Page:The Slave Struggle in America.djvu/26

 directly Illinois was admitted into the Union she framed a code of black laws similar to those of Virginia and Kentucky. Persons bringing free negroes into the State were liable to fine, and negroes found without a certificate of freedom might be sold into slavery for one year. Free negroes had to give sureties, and when convicted of any petty offence were punished with the lash.

When Missouri was admitted, Illinois landowners grew jealous at the number of wealthy men who passed through Illinois with their "droves" of negroes to settle in the new State, and they then turned their energies to making Illinois into a Slave State also. They attempted to call a Convention for the purpose of amending the constitution. This required the votes of two-thirds of both branches of the Legislature, ratified by the vote of the people. Slavery carried the day in the Senate, but wanted a vote in the House. Now the slavery advocates had two immediate objects, one, to call a Convention; two, to send a pro-slavery man to the United States Senate. As it happened there was a vacant seat in the House, for which there were two candidates; one in favor of a pro-slavery Senator and against the Convention, the other in favor of the Convention, and against the pro-slavery man. It is not easy to imagine the trickery resorted to by the slaveholders to meet this dilemma. First, the candidate in favor of the pro-slavery Senator was admitted, and after he had given his vote expelled to make way for the second candidate, who would vote for the Convention. But the slavery advocates counted without their host if they thought their cause so easily won. The governor of Illinois was Edward Coles, a man of high honor and culture. He had emancipated his own slaves and given them lands to settle upon in Illinois. He was the steadfast enemy of this infamous slave power, which was getting deeper and firmer hold of the States, and threatening to crush their vitality. Governor Coles called upon the people not to ratify this Act of the Legislature. For fifteen months the contest lasted, insult and threat, fraud and brutal violence were the weapons of the would-be slaveholders. After much passionate and bitter feeling on both sides, the advocates of liberty were successful amongst the people, and the Convention was rejected by a majority of over 2,000. Mr. Wilson says: "The victory was complete and final. The friends of liberty throughout the country, dejected by the result of the Missouri struggle, found some compensation in the thought that Illinois had been saved to freedom."

In the year 1837 the anti-slavery cause received what has been called its "baptism of blood." Elijah P. Lovejoy gave his life for his fellow-men. All causes have their martyrs, and that the anti-slavery cause should have hers is not wonderful; her adversaries were necessarily brutal and demoralised.