Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-11-25

EDIroR PLANET:
AsI looked over your paper
this morning 1 was particularly inter
ested in the letter Of Mrs E. V. Harrod.
NY eyes filed with tears as read it
for NV heart was filed with sorrow and
shame for what my race has done and
ia still doing to oppress and degrade q
harmless race, 9 race that never did as
harm. Yes, Mr.. Editor, 1.-The time has
come for an honest statement OF facts
from the Negro's side of the question" :"
Let us look at some Of the facts. Moot
gladly would l draw n veil over the
past while 1 hide my face in sham
but dare not.
Historical writers tell us that forty
millions of the inhabitants OF Africa
have been torn from their native land
and made slaves on Americ m soil.
They also tell US that these forty mill
lions which remained alive and were
sold into slavery were but three-tenths
of the original number seized or de-
stroyed. The seven.tenths perished.
NOTHING MORE HORRIBLE.
The mind can hardly conceive Of
anything more horrible than the means
used to capture the Negroes to supply
the slave trade. Property was taken,
men. women and children were butch
ed, towns destroyed and every species
of violence resorted to for the attain
uent of the object. In one instance
twenty thousand were killed for six
teen thousand carried away.
Sometimes as many as sixty thous-
and were killed in one "sklrmieh" for
slaves. One well informed writer tells
of a whole tribe CT agricultural trad
ing people OF most inoftensive charac-
ter having been annihilated In . single
night. Every adult was murdered,
every hut fired, the boys and girls
alone being reserved for the slave ira
der" He says, ''Similar events took
place perhaps every month In the
Many slaves perished on their way
to the coast. They were heavily IRON
ed-the irons sometimes wearing TO
the bone. causing sores which never
healed. '.The females were almost
lust of the drivers" Sometimes half
of the number Of slaves perished be-
fore reaching the coast. On their ar
rival AID those unfit for shipping were
killed or turned loose TO perish from
hunger.
TIE MOST WRETcHRD PART.
Mr. Wilberforce said in the House OF
Commons, "The transportation oi
slaves is the most wretched part OF the
business, Never can so much misery
be found in so small space as IN !, :
alave-ship during the middle passage.
Commander Andrew II. Foote OF she
u. s. Navy said in his book entitled
sAfxiea and the American Flag I'll
aver there were anything on earth
Which for revolving, filthy, heartlesl
cruelty might make the devil wonder
and hell recognize it's own likeness
then il was on the decks Of an old siav'
er." He represented the scene as onS
of congratulated wretohedness."
In 1907 Congress passed law prohi
biting the fitting out OF any vessel fol
the slave trade and forbid the impor
tation of any slaves. The slave traffic
continued and in 1920 Congress declar-
ed that every person found guilty
should suffer death.
Net until Lincoln came into power
WAS the law carried out, and, despite
All protestations against it, . IelAv'
trader was hung in the rombs in New
York. Until then our government per
mitted slaV9 trading vessels 10 De 80
cretly fitted out in our ports and *
carry our hag and then by prohibiting
other nations interfering with them
really protracted the traffic 80 tina
some of our citizens engaged in it will
greater eaRerness than before, ane
furnished slave ships for other coun
tries as well As our own.
FLEET VESSELS BUILT.
For the purposes Of safety and con
cealnent the fieetest OF sail vessel
were built and put to the service -Lairt
in his journal said Of the slave trader
1--WE have by our interference forces
him to use . class OF vessels lwei
known to naval men rs American Clip
pers) of the very worst description
that could have been imagined for thr
purpose, every good quality being sac
esAnad for anaad In the holds OF khaal