Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

SPRINGFIELD, I636~1SS6. 511
Chapman was called iu by Dr. Chaffee for advice, and he drew up
a legal document, in the form of a quit-claim, of all interest, or sup-
posed interest, in Scott and his family, authorizing Taylor Bloom,
of St. Louis, to draw up manumission papers. If the United States
Supreme Court had put a further stamp of bondage upon this unfor-
tunate family the historical paper signed by Mrs. Chaffee, Dr. Chaffee,
and Miss Emerson expunged the mark, and the negroes continued,
as for years they had practically been, free residents of St, Louis,
Dr. Chaffee was ignorantly and unjustly denounced from one end
of the country to the other for this alleged traffic in human beings,
vbut the hue-and-cr}' was of short duration. The facts became known,
and, moreover, the man who liberated Dred Scott stood on the floor
of Congress shortl}^ afterward, during the Kansas debate, and during
a long and masterl}^ argument spoke as follows :
" Are you, the con-
servative slaveholders of the country, willing to allow the institutions
of your section to become the cause and instrument of the future
aggrandisement of this administration, — of building up and further
extending the power and rule of the African democracy of this
country who seek by their policy to Africanize the productive indus-
try of the country ? I tell gentlemen plainly that while chivalry once
had a name and a prestige, yet in these African democratic lands its
gold has become dim and its lustre is faded ; and unless it is speedily
rescued, its glor}' will have departed forever. Sir, the civilized world
cannot and will not look on complacently and see this great and
monstrous wrong consummated upon this people." ,
Eliphalet Trask accepted, in June, 1857, the nomination of the
American State convention for lieutenant-governor upon the Banks
ticket, and in his letter of acceptance Mr. Trask said that he did so
upon the belief that the party's aim was to consolidate the American
and anti-slavery sentiment of Massachusetts. Banks was also
nominated by the republicans a few weeks later at Worcester, but
Oliver Warner, of Northampton, was given the second place on the
ticket. Mr. Beach was again the democratic standard-bearer. By