The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-09-22

nearly one hundred thousand, scattered all
over the Union, but mainly In the Southern
States. The funds Of many Of their charita-
BILE societies were lost In the general wreck
The Hon. Joseph III. Rsiney, OF South Caro-
lima. himself = colored man, in his speech
delivered In the House 81 Representative
on March n, depicted the distress which
had been inflicted upon the cOlOred race a,
the consequence Of all this criminal pro-
fligacy. / envy not the man who can read
or listen 70 his pathetic words without emo
tion:
II must not be lost sight Of that a hetime these
sums were forwarded % the principal bank az
Washington the depOsitors m the southern states
invariably believed that the moneys 90 deposited
BY them were subject % their order, a. per rules
and regulations governing the branch bank. and
= sent o. the parent bank u was for the purpose
81 being guarded with greater security or invest
81 % better advantage But alas they were
deceived The suffering % which the poor cred
ltors have been subjected l- heartrcuding IN the
. extreme Both their aged and their Young have
been deprived 81 the ordinary necessaries 81 life
their sick could not be cared for, nor their dead
deceutY inferred by them nor b. benevolent 30
cieties, because all their gathered funds hal
been swallowed up in this gulf az destruction
Parents and guardians could not send their chill
Grpn OF wards . school because they had not the
means Ia buy them comfortable clothing Truly
the distress has been alarming, starvation and
I desututiOn being threatened on every hand. and
\ IN many instances their little hOmcstcads sold
/ from over their heads.
The next act in this drama OF crime and
pillage was the passage by the Grant Con-
I gress OF law closing up the concern, and
I authorizing the appointment Of a board OF
! three commissioners for that purpose.
Even al this point the rapscity Of the cor
mOrant. was not satisfied. They sought 10
swell their gain by pluncering the desp oiled
and betrayed depOsitors afresh. II has been
shown that the robbery 81 the cOnfding
freedmen was accomplished by intimate per-
personal friends Of the President, who ac-
quired their opportunities for plumber
through the power MS friendship gave
them. IL is also known that, while the
robbery was going on, the President was
large stakeholder IN the Seneca Sandstone
Company, ard the other rings which had
drawn 80 largely from the funds Of the bank.
Under these circumstances L might be sup
posed that Il would have appeared - him
point % personal honor that he should
exert himself 70 the utmost 10 procure an
economical administration OF the assets
and speedy distribution 81 the proceeds to
the suffering victims Of the fraud. In fact
he appointed as commissioners 20 wind up
the bank. j. y. j. Creswell, OF postal fraud
nOtOTiety. who also holds one OF two other
public offices, besides being engaged in
large private business OF his own: Robert
PerYis, respectable but aged cOlOred citi-
zen. ard one Leopold. clerk in the Treas
ury Department. The salary OF each Of
these men was fixed AZ -, zoo a year Il
so by each Of his colleagues a. his COM
pensatiou for doing al the work. They
were thus enabled To pocket :, 900 annually
ont 81 the remains Of the deposits for doing
nothing. This Commission have expended
-perhsp, ! might more properly say wasted
-slJ0, 90, and have declared one dividend
OF twenty per cent.
such. my friends. j. a hasty recital Of the
foul wrongs 20 which the hapless freed
men have been subjected al the hand. Of
Grant and his accomplices In and out OF Con-
gress.
Now. l wish TO submit proposition
" hich hope 10 live long enough 10 see car
ried into effect. II j. that the Government
% the Uaited states shall pay from the pub
De- Treasury "a sum sufficient 10 make good
% the depOsitOrs in the Frcedman's savings
and Trust Company both the principal and
interest Of their money. | submit this
proposition after mature deliberation. be-
cause al the time that the Institution went
into operation, and subsequently. the freed
men OF the south were, To All intents and
purposes. the wards 81 the Nation. They
bad besn made 20 believe by the officers Of
the bank and it, branches. a. well a. by the
agents Of the Freedmen's Bureau, which
went into operation simultaneously, that IL
was a Government institution. and that
the United states was response
bic for TIE repayment Of their
money on demand with interest.
.
yestigating committee. swears that at Nicks-
burg and other places. inducement was held
out 70 depOSitor- TO place their funds in the
fTeedman's Bank because II was a Govern
ment institution. Nv esteemed friend. Mr..
John j. Luile. who 20 ably and faithfully
managed the affairs Of the branch bank es-
tabiished 10 Bleecker Street, in this city. in
forms me that 81 the two thousand deposit
Or in this institution fully ninth -tenth~ be-
heNed that the Government Of the United
states was directly responsible for the re-
payment Of their money with interest.
Furthermore, il i patent to the world
that Congress. without the consent or
knowledge Of the depo-itors, annulled that
provision Of the charter. which, 10y requir-
ing that all money should be invested in Sc
curities % the United States, furnished a
perfect safeguard against loss. Nor j. this
all When the fact was brought 10 the
knowledge OF that body that the institution
was 80 conducted a. to render bankruptcy
inevitable, il turned a deaf ear 10 every APP
peal 10 ascertain it, truth by investigating
t. affairs.
For one. wish to say that | am ready and
willing to be taxed TO make good the losses
81 the hapiess freedmen. Il gives me uu-
dis>emhled satisfaction 20 add that. % the
large number of persons 10 whom | have
submitted the plan OF reimbursing the de-
po~itOrs from the public Treasury, | have
not met with a single dissenting voice. |
nave submitted my pan alike 10 Northern
and To Southern men. Within a day or two
have presented il 10 a distinguished citizen
OF Alabama. | refer 20 benjamin VI. Wool
sey. ESD. OF Selma. liz not only expressed
hi entire and cordial approval 81 IL, but as
sured me that the planters, and the white
population OF the South generally. would
give u their cheerful and earnest support.
l believe that hazard nothing in predict
ing that the Democratic party, IL placed in
power, will do Justice % the freedmen.
Well Done, Vermont.