Page:The American Slave Trade (Spears).djvu/157

 The penalties provided for the violation of this act included forfeiture of the ship "to the United States"; a fine of $20,000 to be imposed for fitting out a slaver; a fine of $5,000 for aiding in the importation of slaves; a fine of from $1,000 to $10,000, with imprisonment ranging from five to ten years, for taking slaves on board a ship from Africa or any other foreign country, and a fine of $800 for buying a smuggled slave.

Furthermore, the President was authorized to "cause any of the armed vessels of the United States" to be employed "to cruise on any part of the coast of the United States" in search of smugglers. In case any such smuggler was captured the captain, on conviction, was to be imprisoned from two to four years, and fined not to exceed $10,000. The ship was to be forfeited as a prize to the naval ship. The negroes were to be delivered to the State authorities where the slaver prize found a port.

This law has often been mentioned as the result of a great moral victory — and, of course, it did show some progress in American civilization; but when the facts are considered we find that practically it was a mere dead-letter.