53

LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS 205

the declared purposes of an instrument are to govern the meaning of all its
parts and details, as they clearly should, the Constitution of our country is
our warrant for the abolition of slavery in every State of the Union. It would
require much time and space to set forth the arguments which demonstrated
to my mind the unconstitutionality of slavery: but being convinced of the
fact my duty was plain upon this point in the further conduct of my paper.
The North Star was a large sheet, published weekly, at a cost of $80 per
week, and an average circulation of 3,000 subscribers. There were many
times, when in my experience as editor and publisher, I was very hard
pressed for money, but by one means or another I succeeded so well as to
keep my pecuniary engagements, and to keep my anti-slavery banner
steadily flying during all the conflict from the autumn of 1847 till the union
of the States was assured and emancipation was a fact accomplished. I had
friends abroad as well as at home who helped me liberally. I can never be too
grateful to Rev. Russell Lant Carpenter and to Mrs. Carpenter, for the moral
and material aid they tendered me through all the vicissitudes of my paper
enterprise. But to no one person was I more indebted for substantial assistance
than to Mrs. Julia Griffiths Crofts. She came to my relief when my
paper had nearly absorbed all my means, and was heavily in debt, and when
I had mortgaged my house to raise money to meet current expenses: and by
her energetic and effective management, in a single year enabled me to
extend the circulation of my paper from 2,000 to 4,000 copies, pay off the
debts and lift the mortgage from my house. Her industry was equal to her
devotion. She seemed to rise with every emergency, and her resources
appeared inexhaustible. I shall never cease to remember with sincere gratitude
the assistance rendered me by this noble lady, and I mention her here in
the desire in some humble measure to "give honor to whom honor is due."
During the first three or four years my paper was published under the name
of The North Star. It was subsequently changed to Frederick Douglass'
Paper in order to distinguish it from the many papers with "Stars" in their
titles. There were "North Stars," "Morning Stars," "Evening Stars," and I
know not how many other stars in the newspaper firmament, and some confusion
arose naturally enough in distinguishing between them; for this reason,
and also because some of these stars were older than my star I felt that
mine, not theirs, ought to be the one to "go out."

Among my friends in this country, who helped me in my earlier efforts
to maintain my paper, I may proudly count such men as the late Hon. Gerrit
Smith, and Chief Justice Chase, Hon. Horace Mann, Hon. Joshua R.
Giddings, Hon. Charles Sumner, Hon. John G. Paltry, Hon. Wm. H. Seward,