The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-04-16
THE GEORGIA HUMORIST.
PROTESTS AGAINST STATEMENTS ABOUT
SLAVE TRADE.

South Was Against the Trahhc-.-Ths Bar
tow Man Calls Down MT. Me0se ON Di.
vers Points in His Allegations.--0thsr
Interesting Topics.
Mr.. Folsom gave an interesting
sketch of Mr.. MCGEE, the old slave
trader of the Wanderer, who, he says.
celebrated his 10th birthday recently
in Columbus, Ga, where he lives. As
one of the invited guests, he could
hardly do less than to write pleasant
things about the old man, and as
graphic writer of light literature, he
felt constrained to make the old man
Q hero if possible. The pressure OF
the press for something new and
startling is very great, and sometimes
these bohemian galley slaves have to
ignore facts and deal in fancies.
Mr.. Folsom says that this old vet
e-an has been an important factor in
Georgia's progress; that among other
notable acts and deeds he took ON act
i've part in our war with the Greek
Indians and in removing them to the
Indian territory, and that he was
promoter in the building of the old
Monroe railroad (now the Macon and
Westerly. Well, now, this old man
must have been very lively youth and
unusually precocious, for those Indians
fought their last fight in 1885 and
surrendered and were at once sent to
the territory. Mr.. MCGEE was then
just nine years old. The Monroe
railroad from Macon TO Forsyth was
built in 1843, when this young man
was Ii years old. Probably he totcd
water for the boys or perhaps he for
got, and it was his father who did
these big things. But all this amounts
to nothing.
The important perversion OF state
history is his declaration that large
and influential portion of the good cit
liens of Georgia gave countenance to
and encouraged the venture OF the
"Wanderer" in. bringing slaves here
from Africa. He can't prove this by
any respectable citizen now living.
The slave trade was under the ban Of
all good people. Georgia was the
first state that prohibited it.. Thii
was done in 1893, which was ten years
before congress abolished it, and from
then until the late war no respectable
citizen ever thought OF trying to evad'
the law. Georgia was and still il
proud of her record on the subject
and would be prouder still if thu
"Wanderer" had never landed carg'
on our coast. Mr.. McGee seem
quite boastful of his success in reap
| ing harvest Of blood money out o
this horrible business. Seven hun
dred human creatures thrust in thu
hold of the vessel, packed in like hog
and dying by scores of heat, suffoca
tion, filth and inconsistencies on th
.ong voyage and their carcasses throw
overheard to the fishes. All this Nh
McGes tells-and that they made
second voyage with similar horror
and similar results, and how he poch
eted $40, 900 from each cargo. Con
science does not seem concerned q
vet. John Newton, the composer G
the sweetest hymn ever sang, wn
once slave trader, but repented IN
der John Wesley's preaching. an
never ceased to repent, and espresso
his gratitude when he wrote:
Amazing grace-How sweet the sound
That saved wretch like mel
} And when old and infirm, his friend
begged him to quit preaching and res
He said, "No, mol Shall the old slave
trader stop preaching as long as b
can walk or talk? mol" Even i
! Savannah, where Charley Lamar LIVED
who was the leader and part owner {
! the Wanderer, General Henry T
8 Jackson, rs United States attorne.
!. pursued the captain and crew an
owners with unrelenting diligence fl
|, two years, but the free use of th
blood money in some way defeete
3 his purposes. Ask him II this sla'
trade was ever favored or winked
by the good people Of Georgia. 5
: far from it, there were at that time al
previous many good men who wit
) Chief Justice Lumpkin at their hca
were trying to formulate scheme
! gradual emancipation on Henry Clay
s plan. Another fact remains that 9
Q the ante-bellum citizens know to
n true. The dealing in slaves as tra'
n or profession in Georgia was und
! the ban of public opinion. Tn
(. were not altogether socially ostracise
but they lost their place, if they ev
It had any. "Who is that man that
d strutting around town." ssWhy,
is niger trader" and that answ
70 settled his status. His society "
;. not wanted by good people. No dou
10 some of them were clever men al
! honest, but the presumption was th
they were hard-hearted and Of an ca
n conscience. General Forrest was
y negro trader, it is said, and no don
Is was respectable and reputable, b
"a nobody ever accused him of havi
high moral sentiments or emotion
Il His war record is splendid and the
le was no discount on his ability or
Now this transfer Of negro savae
70 from the jungles of Africa to . civ
Is lied country was no doubt . blessi
e. to them, but it was against the laws
). Georgia and the United States .
- the agreement Of all the great pow