Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1913-07-03

are able to present to our readers tn
Confederate Memorial Address of 1915
1t will be published in weekly install
ments until completed. - Editor.
----O----
Continued from last week.
But New England was obdurate. Tn
State of Massachusetts, which Ion,
afterwards announced, that the De
claration of independence had, for her
self, proclaimed liberty to the slav
within her borders, deemed it no equivo
cation of this abstract love, to deman,
for herself the right to bring shiploa,
| after shiplead from Africa to he sol,
into slavery here. Were the prize t,
be awarded to the State which had dop,
most to assure the permanence of I'm
| ion by the persuasions Of self sacrifice
Virginia might say; did not Civ.
the great Northwest; not municipalities
but empires to cement the ties of I'm
ion!"N Then in turn, might ask what
New England has been your reciprocal
benevolence?" And New England
could reply; why have we not emanci-
pated all the slaves we sold you? Since
time began was ever altruism like unto
our altruism?"
From 1778, to 1884, the civility of
Massachusetts to the negro was not of
a kind to enforce affection, or other
feeling than the desire to get as far
away from it as possible. During the
years from 1778 to 1884 the following
was the accepted law of Massachusetts,
passing out of existence, Sub Silentio
at the time of new completion in 1884.
An act for suppressing and punish
ing OF rogues, vagabonds, common beg
gars and other idle, disorderly and lewd
persons.
Among other things therein enacted
was the following:
That no person being an African or
negro, other than subject of the
Emperor of Morocco or -citizen-of
some one of the United States, to be
evidenced by certificate from the Sec
rotary of the State of which he shall
be Z citizen, shall tarry within this
commonwealth, for longer time than
two months, and upon complaint made
to any justice of the Peace, within this
Commonwealth, that any such person
has been within the same more than
two months, the said Justice shall order
the said person to depart out of this
Commonwealth, and in case that the
said African or negro shall not depart
as aforesaid, any Justice of the Peace
etc, shall commit the said person to
any house of correction until the session
of the Peace next to be holden within.
and for the said county and if" upon
trial at the said Court, it shall be made
to appear that the said person has thus
continued within the Commonwealth;
contrary to the tenor of this act he or
she shall be whipped, not exceeding
ten stripes and ordered to depart out of
this Commonwealth within ten days;
and if he or she shall not depart, the
same process shall be had, and so totes
QUOTES.
What whimsical solace of stripes
tnties QUOTES for the negro who pre-
sumed to step upon free soil.
Nothing could be more explicit than
the Constitution. and the laws of Lin
coins Commonwealth. On the 18th of
February 1853, the State of. Illinois
passed an act, under the direction of
the State Constitution of I848, maxi
ing it a crime for negro to come or
be brought into the State. providing
that any such negro who remained
therein ten days should be fined fifty
dollars, and in case of inability to pay
the fine should be sold to any person
who would pay the costs of the trial.
In 1862, as part of the work of con-
stitutional convention held at Spring
field, were the following selections of
of Article XVIII of a proposed consti-
tuition to be submitted to the people,
~ mo Negro or Mulatto shall mi
CRATE to or settle in this State after
the adoption of this constitution. .
(2) "No negro or muIatto shall hsve
the right of suffrage or hold any office
of this State"
- The General assembly shall pass
all laws necessary to carry into effect
the provisions of these articles. .
In the Convention the first was
adopted by vote of SO to Z; the second
by a vote of AZ to IS; and the last by
vote of As to IS. This article was
submitted to special vote of the
people. The constitution itself was de-
feated by a majority of 16059 votes;
but the votes on Article XVIII were
as follows; for the first Section ma
jority of 100590 votes; for the second
majority 170291 votes; only 35649 votes
being cast against 1t. The final section
was carried by majority of 154524
votes. By virtual unanimity. the ne
gro was excluded from the State of
Illinois. Laws were promptly passed
to carry into effect the provisions of
this article. When in September 1862,
General T. W.. Tuttle proposed to ship
'eontraband Negroes to Chicago, the
Mayor of Chicago replied - Tour prop
osition to send negroes to Chicago to
work would be in violation of the laws