Judge Collamore, who for many years was a distinguished United States
Senator from Vermont, used to illustrate his troubles by this story:
He was sitting on the porch of his law office during a recess of
Congress, when a farmer drove by and said, “Judge, my conscience
troubles me so I can not sleep, about keeping four millions of
fellow human beings with the same souls and the same Creator as
ourselves in slavery. With all this wealth, I am sure that we,
as a nation and as a people individually, will be curst unless
slavery is abolished. Now, it is hardly fair to destroy the
property of the South, who are not directly responsible, and so
I think we ought to all bear our share and buy them out.”
Senator Collamore replied: “Well, in part I think you are right.
Now, let’s see practically how it works out. The estimated
price is four thousand millions of dollars. It would have to be
raised by a direct tax proportioned among the States. Vermont’s
share would be so many millions. This county, so many hundreds
of thousands, this town so many tens of thousands.” Sitting
in the same place the next afternoon, and greeting friends as
they passed to and from the market, the old Puritan farmer
reappeared. Reining up his horses, he shouted: “Judge, I have
been thinking over that question. Crops are poor, taxes are
high; I don’t think we need bother just at present about them
infernal niggers.”
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