Support or refute the following statement: Douglass thinks the underground railroad is sometimes harmful to slaves.

Douglass was somewhat disdainful of the very public discourse surrounding the Underground Railroad. He was pleased that slaves found their way to freedom, but thought that the "open declarations are a positive evil to the slaves remaining, who are seeking to escape."

I have never approved of the very public manner in which some of our western friends have conducted what they call the underground railroad, but which I think, by their open declarations, has been made most emphatically the upperground railroad. I honor those good men and women for their noble daring, and applaud them for willingly subjecting themselves to bloody persecution, by openly avowing their participation in the escape of slaves. I, however, can see very little good resulting from such a course, either to themselves or the slaves escaping; while, upon the other hand, I see and feel assured that those open declarations are a positive evil to the slaves remaining, who are seeking to escape.