J[ermain] W[esley] Loguen to Frederick Douglass, April 17, 1856

REVD. J. W. LOGUEN'S VISIT TO CANADA.

DEAR FRIEND:—I have just returned from a visit to the fugitive slaves in Canada. (Alas, how preferable is the limited monarchy of Britain to the unlimited monarchy of white freedom in America, our poor people being judges) We had reports of late of the wretchedness of those fugitives, and I resolved to go to Canada and see them. I did not believe their case as bad as reported, still I thought they should be looked to. Therefore I took the cars, and crossed the magnificent and almost superhuman Bridge, which connects the soil of African freedom and slavery, the 26th of March last.

The thought which comes unbidden into a colored man's mind when he crosses the line into Canada, is, "here, the black man is free— here, he may be a man." How sadly was my joy of that thought cooled down, when we came upon a drunken company of colored men in the Canada Depot of the Great Western R. R.? Their mouths flowed with the effluvia of rum, and vulgar blasphemy, such as we witness in a like row of low, niggerly, drunken white men. Standing among them were two or three, stripped of their coats, prepared to fight, surrounded by that portion of our travellers of a like character, who were amused by the same, while they were seen by all our company, some of whom were on the way to secure freedom in Kansas. It saddened and shamed me, that this miserable exhibition was to be credited to my poor scattered brethren from the South—because I knew some of these men, and that they had never seen the South—though they were fugitives, and had worn chains and had been shut in dungeons, they were not the chains and dungeons of slavery, but of the justice and laws of New York, to rogues and villains. They were fugitives from justice. Judge then how it mortified me to hear from the crowd the following remarks—

"There are your fugitives."

"See how they act when they are free."

"Just so I have heard of them; set them free and that is the way they will act."

Other said—"They are better off in slavery."

The free States have black rascals as well as white ones, and they often escape to Canada, pretending to flee from slavery, when the flight is from justice to crimes committed in their lawless freedom. Thus are the dirty acts of the fugitive loafers of New York, Albany, Buffalo, &c., set to the account of the most law abiding and law outraged people under heaven—the slaves of America. White loafers and villains

also escape from the United States to Canada. I saw them there too, and they were the same low, mean, negro hating villains as they are this side the line. It is the same spirit which thousands hear among us, (though I thank God their numbers grow beautifully less,) who hate the colored man if he tries to be a man, and put him if he will be a nigger, and dance Jim Crow, and get drunk like themselves, and do their dirty work for little or nothing. This class of whites and blacks have poisoned and ruined the border towns and cities on the lines and Railroads of Canada. They are the meanest of the mean white men, as the above named black scoundrels are the meanest of the mean colored ones. But mean white men of this sort are more intensely mean on that side the lines, for they are mean without pay, whereas the same class are paid for their meanness on this side the line. Cruelty and meanness to black men have a market price in our statutes and parties.—The Canadian Borderers are as ruffianly as the Border Ruffians of Missouri. The Hotels were of a piece with the rest. We could have nothing to eat that we did not fight for as a dog fights for a bone.

Our next stopping place was St. Catherines. It is a large and busy place. Some eight or nine hundred bona fide fugitive slaves are in its neighborhood. They have two meeting houses. One of them well finished, and a large congregation. They have a small school, too, which they sustain themselves. The Governmental school house for colored children, built by American caste, and placed in the outskirts of the town by American prejudice, they disdain to occupy. Denied equal school rights by the Government, they scorn the favor which proscribes their equality and dignity. They have braved too much for freedom to consent to the degradation which such a boon implies. A few of them are trying to sustain a select school like independent and public spirited citizens. Like brave men they resolve not to be colonists under equal laws, and to maintain their rights against every prejudice, and at all hazards.

It is plain that some of our Missionaries have done the fugitives great harm, with the best intents, no doubt. They have succumbed to caste, and opened schools separate from the whites, to be supported by contributions from England and the States. When it suited the convenience of the teachers, they have left them, sometimes worse than they have found them. Very few of such teachers treat them as if they had equal rights, and in fact encourage the opposite opinion. Some such teachers have shewn themselves ashamed of their charge in the presence of Canadians. The Canadians were quite willing to be relieved of their obligations to the colored citizens and gladly left all care of them to the Missionaries—whilst the good people on this side, had there been no one on which to roll the responsibility, would have been more interested than they have been. I am told, that where they had no separate school, there has been no trouble on this score.

We have some high-minded and enterprising colored men in St. Catherines. One fugitive from Tennessee, who left since I did, is said to be worth seven or eight thousand dollars. He worked as a blacksmith in the shop where I got the noble animal shod, on which I fled from bondage. Many others are rapidly making property. What is rarely seen here, there are several excellent mechanics; one a silversmith with shop well filled. Still, the place is cursed with too many, both black and white, of the bad class from the States, which I have spoken of. The suffering ones among this large black population are mainly limited to this class. Among them, are a few idle loafers, who are too vicious and lazy to labor for their bread, and seek to obtain it under a false pretense of being fugitive slaves. It would be well for the character and comfort of the genuine fugitives, if that villainous class were actually caged at home for their crimes, as they deserve. Multitudes, however, do daily arrive from the hell of slavery. Many of those, in the dead of winter, have frozen limbs, and suffer sadly; but they find friends, shelter, and comfort among our people, get healed, find work, and thrive. Some who arrive at other seasons, and in health, find work at once. Very few need help but for a short time. Such help as the colored people cannot furnish, is furnished by the society of friends at Toronto. The friends in England and Scotland, too, are rich, able and willing to help all who need assistance. Thus all are cared for.

In this letter I have given the dark side of the picture. I intend shortly to give the bright side also.

Yours, truly,

J. W. LOGUEN.

SYRACUSE, April 17, '56.