Ethan Lamphear to Frederick Douglass, December 17, 1859

SLAVERY IN MISSOURI.

MR. F. DOUGLASS, ESQ.:—Dear Sir:—As I have been traveling for some months past in the South and South-west, I found it convenient to make a trip or two through Missouri. As I left Lawrence, Kansas Territory, for St. Louis, I took the route by way of Kansas City, Independence, Lexington, Boonville, &c., to Tipton, thence by Pacific Railroad to St. Louis, stopping by the way at Jefferson City. In taking this route it gave me an opportunity to ascertain (in a measure) the condition of slavery in that State. Much excitement seems to prevail throughout the State. The free Negro Bill was before the Senate when I arrived at Jefferson City. On the 15th December instant, the Bill passed that body, and doubtless will pass in the House, also receive the signature of the Governor. The question naturally arises, will it be enforced if it becomes a law? Judging from what I could learn, it never will! This question came up at the City Hotel where I stopped after the bill passed the Senate. I took the ground that it was unconstitutional, and soon found plenty of backers to sustain me in my position. Some excitement seemed to prevail at first, but when I showed them by their own constitution that they had no right to pass an expose facto law, and also that this law must certainly come under that head, they began to back. Thousands of colored men have been made citizens of this State under the laws thereof, and many at present own thousands of dollars worth of property in the State. Now, can they be uncitizenized, and driven out of the State, for no other crime than having a black, yellow, or almost white skin? Certainly not. One man said he would spend one-half of his fortune, before he would see one negro driven out the State that he had freed. Others seemed to manifest the same feeling. Much anti-slavery feeling exists in Missouri. It is generally admitted, that Missouri will become a free State in from five to ten years. The Harper's Ferry affair, and the

execution of John Brown, are subjects of much discussion both in Missouri and Kansas Territory. One old patriotic lady in Missouri said, 'that one or two more Harper's Ferry affairs would spoil all of the niggers;' says she, 'some how, the niggers have heard that John Brown was hung in order that the slaves might be freed. They think they are to be free soon.' Said she could not manage her slaves half as well as she could before Brown was hung. Said, she dare not strike one of her niggers no more than she would her father. Said she had not a nigger, but what would knock her down the instant she should attempt to strike them. She said if the Union was dissolved, the niggers would rise and kill off all of their masters and mistresses. 'She did not believe that if the North knew how much trouble it made the South they would say so much about dissolving the Union. We are really more slaves to the niggers than the niggers are to us. We live in fear all the time. We do not know what this Harper's Ferry affair will amount to. She hoped I would tell the people North when I got home just what condition it would place the South in if they dissolved the Union. She loved the Union and the liberties our fathers fought for, and if the Union was dissolved, all our liberties would be lost.' I gave her encouragement that I would attend to the matter when I got home. So she seemed to be very much relieved. About one-half of the country people of Missouri compares well with this old lady, about as ignorant as hat-blocks, yet there is more truth than poetry in what some of them say. There is but few smart men in the Missouri Legislature, most of them, however, can write their names. About every train that comes down on the Pacific Railroad brings as many as one car load of slaves, composed of all grades and conditions, some black, some yellow, and some almost as white as the Anglo-Saxon can make them. Some crying, some smiling, some dressed in rags, some in

silks and jewelry. Upon the whole, slave property in Missouri is considered not very safe. Thus to save themselves, they sell them South. While the slave goes South; it all tends to the making of Missouri a free State, but wo to the poor slave that is taken South in order to bring this state of things about.

ETHAN LAMPHEAR.

ST. LOUIS, MO., Dec. 17th, 1859.