The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-10-27

TN the year 1903 preacher was OF
i fered for sale in Maryland. He
was a native of Bavaria and a gradu-
ate of the University of Erlangen,
having completed his studies in the
ology and law.
The announcement of the sale de-
scribed him as a "studious theolo-
gian." The Lutheran congregation of
York, Pa, being without satisfac-
tory pastor, took advantage of the
bargain and purchased the preacher.
"a learned apothecary" was also sold
in Baltimore.
Neither of these men was a Negro.
However, both transactions were en-
tirely legal. AS a matter of fact,
hundreds of white men, women and
children were sold and bought in
Maryland, beginning from the time
the commonwealth was founded.
The number of white people held in
slavery by the early Marylanders RI
vailed that of the Negroes. In a few
instances the order of the day was re-
versed, and we find an occasional case
of free Negro owning a white man
in slavery. In most cases these SER
wants, as they were called, were we'll
treated.
Many of them, after gaining their
freedom, became well-to-do and prom
inent citizens of Baltimore and Mary
land, passing on respected name to
their descendants, many of whom are
considered among our better class of
today.
The preacher above referred to, for
example, held a position in the COM
munity to which his talents entitled
him. Being a servant did not of itself
degrade person in the public esteem
and marriage between masters and
servants was by no means infre-
quent.
However, if a servant found himself
in happy condition he could accredit
it to being born under lucky star
rather than to the laws of the COM
monWealth.
Under the laws of Maryland he could
not buy or sell anything except with
the permission of his master. If he
was caught ten miles from his mas
ter's home, and had no signed permit,
he was arrested as runaway and was
harshly punished.
A person was subject to a fine of
500 pounds of tobacco for each day
that he gave shelter to a runaway
and was whipped if he could not pay
the fine. There was standing re-
ward of 200 pounds of tobacco for the
capture of runaway.
The Indian who caught a runaway
received match coat" The master
could whip his servant. He was lin.
tied to ten lashes for each offense
but this meant little to the servant
for as the master was the Judge OF
what constituted an offense, it was
quite possible for ten offenses to &C.
cumulate in as many minutes. 1t
must be remembered that Maryland
however, held no monopoly on this
class of slavery, for it was quite gen.
eral in the colonies.
AS Negro slavery increased white
servants lost caste, for the only i'm.
portant distinction between the servi-
tude Of the Negro slave and that OF
the servant was that the former serv-
ed for life while the latter served fol-
limited period.
This was by no means always ar
advantage to the servant, for as the
slave was owned for life the very sci.
fishness of the master, no matter how
brutal he might be, restrained him
from doing anything that might per.
manently injure or shorten the life Of
his valuable piece of property.
The white servant, however, was the
hired horse. His services belonged tt
his master for a limited number Of
years, and the shrewd master drained
every ounce of vitality possible Out
of the servant in the limited period.
For the same reason the servant
was so fed so that he could be kept or
his feet for the immediate task anc
with no thought for the future health
In many cases these servants were ac.
tually worked to death before theil
period of servitude expired.
Their time of service was a matter
of contract. These servants, or re-
demptioners, were persons who were
either persuaded to leave Europe ant