Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1843-03-10
ny A WHO OF ON

Mr. EDITOR! IN my first communication, sta !
ted that Ivy our Federal Constitution, the free |
States possessed " the absolute aud unqualified
right of being exempt aud entirely Tree from the
expense, The guilt and the disgrace of slavery and
o the Save trade" To establish this principle |
beyond all doubt or cnviI, has been the object OF
my second and third numbers. Having thus dis
posed OF thai part Of my subject, shnll now pro.
coed to cal the attention Of my readers TO some
few OF The instances in which The people of the
free States have hpeu uuconstilutiunuy involved |
iu the orpenSe of that institution reScrvng, for II
future number, all reference to lhG guilt and dis
grace which has hcen forced upon ny, in order o
sustain aun encourage slavery. This practice OF
sustaining slavery nj the expense aud luconven
ience OF the people 0l The free States, had its orr
gin in e days of our revolution. In 1880, the
authorities OF South Carolina sent n confidential
agent 10 inform Congress that their state could
furnish no troops TO defend her territory against
the Brush forces, us 1t WINS necessary that her
men should all remain al home IN deiend their fam |
dies dGd )ricudS against their siqUcS in case Of in
surrCciion " Idc secret journal OF Congress y |
Under these circumstances troops taken
from the northern States, to defend them against
the British. white they defended themselves against
their slaves aud compelled them to labor for the
benefit of their ninsefs. IN This way southern
plantations were rendered urod,viive while those
OF the north were left destitute OF luborers aud
the burden OF supporting sluvery was thrown al
most entirely upon the northern States. by the
subsequent adoption of the Constitution, slavery
was made strictly 4 State institution Its burdens
to he borne 10y such States continued them,
willie those States, who preferred to do 50, had an
equal right to he exempt from all IT'S evils by e.
nancipaug their slaves, Yet the practice of
throwing tie burden Of supporting slavery upon
the nation at large, thereby involving The free
States in It's expense, has continued down to the
present day. These burdens have been cast upon
the people of the Tree States Firstly, nv appro-
.. H.
vowed purpose OF sustaining slavery and the slave
trade. Ant, secondly, by such action of the ex-
ecutive aud legislative branches of government,
as was cal:ula.e ed, eventually, to produce that Ell
feet, and in some instances. the refusal ct Con
gresS aud the Executive to act, lest such action
would relieve the people of the free States from
this burden.
To The frs branch OF this proposition, shall
devote the present number.
Our first treaty, formed with he Creek Indians,
was signed 1th August, 1880 Ii contained II slip.
uIallon on HE part ct the Indians to surrender up
all negrOeSthea an their territory.
The same stipulation was contained in nearly
ali our subsequent treaties with that savage nulio.
regret that the limits, prescribed 10 myself will
not admit of detail, and will here state, that if
any reader shall call Tor details on any point en-
braced in these essays will most cheeriully give
them hereafter. This covenant of The Indians to
surrender mp negroes, was connected with sliuu.
paid tor surreuderlng negroes is therefore UNI
known. For the violation of this clause of the
treaty, We compelled ,iem 10 pay 10 I'll Slavehud
crs Ol Georgia, al one liuIe two hundred aud hliy
thousand dollars. think it lair estimate, to set
down the sun paid TO that nation, for the purpose
OF inducing them 10 return fugitive slaves, AT three
hundred thousand dollars.-ln our treaty with the
Florida Indians, concluded at Camp Moultre, in
1898 we agreed 10 pay them six tho Isnnd dollars,
aud an annuity Of five thousand dollars for TWEEN.
~ years The Indians, on their part, stipulated,
"to be actire and rigiLam in preventing fugitive
SLAVES from passing through their country, and IN
dpprehending and returning 10 their masters such
as should seek an asylum among them. "-Ofical
reports and documents, now on file IN the War
Department, show, beyond contradiction, that the
Florida war was commenced and prosecuted for
the purpose OF reguining fugitive slaves, aud to
prevent further escapes of that class OF people
The expense of this war is estimated at FORTH
millions Of dollars.
Aiei The close o: he late war with Great Brit.
ain, our Government demanded Of that nation
compensation, for The owners OF such slaves ms
escaped to their army during hnslilties. The de-
nand was resisted, aud years Of diplomatic effort
were employed in eXtorng from them the price
of liberty thus gained by our fellow men. Alter
much effort and expense, we Obtained fourteen
hundred thousand dollars for the shareholders but
the people of the free Safes were taxed to defray
the expense OF obtaining and distributing the mon
ely. In $50, and for many years subsequent to
that line the efforts of our Government were put
forth :" 10 prevent the abolition Of siduery in the Is
land Of Cuba, lest the example might affect the
institution in our southern States" And an agent
was sent there 10 prevent the emancipation OF
slaves. Oar people of the free States were thus
involved in the expense of opposing the liberty
! of mankind. In 1915 Gen Jackson marched his
army into Florida while there, his soldiers, aud
! the followers of his camp, took many slaves from
the people Of that territory, and the people of the
free States have been taxed TO pay for the negroes
thus taken.* Wide documents on file in the office
of tho Secretary OF the Treasury
In 1916, certain fugitive slaves took refuge in
the Territory OF Florida, and erected fort upon
the bank OF the ApaaChicOa river Here they
nude their gardens, and cleared their fields and
| cultivated their farms. General Jackson sent or
ders to General Gaines, 10 enter this territory o
7 the King Of Spain, destroy the fort aud +" 10 ar
rest and return the Gtgitre Stdres 10 their masters.
Il gunboat was despatched for the purpose ot ei-
feeling these objects. The fort was canuOuuded
with hot shot until The magazine was blown up
aud two hundred and seventy men, women, anC
children were instantuneously murdered in cole
blood, iJr no other crlpe Than that OF preerrin!
liberty 10 sldpery law WAS passed III February
1898, TO pay more Than five thousand dollars Il
the officers and crew, MS bounty for this desruc
lOu OF our fellow beings. Our people of ONO
and the other free States, were thus involved ii
n the expense OF numbering Jngitice SLABS, for tn
benefit of HAT institution
! The bill granting thus SUN, as n mered bounty
! Tor killing StapeS was reported by the chairman
of The Naval Colnmiuce, and it is said, was pasSe
/ upon their authority without further examination
in the House. Many Of the slave States hny
e laws authorizing their officers TO arrest aud i'm
prison free colored persons who enter their States
and TO sell them rs saves, unless the expense G
: imprisoniug them be paid. Many free colore
il men in the employ OF the Unned states, hay
. been thu, imprisoned, and the expense paid b
= Government in order to release Iem. Vide r.
n ports OF committee made The last session OF Cou
= gress Mucn expense has also been incurred II
c Government IN sending dGrachmenIs OF troops al
5 o! The marine corp, Ia nlimidae the slaves at til
+. south 10 Obedience. These instances have bee
G frequent: much so, that officers, comn'andln
Les SAItS1 LII
If War Department, 10 march their forces into an