Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-08-07
From the iStaanton VA Spectator.
THE SLAVE POWER ARD IT'S VICTIMS
A STARTLING NARRATIVE.
B. H. F..
Yours in haste

II W doilllBlOI COllCopOlluCuL vi Tic NGWdTh
Advertiser, says thar the attacks made upon Mr..
Giddngs in the House of Representatives last
winter, were produced by the scathing exposure
from the lips of that gentleman, in relation to the
manner in which the Creek Indians were fiIched
oftheir appropriations which were given to Geor-
gia to pay for runaway slaves The following
extracts from the letter will be read with inter-
est;
with regard to the frequent Indian trespass-
es committed upon the property of their white
neighbors in 1902, Congress passed law by
which the people of Georgia received pay from
the public treasure, for all such'trespasses COM
mitted subsequently by the Creek Indians, and
the amount thus paid was retained from the an
nuities or other moneys due the Indians
By the treaty Of 1871, an attempt was made
to obtain for the people of Georgia. pay for slaves
who had left their masters and taken up their
residence with the Indians, prior to 1902; and
an agreement was obtained from them, consent
ing that the United States should pay to the peo-
pie of Georgia the amount thus claimed out of
he money due the United States; provided the
sum thus found due should not exceed $780,
0O0
Under this treaty the Creek Indians were
compelled to pay for slaves that had left their
masters forty or fifty years prior to the date off
this treaty Nor were they compelled merely to
pay for slaves that lived or had taken up their
residence with the Indians, but they were charg-
ed for the value of the slave when shown to have
left his master, without proof that he was with
the Indians, or had any existence in their coun-
try! This was asserted by Mr., Gddings, upon
the authority of Mr. Writ, late Attorney Gener-
al, as expressed in Executive doc No. 1913, lst
session goth Congress- Nor were these abuses
unaccompanied with other of equally fragrant
character Mr. Writ, in the same communica-
ton, assures the President that the price allow
ed for a slave was two Oh three times lis real val
ue.
Yet, after paying for all the slaves that could
be shown to have left their masters, at two or
three times their real value, together with other
property taken and destroyed by the Seminoles
prior to 1902, it was found that the whole a.
mounted to only SOL, 900, leaving in the hands
of the Government $4,000 belonging to the
Indians, This money, however, was not return
ed to the Indians, but was retained by the Gov
eminent until 1884, when the owners Of the flu
gitiye slaves pettloned Congress that it might be
divided among them The petition was refer
red to the committee on Indian Affairs and a
report made in favor of dividing the money among
the owners the fugitive slaves as compensa-
ton for the offspring which their slaves wouLd
have borne had they remained in bondage.
This plan, which sets at defiance all Yankee
calculation, was rejected by Congress, But a
bill was subsequently introduced, providing for a
) division ofthe money among the owners Of these
slaves by the way of interest, in direct vi
oaton of the treaty. and Notwithstanding they
, had previously received two or three times the
value of their slaves; and this bill soon passed
, into law This was done in 1884.
These slaves had most of them united with
the Seminoes or rana0ayS in the peninsula o.
Florida; and the Creeks, from whom the Semi
= noles had formerly separately have paid to the
people of Georgia two or three times the value Of
those slaves now claimed by them as their prop
erty The Creeks had mostly gone west of thu
: Mississippi, and their agents were in Florida de
handing these heroes from the Seminoles.
g The Seminoles, in the meantime, it is said
had intermarried with the negroes, and stooC
6 connected with them in all the relations of do
Z" nestle life. If they emigrated West their wive
and children would be taken from them by tn
Creeks as slaves; il they remained in Florida
they must defend themselves against the army G
I.l.- T. In, =.
- on one side and Slaucry on the other Thi
state of things was entirely brought about by tn
: efforts of our Government to obtain pay for tn
= fugitive slaves of Georgia.
~ Yet they were oyerpowered by our troops an
i, by physical force carried to the West, Whe
they reached the West line of Arkansas the
" were discharged. They feared to go into tn
y, Creek territory to which they belonged, for tn
r. reason that, by so doing, they would subjeC
+. themselves and their grand children to be {
- once seized as slaves by the Creeks, and held q
" their property.
x. They therefore settled upon the Cherokee
IS lands, and refused to leave them.-The Greek
t. were demanding the slaves, and the Seminole
MS refused to deliver their wives and children int
of slavery. The Cherokees were demanding of II
he Semino!es that they should leave their land
CT The Seminoles refused to leave them, for II
# reason that they aad no where else to CO. unIe'
". they submitted to have their wives and childre
m taken from them Under this state of facts tho'
an tribes have been upon the eve of war for son
IT, years, all growing out ofour unconstitutional il
IN reference with the institution Of slavery: g. Il
st treaty to which allusion is made above, was c
fected in order to reconcile those d1iculte
tie The President, STAKEHOLDER, is now to decic
Ter the fate of those Seminole women and chlldre
tlv and the lamb is delivered over to the kind ca
~ of the wolf"