The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1879-12-12
THE pLuNDERED FREEDmEN.

souio phiietutHiOpiSCS WIN uceply oyhlPd-
thized with the freedmen just emanci-
I,ated from slavery, procured the passage
o. a bill by Congress to organize the
Freedman's Saving Bank. A charter
was granted, and the philanthropists
were named as Directors of the bank.
The princiI alplace of business of the
bank was at Washington, but branches
were opened in many of the principal
cities North and South. The charter
prohibited the loaning of moneys by the
bank except on real estate and Govern
ment securities. The freedmen were
invited and entreated to deposit their
savings in the bank, and they did so to
the amount of several millions OF. dol
lars. General o.. O., Howard, the
Christian soldier, who has since ac-
CURED great notoriety i'll the Nez Perez
aud Bannock wars as the great Indian
stern chaser, was President, or finan-
clal manager, of the Freedman Bank,
and conducted it's affairs with such re-
markable ability that thousands of the
poor freedmen deposited their savings,
10 sums of five dollars and upwards, in
the bank; and Howard, though sup
posed to be comparatively poor, donats,
ed 500, 900 to build and endow what
was call ID the ''Howarl University,
at Washington, where freedmen were
to be educated in the higher branches
OF literature and the arts and sciences
When the poor freedmen had deposited
al their savings in the bank, AMI the
Howard University was about com
pleted, the bank collapsed. and deposit
ors could not get cent OF. their savings.
A commission was appointed by Con
gress to investigate and wind up the
affairs of the bank; but as the members
OF the commission, like the Irishmans
jug-handle, were all on one side. and
politically in sympathy with the ras-
cally Directors, their investigation
amounted to little more than white
washing the managers. Enough was
made public, however, to show. that the
deposits had been. loaned by the Di,.
rectors, to rings with which they were
connected, on worthless securities. The
freedmen were robbed by those, who
pretended to be their best friends, and
Congress. which was to great extent
responsible for. the swindle, never at
tempted to repay them. Howard was
tried by court-martial for robbipg the
freedmen. and whitewashed. The poor,
freedmen were plundered of their saw
ings-of that there was no doubt-but
the whitewashing committed would not
censure the thieves.
Now, M. p. O'Connor, member. of
Congress from South Carolina, has, in
tsoduced bill to secure from loss the
depositors in the Freedman's Savings
Bank. 1t provides for: the sale of all
the assets of the bank by the Treasury;
that all sums so realized shall be. paid
ilto the Treasury; and that within six
months after the passage OF. the Act,
tae Secretary of the Treasury shall pay
ia the depositors, or their legal repre-
sentatiyes, the balance of deposits that
may be due them by said Freedman's
Savings and Trust Company The bill
provides that the sum of $1,000, 900 be
appropriated from unappropriated
money in the Treasury to carry out it's
provisions, We shall now see whether
a Democratic Congress will repay the
plundered freedmen what they lost by
placing too much confidence in those
who professed to be their best friends,
for the purpose of, robbing them. A
greater outrage was never perpetrated
clss a confiding, ignorant people, than
that practiced by the managers Of the
Freedman's Bank upan the colored pep
pie, yet the scoundrels who managed
lis. aff,irs, and plundered tae poor
negroes, are among the leading "patri-
OTIS in the land.
szMznzzazEnzznElzzs0
TN