Southern officials worked to prevent the "Appeal" from reaching its residents. Blacks in Charleston and New Orleans were arrested for distributing the pamphlet, while authorities in Savannah, Georgia, instituted a ban on the disembarkation of black seamen (Negro Seamen Act). This was because Southern governmental entities, particularly in port cities, were concerned about the arrival and dissemination of information that they wanted to keep from Black people, both free and enslaved. Various Southern governmental bodies labeled the "Appeal" seditious and imposed harsh penalties on those who circulated it. Despite such efforts, Walker's pamphlet had circulated widely by early 1830. Having failed to contain the "Appeal", Southern officials criticized both the pamphlet and its author. Newspapers like the "Richmond Enquirer" railed against what it called Walker's "monstrous slander" of the region. Outrage over the "Appeal" even led Georgia to announce an award of $10,000 to anyone who could hand over Walker alive, and $1,000 if dead.