Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 3

[302] Mexico, and repression of the Southern filibustering¹ against Cuba; his recommendation that California be² admitted a free State without conditions—dismayed the Southern extremists, and caused the anti-slavery North to regard his death as a calamity.

It is incredible, however, that Taylor would not have signed the Fugitive Slave Bill. All we can say is, that he was fated not to have the opportunity, and that Douglas's prophecy again came true in the case of his successor, when the North (nominally) got the man, and the South³ got the measure. Quite otherwise was it with Robert C. Winthrop's prevision when, in 1848, on giving his adhesion to Taylor's nomination, he said: “And if any accident should befall him (which Heaven avert!), your own Millard Fillmore will carry out such an administration to its legitimate completion.” Lib. 18.105. This New York doughface, having called Webster to the Secretaryship of State, gave, “with alacrity” Lib. 20.119. and without scruple, his assent to the Fugitive⁴ Slave Bill, which else might have failed to become a law.⁵ The slave-catchers, already at work in anticipation of its⁶ enactment, now more boldly renewed their hunting of men in all parts of the North. The terror-stricken colored⁷ communities along the border—the free sharing the fears of the self-emancipated, and liable to the same fate— began a great northward movement, towards New⁸ England, towards Canada. Here and there they were encouraged to remain firm, they armed themselves, they were⁹ given arms; but even from Boston the exodus was¹⁰ marked. Senator Sumner estimated that, altogether, ‘as many as 6,000 Christian men and women,¹¹ meritorious persons—a larger band than that of the escaping Puritans —precipitately fled from homes which they had established,’ to British soil.¹²