ugitives　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　organized　means　for　protection。　A　father　and　son　from　Baltimore　came　to　a　town　in　Pennsylvania　to　recover　a　fugitive。　An　alarm　was　sounded；　men；　mostly　colored；　rushed　to　the　protection　of　the　one　whose　liberty　was　threatened。　Two　Quakers　appeared　on　the　scene　and　warned　the　slavehunters　to　desist　and　upon　their　refusal　one　slave…hunter　was　instantly　killed　and　the　other　wounded。　The　fugitive　was　conveyed　to　a　place　of　safety；　and　to　the　murderers　no　punishment　was　meted　out；　though　the　general　Government　made　strenuous　efforts　to　discover　and　punish　them。　In　New　York；　though　Gerrit　Smith　and　a　local　clergyman　with　a　few　assistants　rescued　a　fugitive　from　the　officers　of　the　law　and　sent　him　to　Canada；　openly　proclaiming　and　justifying　the　act；　no　attempt　was　made　to　punish　the　offenders。　After　a　dozen　years　of　intense　and　ever…increasing　excitement；　when　other　causes　of　friction　between　North　and　South　had　apparently　been　removed　and　good　citizens　in　the　two　sections　were　rejoicing　at　the　prospect　of　an　era　of　peace　and　harmony；　public　attention　was　concentrated　upon　the　one　problem　of　conduct　which　would　not　admit　of　peaceable　legal　adjustment。　Abolitionists　had　always　been　stigmatized　as　lawbreakers　whose　aim　was　the　destruction　of　slavery　in　utter　disregard　of　the　rights　of　the　States。　This　charge　was　absolutely　false；　their　settled　program　involved　full　recognition　of　state　and　municipal　control　over　slavery。　Yet　after　public　attention　had　become　fixed　upon　conduct　on　the　part　of　the　abolitionists　which　was　illegal；　it　was　difficult　to　escape　the　implication　that　their　whole　course　was　illegal。　This　was　the　tragic　significance　of　the　Fugitive　Slave　Act　of　1850。
  CHAPTER　IX。　BOOKS　AS　ANTI…SLAVERY　WEAPONS　Whittier　offered　up　〃thanks　for　the　fugitive　slave　law；　for　it　gave　occasion　for　'Uncle　Tom's　Cabin。'〃　Mrs。　Harriet　Beecher　Stowe　had　been　mistress　of　a　station　on　the　Underground　Railroad　at　Cincinnati；　the　storm…center　of　the　West；　and　out　of　her　experience　she　has　transmitted　to　the　world　a　knowledge　of　the　elemental　and　tragic　human　experiences　of　the　slaves　which　would　otherwise　have　been　restricted　to　a　select　few。　The　mistress　of　a　similar　station　in　eastern　Indiana；　though　she　held　novel　reading　a　deadly　sin；　said：　〃'Uncle　Tom's　Cabin'　is　not　a　novel；　it　is　a　record　of　facts。　I　myself　have　listened　to　the　same　stories。〃　The　reading　public　in　all　lands　soon　became　sympathetic　participants　in　the　labors　of　those　who；　in　defiance　of　law；　were　lending　a　hand　to　the　aspirants　for　liberty。　At　the　time　of　the　publication　of　the　story　in　book　form　in　March；　1852；　America　was　being　profoundly　stirred　by　the　stories　of　fugitives　who　had　escaped　from　European　despotism。　Mrs。　Stowe　refers　to　these　incidents　in　her　question：　〃When　despairing　Hungarian　fugitives　make　their　way；　against　all　the　search…warrants　and　authorities　of　their　lawful　governments　to　America；　press　and　political　cabinet　ring　with　applause　and　welcome。　When　despairing　African　fugitives　do　the　same　thingit　iswhat　IS　it？〃　Little　did　she　think　that　when　the　eloquence　of　the　Hungarian　refugee　had　been　forgotten；　the　story　of　Eliza　and　Uncle　Tom　would　ring　throughout　the　world。　The　book　did　far　more　than　vindicate　the　conduct　of　those　who　rendered　assistance　to　the　fugitive　from　slavery；　it　let　in　daylight　upon　the　essential　nature　of　slavery。　Humane　and　just　masters　are　shown　to　be　forced　into　participation　in　acts　which　result　in　intolerable　cruelty。　Full　justice　is　done　to　the　noble　and　admirable　character　of　Southern　slave…owners。　The　author　had　been　a　guest　in　the　home　of　the　〃Shelbys；〃　in　Kentucky。　She　had　taken　great　pains　to　understand　the　Southern　point　of　view　on　the　subject　of　slavery；　she　had　entered　into　the　real　trials　and　difficulties　involved　in　any　plan　of　emancipation。　St。　Clair；　speaking　to　Miss　Ophelia；　his　New　England　cousin；　says：　〃If　we　emancipate；　are　you　willing　to　educate？　How　many　families　of　your　town　would　take　in　a　negro　man　or　woman；　teach　them；　bear　with　them；　and　seek　to　make　them　Christians？　How　many　merchants　would　take　Adolph；　if　I　wanted　to　make　him　a　clerk；　or　mechanics；　if　I　wanted　to　teach　him　a　trade？　If　I　wanted　to　put　Jane　and　Rosa　to　a　school；　how　many　schools　are　there　in　the　Northern　States　that　would　take　them　in？　How　many　families　that　would　board　them？　And　yet　they　are　as　white　as　many　a　woman　north　or　south。　You　see；　cousin；　I　want　justice　done　us。　We　are　in　a　bad　position。　We　are　the　more　obvious　oppressors　of　the　negro；　but　the　unchristian　prejudice　of　the　north　is　an　oppressor　almost　equally　severe。〃　Throughout　the　book　the　idea　is　elaborated　in　many　ways。　Miss　Ophelia　is　introduced　for　the　purpose　of　contrasting　Northern　ignorance　and　New　England　prejudice　with　the　patience　and　forbearance　of　the　better　class　of　slave…owners　of　the　South。　The　genuine　affection　of　an　unspoiled　child　for　negro　friends　is　made　especially　emphatic。　Miss　Ophelia　objected　to　Eva's　expressions　of　devotion　to　Uncle　Tom。　Her　father　insists　that　his　daughter　shall　not　be　robbed　of　the　free　utterance　of　her　high　regard；　observing　that　〃the　child　is　the　only　true　democrat。〃　There　is　only　one　Simon　Legree　in　the　book；　and　he　is　of　New　England　extraction。　The　story　is　as　distinctly　intended　to　inform　Northern　ignorance　and　to　remove　Northern　prejudice　as　it　is　to　justify　the　conduct　of　abolitionists。　What　was　the　effect　of　the　publication？　In　European　countries　far　removed　from　local　partizan　prejudice；　it　was　immediately　received　as　a　great　revelation　of　the　spirit　of　liberty。　It　was　translated　into　twenty…three　different　languages。　So　devoted　were　the　Italians　to　the　reading　of　the　story　that　there　was　earnest　effort　to　suppress　its　circulation。　As　a　drama　it　proved　a　great　success；　not　only　in　America　and　England　but　in　France　and　other　countries　as　well。　More　than　a　million　copies　of　the　story　were　sold　in　the　British　Empire。　Lord　Palmerston　avers　that　he　had　not　read　a　novel　for　thirty　years；　yet　he　read　Uncle　Tom's　Cabin　three　times　and　commended　the　book　for　the　statesmanship　displayed　in　it。　What　is　in　the　story　to　call　forth　such　comme