the anti-slavery crusade-第21章

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e　concealed　in　ships　and　were　thus　conveyed　to　free　States。　Thence　some　made　their　way　towards　Canada　by　steamboat　or　railroad；　though　most　made　the　journey　on　foot　or；　less　frequently；　in　private　conveyances。　Stalwart　slaves　sometimes　walked　from　the　Gulf　States　to　the　free　States；　traveling　chiefly　by　night　and　guided　by　the　North　Star。　Having　reached　a　free　State；　they　found　friends　among　those　of　their　own　race；　or　were　taken　in　hand　by　officers　of　the　Underground　Railroad　and　were　thus　helped　across　the　Canadian　border。　》From　the　seacoast　the　valley　of　the　Connecticut　River　furnished　a　convenient　route　for　completing　the　journey　northward；　though　the　way　of　the　fugitives　was　often　deflected　to　the　Lake　Champlain　region。　In　later　years；　when　New　England　became　generally　sympathetic；　numerous　lines　of　escape　traversed　that　entire　section。　Other　courses　extended　northward　from　the　vicinity　of　Philadelphia；　Delaware；　and　Maryland。　Here；　through　the　center　of　American　Quakerdom；　all　conditions　favored　the　escape　of　fugitives；　for　slavery　and　freedom　were　at　close　quarters。　The　activities　of　the　Quakers；　who　were　at　first　engaged　merely　in　preventing　the　reenslavement　of　those　who　had　a　legal　right　to　freedom；　naturally　expanded　until　aid　was　given　without　reservation　to　any　fugitive。　From　Philadelphia　as　a　distributing　point　the　route　went　by　way　of　New　York　and　the　Hudson　River　or　up　the　river　valleys　of　eastern　Pennsylvania　through　western　New　York。　In　addition　to　the　routes　to　freedom　which　the　seacoast　and　river　valleys　afforded；　the　Appalachian　chain　of　mountains　formed　an　attractive　highway　of　escape　from　slavery；　though　these　mountain　paths　lead　us　to　another　branch　of　our　subject　not　immediately　connected　with　the　Underground　Railroadthe　escape　from　bondage　by　the　initiative　of　the　slaves　themselves　or　by　the　aid　of　their　own　people。　Mountains　have　always　been　a　refuge　and　a　defense　for　the　outlaw；　and　the　few　dwellers　in　this　almost　unknown　wilderness　were　not　infrequently　either　indifferent　or　friendly　to　the　fugitives。　The　escaped　slaves　might；　if　they　chose；　adopt　for　an　indefinite　time　the　free　life　of　the　hills；　but　in　most　cases　they　naturally　drifted　northward　for　greater　security　until　they　found　themselves　in　a　free　State。　Through　the　mountainous　regions　of　Virginia　many　thus　escaped；　and　they　were　induced　to　remain　there　by　the　example　and　advice　of　residents　of　their　own　color。　The　negroes　themselves　excelled　all　others　in　furnishing　places　of　refuge　to　fugitives　from　slavery　and　in　concealing　their　status。　For　this　reason　John　Brown　and　his　associates　were　influenced　to　select　this　region　for　their　great　venture　in　1859。　But　there　were　other　than　geographical　conditions　which　helped　to　determine　the　direction　of　the　lines　of　the　Underground　Railroad。　West　of　the　Alleghanies　are　the　broad　plains　of　the　Mississippi　Valley；　and　in　this　great　region　human　elements　rather　than　physical　characteristics　proved　influential。　Northern　Ohio　was　occupied　by　settlers　from　the　East；　many　of　whom　were　anti…　slavery。　Southern　Ohio　was　populated　largely　by　Quakers　and　other　people　from　the　slave　States　who　abhorred　slavery。　On　the　east　and　south　the　State　bordered　on　slave　territory；　and　every　part　of　the　region　was　traversed　by　lines　of　travel　for　the　slave。　In　eastern　and　northern　Indiana　a　favorable　attitude　prevailed。　Southwestern　Indiana；　however；　and　southern　Illinois　were　occupied　by　those　less　friendly　to　the　slave；　so　that　in　these　sections　there　is　little　evidence　of　systematic　aid　to　fugitives。　But　with　St。　Louis；　Missouri；　as　a　starting…point；　northern　Illinois　became　honeycombed　with　refuges　for　patrons　of　the　Underground　Railroad。　The　negro　also　found　friends　in　all　the　settled　portions　of　Iowa；　and　at　the　outbreak　of　the　Civil　War　a　lively　traffic　was　being　developed；　extending　from　Lawrence；　Kansas；　to　Keokuk；　Iowa。　There　is　respectable　authority　for　a　variety　of　opinions　as　to　the　requirements　of　the　rendition　clause　in　the　Constitution　and　of　the　Act　of　Congress　of　1793　to　facilitate　the　return　of　fugitives　from　service　or　labor；　but　there　is　no　respectable　authority　in　support　of　the　view　that　neither　the　spirit　nor　the　letter　of　the　law　was　violated　by　the　supporters　of　the　Underground　Railroad。　This　was　a　source　of　real　weakness　to　anti…slavery　leaders　in　politics。　It　was　always　true　that　only　a　small　minority　of　their　numbers　were　actual　violators　of　the　law；　yet　such　was　their　relation　to　the　organized　anti…slavery　movement　that　responsibility　attached　to　all。　The　platform　of　the　Liberty　party　for　1844　declared　that　the　provisions　of　the　Constitution　for　reclaiming　fugitive　slaves　were　dangerous　to　liberty　and　ought　to　be　abrogated。　It　further　declared　that　the　members　of　the　party　would　treat　these　provisions　as　void；　because　they　involved　an　order　to　commit　an　immoral　act。　The　platform　thus　explicitly　committed　the　party　to　the　support　of　the　policy　of　rendering　aid　to　fugitive　slaves。　Four　years　later　the　platform　of　the　Free…soil　party　contained　no　reference　whatever　to　fugitive　slaves；　but　that　of　1852　denounced　the　Fugitive　Slave　Act　of　1850　as　repugnant　to　the　Constitution　and　the　spirit　of　Christianity　and　denied　its　binding　force　on　the　American　people。　The　Republican　platform　of　1856　made　no　reference　to　the　subject。　The　Underground　Railroad　filled　an　insignificant　place　in　the　general　plan　for　emancipation；　even　in　the　minds　of　the　directors。　It　was　a　lesser　task　preparatory　to　the　great　work。　As　to　the　numbers　of　slaves　who　gained　their　freedom　by　means　of　it；　there　is　a　wide　range　of　opinion。　Statements　in　Congress　by　Southern　members　that　a　hundred　thousand　had　escaped　must　be　regarded　as　gross　exaggerations。　In　any　event　the　loss　was　confined　chiefly　to　the　border　States。　Besides；　it　has　been　stated　with　some　show　of　reason　that　the　danger　of　servile　insurrection　was　diminished　by　the　escape　of　potential　leaders。　》From　the　standpoint　of　the　great　body　of　anti…slavery　men　who　expected　to　settle　the　slavery　question　by　peaceable　means；　it　was　a　calamity　of　the　first　magnitude　that；　just　at　the　time　when　conditions　were　most　favorable　for　transferring　the　active　crusade　from　the　general　Government　to　the　separate　States；　public　attention　should　be　directed　to　the　one　point　at　which　the　conflict　was　most　acute　and　irrepressible。　Previous　to　1850　there　had　been　no　general　acrimonious　debate　in　Congress　on　the　rendition　of　fugitive　slaves。　About　half　of　those　who　had　previously　escaped　from　bondage　had　not　taken　the　trouble　to　go　as　far　as　Canada；　but　were　living　at　peace　in　the　Northern　States。　Few　people　at　the　North　knew　or　cared　anything　about　the　details　of　a　law　that　had　been　on　the　statute　books　since　1793。　Members　of　Congress　were　duly　warned　of　the　dangers　involved　in　any　attempt　to　enforce　a　more　stringent　law　than　the　previous　act　which　had　proved　a　dead　letter。　To　those　who　understood　the　conditions；　the　new　law　also　was　doomed　to　failure。　So　said　Senator　Butler　of　South　Carolina。　An　attempt　to　enforce　it　would　be　met　by　violence。　This　prediction　came　true。　The　twenty　thousand　potential　victims　residing　in　Northern　States　were　thrown　into　panic。　Some　rushed　off　to　Canada；　others　orga