The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22
ANCIENT SLAVERY days.
Old District Laws Affecting ColOred
People Held in Bondage.
Efforts of n Small Band of Abolition
The Snow Riots of Over Sixty
Years AgO-Attacks on the National
Era and Other Local Newspapers.

lieus are to be found negroes that woult
not be unsuited to Darkest Africa" Wher
the cession was made by Maryland in 1880
it is quite certain that the colored popula-
ton exceeded the white on the plantations
and farE, lands that are today covered with
the magnifcence of Washington, but at the
| time when the exclusive jurisdiction OF the
| United States was extended over the city
| the whites largely outnumbered the col
| ored people OF whom there were less than
LOCO in Washington. This number has SC
increased that the colored population of the
| District which in 1870 was 40, 404, and grew
| to be 1896 in 1886 and 1872 in 1890, is
now nearly, if not quite, 100000 souls.
| At the first establishment of the city OF
| Washington its municipal authorities were
| not vested by Congress with any special
| power over the colored racs, but the APP
proach OF the war in 1872 was thought to
| render new guards necessary, and Congress
authorized the City Council Ito restrain
and prohibit the nightly and other disorder
| ly meetings of slaves. free negroes and mu-
| lattoes and to punish such slaves by whip
| ping, not exceeding forty stripes or by i'm
| prisonment, not exceeding SIX calendar
months for any one offence; and to punish
| such free negroes and mulattoes for such
| offence by fixed penalties, not exceeding
| $40 for any one offence; and in case of in
ability of any such free negro or mulatto
TO pay and satisfy any such penalty and
cost thereon, to cause such free negro or
| mulattc to be confined to labor for such
reasonable time. not exceeding six calen-
dar months for any one offence, as may be
deemed equivalent to such penalty and
cost; also, from time to time. as often as
may be necessary, to prescribe the terms
and conditions upon which free negroes,
mulattoes. and others, who can show no
visible means of support, may reside in the
city"
Rules Enforced Upon Black People.
Under this authority nearly all the dis
abilities which law and custom had fixed
upon the colored people in Maryland and
Virginia were continued in the District
of Columbia negro not slave was re-
CURED on coming into Washington to file
evidence of his freedom at the City Hall,
and to give bond that he would conduct
himself according to law and would pay
his taxes. A slave owner bringing his
slaves here was obligsd to file at the City
Hall proof of his ownership. All free col
ored men paid a tax of $50 per annum and
the owners of slaves paid from Sl2 to S25
each for the males and 81 each for the fe
males of their estates, The sale of liquor
to colered people. after sunset, was ille
gal. They could obtain no license from the
city except to keep horses and run vehi-
cles of all kinds for passengers or trans
portation. No colored man could obtain a
dog license unless lie was the head OF
family and firearms were prohibited to
them Colored folks, without pass, were
not allowed to be upon the streets after
10 O'Clock at night and the testimony OF
no one of negro blood was received against
a white man, except in case of serious in
jury inflicted upon the eolored person
This disability often prevented the true
course of justice even in cases where
white people only were concerned.
Slave owners, many of them ladies, did
not all employ their slaves. any more than
they lived in their own houses. Leasing
or hiring out slaves was a common source
of income. The principal hiring ground in
this neighborhood was for half century,
Cats Tavern. near Alexandria. The hire
of an able bodied man was often as high
as S120 per annum. while women were
leased out at $50, and children at very
small rates.
Privileges of Free Blacks.
TT colored people, although a subordi-
nate and subject class, were, as rule.
treated with kindness, and many of those
who we're free accumulated money, and
not only lad homes of their own. but be
cane small property owners and landlords.
Education was not forbidden them, and
schools were opened by Robert Brown,
William Lee, and others. No interference
was made with their religion In some
white churches they filled one gallery, and
Asbury, Ebenezer. Bethel, and Zion Wes-
ley with other churches in Washington;
Zion and Shiloh in Georgetown and South
Washington and one or two in Alexan-
dria, were centres OF religious zeal the
only restriction being that the meetings
must close before 10 O'Clock p. m. Co,o-ed
Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges also ex-
listed, and several colored bands made |
melody. Negro fiddlers were common at !
white persons dancing parties and festi- |
walls.
Little effort was made to modify the |
hard conditions OF colored lie. Their white |
friends. the Abolitionists. devoted them |
selves to one issue, that Of securing from |
Congress the abolition of slavery in the |
District of Columbia. The members Of the |
Society of Friends were foremost in this |
work.
The venerable teacher, Benjamin Halo
well, says in his autobiography:
a benevolent society was formed in
Alexandria about the year of 1927, OF
which Thomas Jacobs was president and
Benjamin Lundy was there, and
assisted in its organization The object of /
the association was to render assistance to
such persons as were slaves and willed to
be free at certain time in which case if |
they were hired out Of the State or from
the District of Columbia. they were at
once entitled to their freedom on the fact
being established Samuel NJ. Janney.
George Drinker. Abjah Janney. Townsend
Waugh. Presley Jacobs. Thomas Preston,
Daniel GawoOd, John Shackelford and a
number OF others. were members. Edward
and William Stabler did not join. being
fearful that the object of the society might
be misunderstood"
They petitioned Congress for the aboli-
ton of slavery. The petition of Mr.. Hal
lowell and others asked that:
IAN slaves born in the District OF
Columbia, arter the '4th day of July. 1928,
should be free at the age of twenty five
years and those laws which authorized the
selling of supposed runaways for Jail or
prison fees may be repealed"
This petition was signed by over eighty
of the~leadng citizens of Alexandria, in
Guiding the Episcopal. Methodist. Catholic
and Presbyterian pastors. Similar petit
tions were sent in from Washington and
Georgetown.
These efforts excited the ire of some
classes of white people, and early in the
thirties an antI-nesro riot occurred. A
mulatto man named Snow carried on a
drinking saloon on Pennsylvania Avenue
at its northwest intersection with Sixth
Street On a rumor that he had sIandered
some white ladies, a mob gathered and
wrecked Shows barroom. or eating house.
ore down Bob Browns eolored school
house on l. near Twentieth Street, and
attacked the dwellings OF other colored
people: but the volunteer military was