into Ohio alone
during the years between 1890 and 1850, and
he asserts that Of the citizens OF that State who
assisted them 1,54O are named IN the collec-
tions upon which his book is based.
In view Of these facts It is not surprising that
| the fugitive slave question aroused In the South
! the bitterest feeling toward the North and be-
! came Of ever increasing Importance in National
| 1oitics Apart from the moral Issues involved.
| the slaves unquestionab!y were under the law
property, and the assistance given them IN
| their fight was robbery. and that on an immense
! scale II may indeed. be true that. as Williams
| the negro historian. asserts. the Underground
| Road was "a safety valve 70 the institution OF
slavery; that las leaders arose among the
| slaves who refused TO bear the yoke they would
| go North" and that had they remained, there
must have been enacted at the South the direful
scenes Of San Domingo" But the Shareholders.
naturally did not take this View OF IT, and their
outcry against It became more and more IN
sistent until their various attempts 10 secure
! redress by legislative ACTON cuINHdleu III tHe
Fugitive Slave law Of 1850. Upon the conse-
ouences of this famous act and the antecendent
history Of the agitation which led up 70 Il II
is needless TO dwell That is familiar historical
ground, and while ne states with clearness and
precision all the facts Professor Siebert con-
| tributes nothing new TO our understanding or
| them II Is only necessary 10 say that the
| situation which the Fugitive Slave law was de-
! signed to meet was created chiefly by the Cn-
! derground Road and that upon 1t rest In large
! measure the responsibility and the credit for
| the momentous political events by which the
! act was followed.
In addition TO the general historical discus
sion Of the subject the book abounds In inter-
esting bits Of local history connected with the
| Road; In brief accounts OF the men and
women who were most active In maintaining
II; and In illustrations OF It's methods OF opera
tion. AS an appendix is given a list OF over
| three thousand names Of those who are known
| TO have been engaged in underground work.
arranged by States and counties-a roll OF
honor surely we'll worth preservation.
NnTEC