The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1904-12-10

POLITICAL HISTORY OF SLAVERY
A Political History of Slavery. By Will
liam Henry Smith: With an Introduction
by Whitelaw Reid. Two volumes. Svo
Net. $3.50 BY mail, $500. New York:
"A Political History of Slavery" by
VIM Henry Smith, is an elaborated story
OF the controversy over the slavery ques-
! ton. from the early days of the 18th cen
fury to the close Of the Reconstruction
period in the United States.
There is an Introduction by WhitelaW
Reid. which tells Of Mr. Smiths career
and which gives quite an extended criti-
ciSm of these two very instructive VOL
umes:
is written with the fullness OF knowledge
that comes from having seen many of the
events from the inside as they occurred.
from lifelong familiarity with and study
of the entire range of the subjects. and
nation. in the papers of President Hayes
and Governor BrOugh, in the records OF
the state office held during a critical part
Of the period, and in constant personal
Again: AS time goes on fuller justice
will be done, in the history of the move
ments by which a free people enlarged the
bounds of freedom, to communities and
Anslo-saxon means for the correction of
! wrongs and. the better development OF
J Anglo-Saxon institutions; It Horace
nd first E Rube nG Wse
| first among legislators and cabinet min
| listers. and finally to the peer, if not the
| superior of them all, and certainly the
most capable politician of the list, Abra-
! ham Lincoln
! In Chapter l. the author says: IF there
! is one thinG clearly established, it is that
| slavery Was deprecated by the men who
formed the Constitutions: who, recognize
| ing that such institution was inconsis-
! tent with Christian civilization. inconss-
| tent with the great principles OF civil lib
| erty for which the colonies had contended,
, and which constitute the basis of our Re
/ public. refrained from inserting in that
great charter name so repulsive to free
| dom. We must conclude that they We're
! perc ipient witnesses to the public senti-
! ment Of that day. There was no state
! free from the faint of slavery and the
, feeling that it was injurious to society
| was in 40 sense dependent upon sectional
ally confidently expected: emancipation
! was to be the rule. This came early north
! of Maryland, and it is not unreasonable
| to suppose that if there had been no inhi-
! bitiOn OF the African slave trade, emanci-
| patton would have followed in Delaware.
! Maryland North Carolina. Kentucky and
| TENNESSEE.
! Opposition to the institution of slavery
| arose from religious convictions as to its
! sinfuness or from economic and social
! policies The resistance Of those who
! with Mr.. Jefferson condemned it because
| of it's destructive influence became as
!; impotent as his. or succllmbed to the vio-
| lence of political forces; while that hav-
ing it's source in reli gious feelings played
an important part in the creation of a
third party The Society of Friends led all
other denominations in the employment
the public prints as to whether VIM.
: Lloyd Garrison. Benjamin. Lundy or Chas.
of moral influence for the eradication of
slavery, though there were not wanting
outspoken utterances in the Presbyterian.
Baptist and Methodist clutches at All
early day, especially in Ohio. Kentucky
and Tennessee.
Some years ago one who had been
conspicuous as q leader in the antislav-
cry contest endeavored to show the I'M
faithfuness of current history in dealins
with the genesis of modern abilitionism,
and thereupOn a controversy sprang up in
Osborne was entitled to be styled the first
Apostle of Emancipation. Geo. W. Julian.
the writer who challened 1.-The truth of
history clearly established the claims of
Osborne to be mentioned before either
Lundy OF Garrison. but strangely over
looked the claims OF another whose career
was stl'ikingly like that OF Lundy-John
Woolman a Friend, who was born in New
Jersey about 1920. Then follows an ac-
count Of his early life and career exceed
| ingly interesting and of his anti-slavery
sentiments. When about 26 years of age
he visited North Carolina. where he
sought to arouse the consciences Of slave
holders and wrote an essay entitled Con-
siderations on the Keeping of Negroes. -
| which was published. had a wide circula-
ton. 1t shows that his life was given to
| the work of emancipation He Travelled
from colony to colony. preaching remOn-
strating and cOunseling.
The author discusses with painstaking
| detail the Free Soil Movement:' THE
Omnibus Bin" o rRepeal of the Missouri u!
coln.'' and in their discussion exhibits a
wealth of information and breadth of
| knowledge. which could only result from
many years study and contact with the
oaoI i.,~r Of cfi1 r1r7Cr
Vol. II opens with a chapter on THE
| Outbreak of the War in which he says:
I'm the history Of nations weak rulers are
| treated with scant respect. They become
! oppression; they imperil governments and
/ invite disorders to enter in; they are the
; real enemies to human progress. When
| Mr. Buchanan was brought face to face
| with men resolute in purpose to disrupt
! the Union and overthrow the government,
he construed the fundamental law to be
as impotent as he was in fact as the eS-
| executive. head Of the government in
1S60-G1. Would members Of Congress en-
gagged in the work of disunion have been
! welcomed at the White House? Would
they have buliied him
| CIVIL WAR TIMES.
Civil War Times. BY Daniel Walt
| Howe. author of the Puritan Republic
5 70. Pr: 421. $3.50. Indianapolis: Dobbs-
!
: The war of '61-5 will never cease-at
! least in the present generation to be a
perennial and never failing topic OF alb
sorhirg interest. This is so. because it
was q war Of giants; because many OF
| those giants still survive its vicissitudes;
! it's hair breadth escapes, and the immi-
! nent deadly breach; it's long and dread
| full marches; it's Gettysburg and Chicka-
| maugas: because the finale Of that con-
| hict profoundly Influenced the civilizations
| of the world because it's echoes still re-
| vertebrate in all the various activities OF
! American life.
Because of these things the authors
| volume il interesting. 1t can be read
! with prof: by any one and many Incl
! dents OF the great strife which has hith-
! erto remained unwritten. is brought forth
. by MI. Howe.
{. One of the most interesting chapters
. in the volume is one dealing with the re-
. iation Of the Confederacy toward the NE
: gro Soldier" The author tells U.s. that
! nearly every important Confederate com
| mander favored the enlistment Of black
| soldiers: that the matter was finally de-
| bated ir the confederate Senate. and the
! bill authorizing the enlistment of Negro
| soldiers, was defeated by but one vote
! that of Senator Hunter. That when the
; desperate circumstances of the Confed-
| eracy became SO visible that the leaders
. "cause,' draft order was issued to force
: iederate flag. but that before it could be
made effective, the fall of Richmond, and
| the fight Of jefferson Davis was at hand
j This chapter is especially interesting al
J under it's banner
!: There are other very interesting chap