PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 69

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

"JOHN BROWN'S BODY."

When lads yell lustily, "John Brown's body lies a-mou'.d'ring in the grave," I wonder how many of them know the origin of the song or who John Brown was? If any of you want to know, and, at the same time, to get an insight into the horrors of slavery in white lands, I recommend you to get "Captain John Brown, of Harper's Ferry." There is no need to go back to the times of Elizabeth, -when the ship Jesus ran cargoes of slaves to the West Indies for the benefit of the gentry and adventurers (if not for the Queen as well) of England. Indeed, slaves in those days had more rights and better treatment, so the author of John Brown says, than the slaves held in the memory of men who are not yet much past middle age. He writes : j "It "may be fairly said that in no age of I the world has there existed a form of slavery so essentially brutalising to the mast€r, and so degrading and full of agony to the slave, as that which existed in the Southern States of the American Union." Ihe Spaniards and the Portuguese, in theory, at anyrate, regarded the slave a,s a man and as a Christian. Under defined conditions he could purchase his freedom, and he had time to himself when he could earn money to purchase redemption. In the slave States of America he had no rights. "He wa.s merely a part of his owner's goods and chattels." A slave's voice or word was not heard in a court of law. A judge laid it down that, "The slave, to remain a slave, must be made sensible that there is no appeal from his" master ; that the master's power is in no instance usurped, but is conferred by the law of man, at least, if not by the law of God." In some States freed slaves were not allowed to settle ; in others it was penal to teach them to read or write ; and in Alabama it was actually illegal to give or sell freedom to slaves. Then, again, a taint of negro blood, even two generations removed, was sufficient to make a man a slave, though his skin was as white as his owners. "A case is recorded of a man who giew up ignorant of tLe taint in his blood, married, and had a family, and became df-acon in his church. Yet, on the death of his father and owner, he was dragged from the bed of the sick wife he was nursing and sold into the South. Escaping some months later, he returned home, to find his wife dead, his home broken up, and his children scattered. He died in a few months, broken-hearted."' Take, Jtgain, the case of George Harris, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The original is supposed to have been Lewis Clarke, whose history reads something like this: "With a white skin, the son and grandson of white men, he wa.s yet a slave, because his mother had negro blood in her veins. At seven yeais of age he was dragged from his mother's ' side by her half-sister, and sent naked to woik in the garden all day, fo that the sun might burn him black. Set to spin hemp by her side from early morn to late at night, if the poor- child's eyes drooped fiom .shuer weariness, his unnatural relative threw vinegar and salt into them, which she kept ready to hand in a basin. Cuffs, kicks, strapping.,, lifting up by the hair of his head were his daily portion. Her husband was a fit male for such a human fiend. He was- known to have heated led hot a number of nails, and cooled them one by one on a slave's flesh. At 16 Clarke was sold to a less brutal master, and a few years after, aided, doubtless, by his while skin, effected an ea«y escape." "And this slavery was bles&ed by clergymen ! But it was "hated by simple Puritans of the type of ' John Brown, as a crime against God and man."'

As> readers of "The Virginians" are tiware, vhen the Americans declared their Independence, each State recognised slavery. But gradually slavery pretty wel! died out in the northern State.", for the temperate climate and the inflow of a stream of emigration from Europe made free labour as piofitable as slave labour. From freedom from slavery to abhoiTence of slavery was a natural transition ; and from this cleavage aiose the struggle between Free-staters and Slave-staters. For half a century or more the question burnt itself into the hearts of the people. As new teiritory was opened up and became sufficiently populated to become a State, and to ask foi admission to the Union, eiich pazty tried to get the upper hand. Fitht oiid tuumphed and then another. The following admi'-Monh ■will show how each party became elated or depitssed, "accoiding to the .swing of the pendulum for or against their views."' Vermont, 1791, Free; Kentucky, 1792, Slave; Tennessee, 1796, Slave ; Ohio, 1802, Free ; Louisiana, 1812, Slave ; Indiana, 1816. Free ; Mississippi, 1817, Slave ; Illinc/i 11818, Free ; Akbawa^ 1819, fclaifc

And this went on until about 1854, when Kansas became the cockpit of the contend-

ing parties.

Lying directly west of Mis-

souri, a hotbed of slavery, it had for its neighbour one of the bitterest and least scrupulous slave-holding communities in the Union. By this time, right and big battalions were on the side of the North, and ■?ach side, Free-soilers and Pro-slavers, strove for Kansas, the former States to increase the strength of their supremacy, the latter to regain the balance of power. The Northerners tried to win the day by perfectly legal means, and emigrants — Freesoilers — were assisted to establish themselves in the new territory. The Border Ruffians — slavers from Missouri — were not so scrupulous, and committed murders wholesale, burnt out settlers, and were even guilty of nameless cruelties to women. They crossed over into Kansas, and held squatter meetings in Kansas as residents there, and passed such resolutions as the following : "We will afford protection to no Aboli-

tionist as a settler in this territory. We recognise the institution of slavery as already existing in this territory, and advise slave-holders to introduce their pioperty as soon as possible." And a. pro-slave general deliberately incited the ruffians to murder: "I tell you to nmrk every scoundrel among you who is the least tainted with Abolitionism, or Frec-soilism, and exterminate him. Neither give nor take quarter from the d rascals. To those who have qualms of conscience as to violating laws, State or national, I say the time has come when such impositions must be disregarded, as your rights ani property are in danger. I advise you, one and all, to enter every election district of Kansas, in defianos of Reeder" (Governor of Kansas, appointed *by the U.S. Government) "and his myrmidons, and vote at the point of the bowie-knife and revolver. Neither take nor give quarter, as the cause demands it. It is enough that the slave-holding interest wills it, from which there is no repeal."

The Border Ruffians didn't need much prompting. A day or two before the election (1854), "about 1700 of them, armed with swords, revolvers, and rifles, rushed into Kansas, and took absolute possession of more than half the polling stations They allowed no one to vote who was known to favour abolition. They intimidated the returning officers, and forced them to register alien votes at the sword's point." Of £843 votes recorded, 1729 were afterwards found to be illegal, and the following election showed that, though it was known tho Free-soilers were strong, 5427 votes were given to Pro-slavery candidates and only" 791 to Free-soilers ; but 4908 votes cast were illegal. For a time the State was governed by those favouring slavery. But the territory was good soil, and the Fiee-soil immigrants settled in increasing numbers. They were often Puritan stock, and trifles didn't frighten them, nor did the Border Ruffians. While waiting for transport, bands of them might have been seen singing, "When I can read my title clear to mansions in the skies"; but at the same time they had a good appreciation of 'Sharpe's rifle," a new breech-loader just coming into use, and knew its superiority to tho old muskets. They understood and believed in the motto : "Trust in God, and keep your powder dry."

John Brown hasn't come upon the scene, but I'll introduce him to you next week. I thought a kind of Listorical introduction might be interesting, and might show that we needn't go back to the days of Elizabeth for cold-blooded slaver}', and wholesale murdering in favour of it. There are many who would be as brutal to-mor-row if they had the opportunity.

Have any of you read the "Life of Buffalo Bill"? I gave you some extracts from it perhaps 12 months ago. Bill's father laid down his life for the slave. "The Battle-ground." by Ellen Glasgow, just published, and "The Crisis," published some time .ago, are good pictures of life in the slave States, but are on ouite different lines from "Captain John Brown, of Harper's Ferry," which is a biography with a long introduction to make the position clear.