The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1914-10-17
SLAVE TRADE IN AMERICA.

t The Mobile lAla.) Register. in an edi-
toria1 reference to new book called
Historic Sketches Of the South" by
Miss ID. L. Roche Of Mobile. states that
these sketches" are confined to re-
visw Of the beginning Of Negro slav-
cry in America. the early legislation
against the slave trade, and the con-
aitions Of the trade with America, as
an introduction, to en- account Of the
voyage of the Chlotilde, the last slave
trading venture undertaken, and its
results" It Is not quite correct to de-
scribe the voyage Of the Chlotilde as
the last slave trading venture. There
was a still later one, and Georgia, not
Alabama, received the very last cargo
Of slaves from Africa.
The SLAYER Chlotilde landed 175 Ne.
groes from Africa near Mobile In 1853.
In December of the same year the
shaver Wanderer, sailing under the flag
Of the New York Yacht club. landed
$50 slaves from the kongo. near Bruins
wick, on the Georgia coast. The Wan
derer landed 600 more slaves from the
Congo on the Georgia coast l. The fol-
lowing year-lS59. Stephen y. Doug
las declared In public speecl that he
believed $1,000 Negro slaves were
smuggled into the United States in
1859. but so far as we know. the only
importation ON record for that year
was the Wanderers second cargo of
600. 1t is at least certain that the
Wanderer was actively engaged in the
outlawed business In the year after
the minor exploit of the Chlotilde.
1t is related that the 75O Negroes
first landed by the Wanderer in De-
cember, 1853. were sent up the Satilla
and Savannah rivers and scattered
over the state of Georgia, and that
these slaves were sold at 5000 to $7O0
apiece, although they cost only few
beads and red handkerchiefs. THE
American Slave Trade, John r. Spears,
PIP. 199-20S.).
In a speech delivered at August, Ga,
July 2, 1859, Alexander n. Stephens.
without referring to the successful
smuggling expeditions Of the Wander
er and the Chlotilde, boldly suggested
the desirability Of reopening Of the
African slave trade which had ceased
as a lawful enterprise In 1903 by the
decree Of the constitution Of the Unit
ed States. He rejoiced that the slav-
cry institution was apparently more
strongly fortified than 1t ever had
been, as a result of the agitations fol-
lowing the compromise of 1850. "Ques-
tons that were doubtful and mooted
before these agitations have since been
settled" he said, settled by all the
departments Of the government" re-
ferring to Chief Justice Taney's deci-
sion In the Dred Scott case and the
triumph Of the popular sovereignty"
plan for the territor ns.
But the advantage gained would be
fruitless, he thought. without "an in
crease Of African slaves from abroad"
1T takes people to make states" he
said, "and 1t requires people of the
African race to make slave states.
You may not expect to see many Of
the territories come into the Union as
slave states unless we have an in
crease Of African stock" The attitude
of Stephens was the more remarka BILE
In view of the fact that the c0nstitu.
ton Of the Southern Confederacy,
adopted two years later. forbade the
reopening Of the African slave trade,
and no proposition to do otherwise was
even offered in the preliminary dis
cussions.
What is chiefly interesting to US now
In connection with these last importa-
lions Of slaves half century ago Is
the fact that the 1850 wild Negroes
from the Kongo that were sent up the
Satilla and Savannah rivers and scat
tered over Georgia were In most cases
very young men and women, perhaps
from sixteen to thirty years Of age.
and It is probable that not q few Of
them are still living. while their chill
dren and grandchildren are legion. The
fact that aboriginal savagery is In
many cases no more remote than that
ought to be taken into account both
when we pass Judgment and when we
consider the varied aspects Of our Ne
gro problem.