Newspaper Page Text
Vol VII.
Marten <23asctrc
AND PUBLISHED
BY •
C ’S. F. GUAM) I SOX.
(ON THE BAY)
!'■ t ier annum, payable in advance .
JeORGIA AND THE INDIANS.
lo expectation the Com
>rsißiers tbe United States have
igjjjjn the object of their mission, no
| re B has been concluded with tMf
CrM Indians for the extinguishment!
<>f Bir title to lands within the iimits
Another attempt-is con-
Bl next spring; when success is
JBe.ntly anticipated. Though the
esße of Georgia have to regret the
;.Be of a treaty, yet some things have
J#Bbrought to light which probably
vcAi not have been so soon known,
aaßhich develope and explain the
sfßipal causes which have prevented
B day an amicable adjustment of
i&Blaiais of Georgia upon the gener
aJ Bvernment, and the purchase of
titßVom the Indians. The people of
theßate will hat dfy be'ieve that a most
y|Bnis combination had been fotm
jjS||B|d carried into effect, by certain
IHduals, to frustrate the good inten
iioißof the President of the United
Stßs respecting the claims of Geor
gißo deceive the genet at government,
mmo prevent a cession of land from
B: made by the Indians far the be
nt ■of this state. The'dishon-
Ble means were employed by these
Biduals to accomplish their object:
Brupt in fame and iortune in all like
ißod, they had no other resource to
Beve both, if fame, lost,
Jbe retrieved by the acquisition of
vßlth, but by preying on the public
;Bsure, and by a monopolizing trade
B the Indians. To corruption,
Bchery, and profligacy, must now be
Bbuted the delay in extinguishing
Bitle to lands within the limits of
Brgia, and the differences which
Be unhappily sprung up be. ween this
Be and the government of the United
Bes. Though slow a coming, the
dßof letribulion is at last arrived; and
not a single doubt, that the
apprised of all the parlicu-
Hos this criminal transaction, will
justice to whom it appertains,
that those individuals who have oc
|9ioned so much mischief, will be re
|Hvcd from the theatre of their iniqui
tls and treacherous actions, and pre
flßted henceforward from embroiling
tB state of Georgia in difficulties with
■ general government.
Bome time in May last we ascribed
tjß failure of a treaty with the Chero-
K Indians to some citizens high in
, Be.-, who, to accomplish political de
jßs, were urging clandestinely those
Bians to remain firm in their refusal
Ijßede their land . for the benefit of
Borgia We obtained our informa
-9) at the time from an undoubted
9 rce ; and we would have been more
®>licit bad we not then harboured the
: fla, that the Ptesident of the U. States
‘Buldhave been made acquainted with
the facts connected with the nego-
A^B on for a treaty, which must have
transmitted to the proper depart
>B>t ot the national executive by the
llßnmissioners, and that agreeably to
;;Bh intelligence, he would have adopt-
Uppcedy measures to bring to a hap-
the existing differences
t*ween Georgia and the general go
ißnment. Our information has been
,B>firmed since by the discovery ot cer
;B P°btical and private operations con-
with the Indians, the state of
9orgia, and the national government,
■th which the people will be made ac
■ainted in due time. We can only say
■ the time, that it was the interest of
Brlaiii individuals to keepthe Presipent
■ total darkness respecting the In-
Bans; political designs had not yet been
Bt omplished,nor enough money made;
■hich objects would not have been
Balised had the President had a full
Blow ledge of the actual condition of
B>e Cherokecs, and of the means em-
Bloyed to make them adopt a policy
Bnbrely contrary to their best interest.
But treasonable transactions cannot long
B'Uain concealed; the disclosure ofcer-
Bjn matters concerning the Creeks,
Bill hasten the complete disclosure of
Bher matters concerning the Chero-
B *'s. The general government should
■now all; the people of Georgia should
Blow all; the people of the north also
Bbould know all what relates to Indian
Blairs in this sdtiion of the country,
DARIEN ImSm GAZETTE.
darien, (Georgia,) —€*udf®BJKJlact ajugtice.—Tuesday, January 25, 1825.
that for the future they'may cease their
abuse and grosa calumnies against us in
the South.
With respect to the Creek Indians,
we have been informed from a correct
source, not however from any one be
longing to the United States’ Mission,
to the Creeks, that the opposition of
the Indians to give up more land to
Georgia, originated with persons at
tached to the Creek Agency. A Mr.
Walker, who it appears is Sub-Agent,
and who has married the daughter of
Mm Indian chief, has been the principal
Bkigator among the Indians of the hos
tility manifested by them to the conclu
sion of a treaty. It has been ascertain
ed too, that he is the author of several
pieces published in almost all the news
papers of the North, and even of this
state, and apparently signed by several
chiefs of the Creek Indians—which
pieces we would not publish, though
requested, having been informed that
they had been written at the Agency,
and published without the pavtiripation
of the whole Creek nation. Is it not a
dereliction of his duties as a United
States officer, for Mr. Walker to be
come a party with the Indians against
the state of Georgia and the general
government? Is it not highly censura
ble to thwart thus the just and philan
thropic views of the President in re
gard to the Indians? Is it not treason
to excite contention, and broils between
the inhabitants* of the country? Does
it become an office of the general go
vernment, who is bound to use his in
fluence and exertions in the promotion
of the public good, to declare, that
Georgia shall nqt get an inch of Indi
an lond as lang as Troup is Governor?
Who has given to Mr. Walker the pri
vilege to speak so authoritatively?—
Does he possess in his own person the
whole power of the Creek nation of In
dians? Why has he been kept in office
by the Agent, Mr. Crowell? Assured
ly the macuinations ot Mr. Walker
could not have escaped the attention of
that responsible officer. Having con
fidence in Mr. Walker, it is probable
Mr. Crowell may have beeh deceived
by him, as well as the general govern
ment may have been by the agent him
self through the instrumentality of the
sub-agent; and it will have to be re
gretted gentleman, holding
such an important trust, and possessing
the confidence of the Secretary of War,
be implicated in this transaction. We
hope he may clear himself of the im
putation. that will be alledged against
him of a connivance at the interference
of Mr. Walker with the Indians to pre
vent a treaty from being concluded.—
What were the motives which prompt
ed Mr. Walker to act in the manner he
did, we will not pietend to say; They
cannot be ascribed to a desire to see
Georgia involved in civil contentions
with the United States, by which pri
vate revenge or personal benefit might
be obtained; such a desire, would be
odious in an American citizen. They
cannot be ascribed to feelings of phi
lanthropy, for, the sooner the Indians
comply with the benevolent views of
the President, as expressed in his last
message to Congress, the better will it
be for their peace, comforts, and the
undisturbed enjoyments of their mode
of life. These motives may be ascrib
ed to some other passions of the human
heart; to envy, a virtue which cannot
be acquired by men entirely depraved;
to hatred for men, whose worth, patri
otism, and noble actions, they cannot
imitate; and to interest, this primum
mobile of almost all human actions.—
With the Indians, trade is carried on
to a considerable extent; and the profits
are sometimes pretty large: should the
Indians be induced to cede their lands
on this side of the Mississippi, in order
to settle on the other side of that river,
as recommended by the President, this
traffic ceases in this section of the
country; hence the clamors of those
engaged in it against any cession of
land by the Indians.
Our readers will find in this paper
an article under the title of “Georgia
Claims,” taken from a New-York pa
per. The piece following it, and pur
porting to be from the Indians, was
written by Mr. Walker. What feel
ings must be excited in the breast of
every Georgian, v\ hen such palpable
calumnies and vulgar epithets are pro
mulgated to the world! Will not a
spirit of resentment be raised against
the men who for some time past, un
der the sanction of Indian names, have
deceived the people of the north, in re
gard to Georg* and the Indians resid
ing in her limits, by disseminating;
through
the ac feelffigs and inten
tions of tnme To these men
the Georgians are indebted fer the un
merited abuse which has been heaped
upon them for sometime past from all
quarters; their names richly deserve
the execration of all good citizens.—
How esn they atone for the mischief
they have occasioned, and the angry
feelings they have created between the
citizens of the North and South, res
pecting the Indians and the jijsi claims
of Georgia upon the ge-nSral govern
ment. — Washington (Ga ) News.
From the Augusta Chronicle , sth if&t'.
Our readers will perceive in’ this
day’s paper, the copy of a Memorial
intended to be laid before the present
Congress, and which will, we under
stand, be presented in a few days for the
signature of such of our citizens as ap
prove of the principle on which it is
founded, and are willing to be some
what instrumental in securing the ob
ject it contemplates It will at once
be perceived that it has no sectional
bearing, that it relates to, and is design
ed to promote the substantial interests
of our own citizens in all parts of our
country—and it is probable that from
Savannah and Charleston memorials
of a similar import will also be trans
mitted to Congress, and that the sub
ject will be presented to that honora
ble body in a manner which will secure
it the serious attention and faithful in
vestigation its importance demands.
By a perusal of the memorial, as it is
now presented to our readers they will
have an opportunity of reflecting on it
before it is presented to them, and they
will be enabled readily to determine
how far they are disposed to sanction it
by their signatures.
The following Memorial is published
for the information of the citizens of
Augusta, to whom it will be present
ed for their signatures, preparatory
to its being forwarded to Congress:
To the Hon. the Senate and House of
Representatives of the U. States oj
America , in Congress assembled:
The memorial of the subscribers,
merchants, traders, manufacturers, and
other citizens of the city of Augusta, in
the State of Geoigia, respectfully rep
resents, that the attention of your me
morialists, has, for a long time, been
turned to the examination of the cause
of the great and continued decline and
embarrassments, which they have ex
perienced in their business, and which
they have observed has also been the
fate of most, if not all of the southern
and western cities and towns in the
United States. In searching for the
cause of the accumulated difficulties
and embarrassments, which, of late
years have arrested and paraiized the
efforts and industry of your memorial
ists and their fellow-citizens generally,
it has bpen clearly discovered, that
nearly all, if not the whole of the em
barrassments and injuries complained
of are the consequence of the present
system of selling goods at auction, in
New-York and other northern cities,
which have so transcended the natural
and legitimate end and objects of Auc
tion and vendue establishment, as near
ly to have monopolized the sale of for
eign goods in the United States, and to
have excluded the great mass of regu
lar American merchants, from any par
ticipation of profit from the regular
importing businessof the United States.
In creating auction or vendue estab
lishments, your memorialists, appre- 1
hend it was never intended that they >
should interfere with the regular and ;
lawful business of the citizens, but to j
secure to those concerned in the es- j
tates of brankrupts, or deceased per- j
sons, or in goods sold by order of courts :
of law, or for account of underwriters,.
or in ships or real estate, an opportuni- j
ty to dispose of the same, in a manner •
the most advantageous possible; and to
secure the parties concerned, against 1
fraud and collusion, a person consider- :
ejl both responsible and competent, has
been licensed by public authority,
whose priviledge it was to call the peo
ple together by public notice, and sell
at public out-cry, the property thus en
trusted to him. Against the business
thus regulated, which in the opinion of
your memorialists, are its legitimate li
mits, we do not complain; and here
ir.ay we not ask, what further valuable
object can the community hope fiom
such establishments? Your memori
alists; a few years since; recognized in .
this city, and in the neighboring cities
of Charleston and Savannah, extensive
importing houses, whose capital, intel
ligence and industry, imported from
foreign ports, direct into their respec
tive states, the articles suited to the
wants of the inhabitants. We were
then supplied with articles at a cheap
ra/e, business was regular and prosper
ous, our property permanent and in
creasing in value, and the industry of
all was rewarded to satisfaction; and we
paid a growing revenue into the trea
sury of the United States. Os late
years, we have seen these happy con
sequences disappear, our property is
constantly declining in value, our popu
lation continually changing and fluctu
ating, importers and men of capital are
either ruined or withdrawn from the
field of competition—the business of
your memorialists has become preca
rious and speculative, while the foregn
manufacturers, not content with sup
plying the orders of American mer
chants, throw their goods into the hands
of an auctioneer, and thus obtain for
themselves the wholesome profit of
this country, and without performing
any of the duties of a citizen, or adding
a single hand to its strength. The wise
and liberal policy adopted by Congress
for the aid and encouragement of the
American importing merchants, by al
lowing 8, 10, and 12 months credit, for
the payment of duties on goods import
ed, and to which, before the mighty
growth of the present auction monopo
lies, may in a great measure be ascrib
ed the rapid influx of wealth and gen
eral prosperity of the United States,
has, by this ruinous system of auctions,
been wrested from its wonted and le
gitimate object; and so far at the pre
sent time from operating as a benefit
and assistant to the American merchant,
it affords to the foreign manufacturer,
who has become the principal and al-
most sole importer of goods into the
United States, its entire advantage; and
so effectually have the clear sighted
foreign manufacturers and merchants
converted this advantage to their use,
that with the aid of auctions, they have
caused the city ot New-York, actually,
to import and vend more than half of
the whole amount of goods imported
into the United States, and thus by con
centrating in one place, needed in eve
ry other part of the United States, it
follows that merchants and others want
ing such articles, are necessarily col
lected together at that place, and here
every buyer being governed in price
by his market at home, causes scarcity
and necessity of every grade to come
into competition within the narrow li
mits of an auction room; and that the
prices are greatly advanced thereby,
scepticism itself must believe, and ma
ny of your memorialists positively know
it to be the fact. In the same propor
tion that the practice of vending goods
at auction has increased, in that same
proponiqn has the practice of im
porting goods by the established Ame
rican merchant diminished, and so ex
tensively has this effect been produced
that the knowledge of the price and va
lue of goods at the place of manufac
ture in Europe, has to an alarming ex
tent become extinguished in the Uni
ted Stales and thus for want of know
ledge, American traders are the easy
dupes of a system of business, too ac
tive and rapid for deliberation, and too
coercive for the exercise of the judg
ment, for ’tis the language of the sys
tem “bid quick or its gone.” Another
destructive consequence to the interest
of the whole trading, agricultural and
manufacturing interests of the United
States, effected by the system com
plained of, is, that it renders desultory,
changeable and precarious, every spe
cies of business, and necessarily ren
ders doubliul and speculative, every
calculation and investment, whether it
be in foreign or domestic commodities.
|lt has introduced an urgent coercive
| habit of trade, by the exaction of ap
i proved endorsed notes, payable at banks
’ for goods sold at auction. The influ
j ence of which is necessarily extended
;to every purchaser and consumer of
goods, and the urgent necessity which
farmers, planters and manufacturers
are under of meeting their payments,
constantly compels them to conveit the
produce of their labour into cash , as
soon as it is matured, be the moment
propitious or unpropitious, and thus it
is believed the whole body of citizens of
j the United Slates are hurried and drove
j by a species of coercive necessity, felt
and lealized by all, but the cause ot
1 which; but few can explain; but which
is now found to be the direct result of
the system complained of; and it is be
lieved by your nienmiiaiists, that the
lacts have now become so clear that
the desttuctive and deadly consequen
ces resulting from the present auction
system, to the vital intetests and ener
gies of every Ann riiah citizen, must
be dhvious to alt. Your memoiialists
have in vain endeavored to discover a
solitary reason, wby auctions as they
are should exist; in vain Gave they look
ed for a single advantage resulting to
the community front the auction busi
ness. Unless it be to enable asia eto
collect an easy ‘e'enue at the expense
of every citizen; you i memorialists are
utterly una >le to discovei a single be
nefit resulting from the preseiv system
of auctions, but on the contraty a ioug
train ot evils. The prices of goods are
increased beyond what they wo> Id
othetwisebe; the knowledge of Ame
ncan merchants of the value of foreign
goods at the place of manufacture, is
gieatly curtailed, and to a very conside
rable degree extinguished. The qua
lities of goods are deteriorated, and
frauds and collusions are encouraged
| by the system; the benefits of the im
porting business are transferred from
the American merchant, to the pock
ets of foreigners: Competition both in
imports and exports, is greatly destroy
ed, and in a manner extinguished; the
foreigner receives the highest price for
his goods, and pays the lowest pri< e for
our pi oduce; general mercantile know
ledge and confidence is destioyea; a ri
gorous coercive system of credit, un
suited to the state of the country is in
troduced and rendered obligatory; men
of expeiience and large capital, are
driven from the class of merchants, and
in the place of extensive importing
wholesale stoies, others now exist,
whose goods are purchased a( auction,
and whose p-ofits are founded upon
prices paid by themselves, by wfu< h
the foreign owner received a profi of
from 10 to 25 per cent. All these •• on
sequences, and others that are ruinous,
are forced by the auction system, upon
ihe great body of the American pet pie,
and nothing but the wisdom of Con
gress, by a legislative provision, can
free them from its destructive efftcia.
Your memorialists, therefore, pray
your honorable bodies to impose a du
ty of at least ten per centum t,n goods
sold at auction, excepting the effects of
bankrupts and of deceased pet sons
goods sold by order of courts of law,
shipping and real estate.
A writer in the Cincinnati Gazette,
speakihg on the subject of canals,
makes these remark: The great and
important advantages that ate calcula
ted to be detived from a canal, would
be, that of bringing that part of our
country which lies the most vemote
from market, in competition with that
which is the nearest—the obvious con
sequence would be that the interior of
our country, the pioduct ot which will
not now bear transpottation, by having
the means of communication facilita
ted by canals, would find ready market
for the products of their labour; a fresh
inducement to industry would thereby
be instilled; the wilderness which now
lies barren and uncultivated, would
then bloom in all the luxuriance of
plenty; the busy hum of population,
would then resound throughout the re
gion that now lies a vacant and silent
forest Asa practical commeni on the
justice of these remarks, the following
is extracted from the Albany Daily
Advertiser:
THE QUAY.— ■ To those whode
light in the busy hum of business, and
who take pleasure in hearing the buz
which issues from the place where
“merchants most do congregate,” we
would recommend a walk along the
Quay of this city. The craek of the
driver’s whip, the rattling of carts and
waggons, the “lake care” of the bat row
man, ihe yo-ho of the sailor, the crea
king of the windlass, and the confused
voice of the crowd’ all denote the gi eat
influx of strangers and consequent in
crease of business, since the comple
tion of the lock leading into the Hudson
from the canal. A merchant infoi med
us the other day, that within seven day 9,
there had been more than one thousand
tons of nietchandiae and castings des
patched from this city on the carul.
This we would think was a good evi
dence of the inconceivable benefits
which have resulted and win result to
this ancient city, from the greatest woik
of the present age, the Gtand canal.
J\ o. 4