Evening star., 1927-06-03

and receive pay for voluntary labor.
My father had given work and wages
to a man whom he helped to freedom
in a free State. but the laws of that
free State punished him. If there is
one conviction that has predominated
over others to influence my actions
as a private citizen and in public life,
it is that every man of every condi-
ton has the right to earn his daily
bread in the sweat of his face, and
that no man nor group of men should
be permitted under sanction of law to
deny or abridge that right.
"You probably think of the Middle
West as anti-slavery, but in Indiana
and Illinois there We're plenty who
were still disgruntled because they
had failed to bring those territories
into the Union as slave States like
their neighbor, Missouri. They did
everything in their power to aid the
slavery cause in the South, to make
it hot for the anti-slavery people in
the North and to keep free negroes
from earning living.
Quakers Opposed Slavery.
ut was because of their anti-slavery
opinions that the Quakers had left
North Carolina. They were not aboli-
tionists, and my teachings at home
were not against the continuance of
slavery in the South, where it had
existed from the beginning of the Re.
public. I was never tempted to raise
a flaming sword against this institu-
ton in the South. I was taught to
get away from it, IL possible. My
father had made some sacrifice to es-
cape its contact.
There was in our settlement fam.
lily named Woodward, which inherited
property in Alabama that included a
great many slaves. The legacy trou-
bled their consciences, and finally they
brought the matter up in the Quaker
meeting. After prayerful considera-
ton it was determined that the slaves
should be brought up to Indiana,
where they would be free, and that the
money part Of the legacy, about $780,
600 in gold. should be used in purchas-
ing land for these negroes, building
their houses, providing farm imple-
ments for them, and in general start
ing them in life.
1.-The man selected to go to Alabama
and bring the property North was my
father. The proslavery faction were
much wrought up and were deter
mined that the negroes should never
touch the shore of Indiana. When
the Ohio River boat bringing my
father tied up at the landing he looked
out on a menacing and ugly crowd.
The leaders shouted out to him that
if he attempted to land the negroes
they would use violence.
my father was a good Quaker, and
you know that from the days of
George Fox the Quakers had borne
testimony against war and fighting.
But then they had borne testimony
against slavery, too. My father looked
the crowd over and quietly said. I
shall bring the negroes ashore. Who
ever tries to prevent it must take the
consequences
Crowd Was Paralyzed.
1.-THE captain Of the boat slipped a
pistol into his hand. Placing himself
at the head of the negroes, my father
led the way down the gangplank. The
| unprecedented sight of Quaker with
a gun in his hand simply paralyzed
the crowd. The gun was cooked,
raised and ready for use. The mob
fell back and retreated, with it's tail
between it's legs.
"The Quakers got land for the
negroes and settled them on it. They
were a high type of the American
negro; in the main they were well
equipped for supporting themselves;