Cherokee phoenix. (New Echota [Ga.]) 1828-1829, March 13, 1828, Image 3
guy, however, that Mr. M. is notori
ously guilty of violating the rules oi
Rhetoric, (which by the way an ora
tor ought always to observe, when he
makes a speech,) in delighting to use
hyperbolical expressions; and fur
ther in this present instance, he ap
pears to evince a determined spirit of
misrepresenting, or very great ignor
ance of things which lie within the
compass of his observation. That
which I have now quoted is certainly
very great exaggeration, as every per
son the least acquainted with th*i pet
ty Governments of the Indians will
easily perceive, and it is a wilful mis
statement, if the speaker intended, as
he undoubtedly did, to apply his re
marks to the Cherokees. I believe
liberty is as sweet to a Cherokee as to
a white man, and it is with pleasure I
can say that we have never been
shackled with the “iron grasp” of a
despot, and I hope that we will not
only boast of being a free people, but
be so in reality. Let us not possess
liberty only in name, but let it grow
freely, until its branches shall over
shadow every family, and- equality,
peace, comfort and intelligence, which
are the ingredients of liberty, shall
prevail without intermission through
these hills and mountains. I will here
transcribe the words of an Author,
who deserves, to say the least, as much
/ credit as Mr. M. and is certainly
■ more capable of enlightening our
minds on this subject.
“The Indians are perfect republi
cans; they will admit of no inequality
■among them but what arises- from
age, or great qualifications- for either
council- or war. Although this is the
case in peace, yet in war they ob
serve great discipline, and perfect
subordination to their beloved man
| who carries the holy ark, and to their
' officers, who are appointed on account
1 ' of the experience they have had of
their prowess in war, and good con
duct in the management, and surpris-
| mg of an enemy, or saving their men
by a timely retreat; but this subor
dination ends with the campaign.”—
[Star in the lVest.]
One or two more quotations from
Mr. M. will suffice. “ In their pre-
*cat situation, it could not he denied
that they are an injury both to lliem-
jselves, and to the people among whom
they reside.” This assertion, howev
er, can be boldly contradicted, as far
vis the Cherokees arc concerned, not
withstanding the confidence with
which it is made. We have only to
appeal to disinterested men who have
frequently visited u's, and made their
reports. Mr. McKenney for instance,
n his letter to the Secretary of War,
n extract of which I notice in the
rst number of your paper, lms done
us-thc justicb to give us our due.—
He has my thanks, though I must
here acknowledge," that some of the
(doctrines which he recommends arc
jreougnant to my feelings, & I believe
hey must be to all, except such as
are already “held in bondage with an
iron grasp.”
The following is as absurd as it is
unfounded. “They are as if they
had been taking a dose of slow poison,
lie deleterious effects of which are
radually destroying them.” The
esult of the census which was taken
in 1824 by order of the General Coun
cil proves beyond a doubt the falsehood
of this remark, as it respects the
Cherokess. On comparing the cen-
us of 1824 and the one taken by or-
er of the General Government a
umber of years ago, it will be seen
hat the Cherokees have been on the
ncrcase, nearly equal in ratio with the
vhites; and the difference of the two
tatistieal tables taken at the two pe-
iods, incontrovertably shews, that
e are not on a retrograde motion.—r-
hc Speaker, after exhausting words,
hich may have a tendency to shew
ur wretched and most degrad-
d condition, recommends a remedy,
nd that is nothing more than our
peedy removal to the west of Missis-
ippi, beyond the limits of any State
r.Territory. There he is to put a
w kind of Government on our shoul-
?rs, appoint Governors, Judges and
her officers over us, and establish
chools amongst us, “not your A B C
chools.” [Where shall we learn
ur letters if we are not to. have
Schools of a lower order?] And all
ns is to be done, ifl properly under
and the subject, without our desire,
ithout our approbation, and without
ir vote. If this is not a “bondage
ith an iron grasp,” I confess I do not
derstand the terms. There up
ears to he a new kind of friendship,
r- Editor, in Jhc coining of which,
this subject of concentration hn9 Jiad
no small agency—But it is worse
than none. It is much like the friend
ship of Joab, who, we are told, went
to Amasa and said unto him, “Art
thou well my brother? Jlrul Joab took
Amasa by the beard with the right
hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no
heed to the sword that was in Joab’g
hand: so lie smote him therewith in
the fifth n'6.”
It is to be lamented that public
men should not he sufficiently scrupu
lous in making, assertions, liable to
contradiction, and to public scrutiny.
The same beaten track ;s still trodden
by those who declaim on the condi
tion of the Indians, though one would
suppose it' to be too late in the day.
It. was my opinion that the Indians
were frequently, and intentionally mis
represent cd, and I r.m sorry to say that
the speech, which lias been the cause
of this unworthy communication, has
most sadly confirmed my believe.
H©c3 pa.
nee. 1 *".v, th g, ujjl
IEW ECMOTA:
THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 1823.
CONGRESS.-Ourlast Washington pa
pers contain a debate which took place in
the bouse of representatives, on the resolu
tion, recommended by the Committee on In
dian Affairs, published in the second Num
ber of our paper. It appears that the advo
cates of this new system ofcjvilizing the In
dians are- very strenuous in maintaining
the novel opinion, that it is impossible to
enlighten the Indians, surrounded as they
are by the white population, and that they
will assuredly become extinct, unless they
arc removed. It is a fact which we would
not deny, that many tribes have perished
away in consequence of white population,
but we are yet to be convinced that this
will always be the ease, in spite of every
measure taken to civilize them. We con
tend that suitable measures to a sufficient
extent have never been employed. And
how dare these men make an assertion with
out sufficient evidence?- What proof have
they that the system which they are now re
commending, will succeed. Where have we
an example in the whole history of man,
of a Nation or tribe, removing in a body,
from a land of civil and religious means, to
a perfect wilderness, in order to be civiliz
ed. We are fearful these men are building
castles in the air, whose fall will crush
those poor Indians who may he so blinded
as to make the experiment. We ara sor
ry to see that some of the advocates of
this system speak so disrespectfully, if not
contemptuously, of the present measures
of improvement, now in successful opera
tion among most of the Indians in the li
nked States:—the only measures too, which
have been crowned with success, and bid
fair to meliorate the condition of the Abo-
ortgincs.
The following remarks of Mr. Vinton, on
this subject, in the House of Representa
tives, we freely publish, as our readers in
this Nation will be glad to perceive that
this concentrating business has met with a
manly opposition, and as the views of Mr.
Vinton generally, so far as they have been
expressed in this extract, are consonant to
our views and feelings.
What is the proposition of Mr.
Monroe? It is, first that you shall es
tablish certain fundamental principles
of policy, and then send intelligent
men to the Indians to explain those
p.inciples; and when they give their
assent, then, to fulfil the recommend
ation of the message of 1825, you may
remove them. They rely on the gov
ernment for protection, and this is tiie
proper course. Instead of this, we
have pressed the Indians over the
Mississippi, without giving them any
choice, or assurance of protection.
It is a policy of death or desolation,
and they who force this upon the In
dians opghl to pause before they pro
ceed.further.
He referred to two or three cases
which had occurred. A treaty was
made with the Florida Indians, while
living in Happiness and prosperity, in
the heart of the country. A gentle
man holding high a station in Florida,
had told hjm that lie was struck with
the comfortable manner in. which
these Indians were living, compared
with the Indians at the north. We
sent our coipinissiqners to them to ask
them to leave this country for one cf
send & sterility. They refused to go.
They are told, they must-they should
o;o. They then threw themselves on
the mercy of the commissioners, and
the organ of that nation told us. in the
most powerful language, that, death
must be the inevitable consequen e
of the policy ol commissioners. This
language was prophetic of the trnge-
1 dy which followed. It wa$ after
wards established here, that 1500 of
these poor Indians perished of starva
tion in the swamps to which they were
removed. We ilien voted 2U,U00 dol
lars for their relief; and he had the
honor to point, out the provision, in the
severalty. They must be brought to
consent ly these modifie'atioi.s which
are necessary to the improvement of
their condition.
Supposing all this preliminary pro
cess gone through, and you place 100,-
bill which extended their territory of | 000 individual* in the wilderness-
good land. Vet we art now told by j men, strangers to each other, enter-
Cov.
Cuss, tha*
the Indian
s ure wsst-
ing away in the
w ilderuess
with u la-
pidiiy
which is-unl.now n in
b.e \ i init v
of th.:
whites.
lie aocoun
's for this
the gentleman from Fluida, tha th
condition of there India) ■ is now suc h
that they are obliged lc picy upon his
constituents. liow docs he piopose to
relieve them? BysenrJig them 2000
miles further north, lie would point
out another, and a speedier method of
relief. lie. called on Li* colleague,
who is at the head of the Committee
on Indian Affairs, and whois in a meas
ure responsible for the lives of these
Indians, to see this treaty fulfilled,
lie called on his colleague, as a clr.ia-
tian to do this; and he pledged himself
to call the attention'of tlie House to
the provision on some suitable oeca
sion.
Ha referred to the policy which
had been pursued towards the Quapas
whom we had removed to the Red
River, and supported for a time. We-
now hear of the misery of these poor
Indians.—As to the Delawares, re
moved from Indiana into Missouri,
which seems to be the common resev-
oir of the Indians. In 1825, these
Indians, as soon as they crossed the
hunting path of an Osag< , created
difficulties; and it was with great dif
ficulty that a war ofextermina 1 ion be
tween these tribes was prevented.
The executive lias recommended, ns
the only means of preserving peace,
that the Delawares shall be removed
jOO miles from the Gsages; yet in-the
same paper, it is strongly recommen
ded, absurd as it may teem- the io in-
try West should be laid off into con
tiguous Districts for the Indian tribes.
His colleague had yesterday pro
duced a letter from. Governor Clarice
to be read, which, probably lutd its
effect upon the committee. It was
there said that these Indians were per
ishing; and that, unle'ss relieved, they
must break out upon other tribes, for
pillage. This, the letter says is the
result of the removal of these Indians
from their comfortable homes; and
ought to operate upon its to be careful
how we remove them hereafter.
The facts he had staled were the
strongest arguments against loving
another step until we have provided
those principles which will protect
them from want and death. It is avow
ed that this-is the policy of the Gover
nment. If we allure the Indians-bcyond
the Mississippi, the whole of the Indi
ans, as soon as vve have taken this first
step, will be allured, by powerful in
ducements, to follow', until the whole
have migrated. It is a system of cru
elty, fraud and outrage,"which.has no
parallel.
If w r e are to proceed with this policy
why do not gentlemen offer some prin
ciple to consideration which may be a-
dopted & made known & acted on, in
stead of seducing the Indians gradually
to migrate, under those circumstances
to which he had referred.
lie regarded this movement as push
ing forward these- Indians half way to
that ocean- where, it is to he feared,
they are.ultimately destined to termin
ate their existence and misery togeth
er. Gentlemen have described in
glowing terms the condition of these
Indians. They tell us that the Indians
cannot be civilized in the neighborhood
of the whites, that man cannot he civ
ilized in the vicinity of civilized man.
—He contended that w T e had not tes
ted. t,hi$ assertion. We have done no
act of legislation to incorporate them
into the family of civilization. We
have never undertaken to regulate the
principles on which property is held
among them. We have done nothing
to break down the system of Kings and
Chiefs among them. Until we have
done this, it is wrong to argue they
cannot he civilized. How did we find
these Indians? With the exception of
the Cherokees, who have formed a
Constitution, we find the Indians gov
erned by the same laws, as when the
pilgrims first came to this country.—
lie asked if it would not be too great
an effort to be expected from uncivil
ized men to break these shackles.—
Tt is not to he expected from Iho chiefs
and head men, that thev will destroy
their own power and influence.
But suppose these Indians are re
moved across the Mississippi. We all
agree that they are not to he removed
unless their condition shall lie better
ed. What is to he done to better that
condition? They must he brought to
consent to the removal, to change the
evisfi iir relations between the chiefs
and people to hold their property in
tabling opinions and feelings in hoslili
ty to each other—and you undertake
to civilize them. He asked by what
process-this is to he accomplished.—
All that has yet been said on the sub
ject, is mere declamation. We find
then there is total ignorance of the
laws and regulations of the new Gov
ernment which is to be imposed upon
them. He would-ask, by what legis
lative spell these people could be at
once reduced to order and civilization.
He who could accomplish it, woud de
serve a higher fame than that of Solon
oi’ Lycurgus.
But, as his; col league yesterday re
marked, there were no Elysian fields
in the wilderness. Where do we hear
of misery and distress.' Is it on this
side the Mississippi? With the ex
ception of Florida, it. is not. It is be
yond the Mississippi. The letter which
was yesterday,read proves this- fact.
It is said the Indians only degenerate
in the vicinity of the w hiles. Here
the argument is not-sup; oi led by (lie
fact. He referred i-o (lie opinions of
but si.ice the tradcis
arms into their hands to ■}•
animals merely for the s;
hides, they regie, t laying in
for the winter, and dost. w. i;
;uy
of
on rational principles. While their
knowledge was confined to-the how
and arrow,they were unabh to destroy
the immense herds of bundlo and elk;
i- put fire
the
the
rovision
e means
WHICH Ih vidence lr,.s giv.- n for their
own subsistence The onsequcfire of
ten is, the most ouvor ;ibei-le suffering
fiom hunger, and sometimes actual
If. then, you put these Indians
t region o! country, you send
into the midst of desolation.—
is the eons-quence? It would
require lass to sustain an army of 200,-
000 men than to support half that
number of Indians five hundred miles
in the interior.
death,
in thru
the in
What
TURKISH CANNON-
ft is singular that in our ccniih <s with
barbarians, or with half-disciplined
trooj s, we generally■.sustain a heavier
loss than in our battles with veterans
and well organized armies. Wlieth
er this arises from our contempt
of the enemy inducing us to attack
them at greater odds, or at closer
quarters, or that such foes are stim
ulated by the fiercer passions of un
tamed nature, vve eannot determine,
hut the fact is well worthy of i onsid-
eration. In our battles with the
Americans last war, our loss was al
ways heavy in the extreme. Our at
tack on Algiers v, as attended w ith a
loss of life nearly equal to any thing we
had ever sustained on board of a fleet;
& if we inelucle the numbt n, on. board
the Russian ships at Navarino,we shall
find the total number killed & wound
ed to he nearly ns great as in any of
our battles last war. With respect to
the Turks, this may arise from the ex
tremely heavy cannon which they gen
erally use. In our ships. and, we be
lieve, in our batteries, we seldom use
a heavier gun than a 32-pounder. No
man-of-war carries any cannon of a
larger calibre, hut the Turks make
use of even 800-pounders. \V hen Sir
J- Duckworth passed the Dardanelles
to attack Constantinople, in 1807, his
fleet was dreadfully shattered by
these immense shot. The Royal
George was nearly sunk by only one
shot, which carried away her cutwat-
ter; another cut the main-mast of the
Windsor Castle nearly in two; a shot
knocked two ports of life -thunderer into
one; tiie Repulse (71) had her wheel
shot away and 24 men killed and
wounded, by a single shot, nor w as the
ship saved but by the most wonderful
exertions. One of these guns was
cast in brass in the reign of Amurat;
it was composed of two ports joined
by a screw at the chamber, its breach
resting against a massy stone work;
the difficulty of charging it would not
allow its being fired more than once;
hut, as a Pacha once said, that single
discharge would destroy almost a
w hole fleet of an enemy. The Baron
de Toll, to the great terror of the
Turks. resolved to firo this gun. The
shot iweighed 1.1001b;, and he load
ed it with 3301b. of pow der: he says,“I
felt a shock like an earthquake, at the
distance of eight hundred fathoms. I.
saw the hall divide into three pieee*J
and these fragments of a rock crossed
the Strait, and rebounded on the moun
tains. The heaviest shot which
struck our ships was of granite^ and
weighed 3001b., and was two feet two
inches diameter. One of these hugh
shot, to the astonishment of our tars,
stove in the whole larboard ho.w of
the Active; and having thus crushed,
this immense mass, of stijid timber, the
shot rolled ponderously alt. and hvo.T
up abreast the main hatchway, <|ie
crew standing aghast at the singular
spectacle. A few years ago, a party
of English midshipmen craw led into
one of tl’.ese guns on their hands and
knees, to the no small amusment of'
the Turks.—Ji laic English paper-
Savages first seeing a watch.
One-morning during Fenaw's stay r*t
tiiis island, some of (lie natives brought
Mr. Mariner’s watch, which they hod
procured from his chest, and with
looks of curiosity inquired- what it
was. He toe k it from them, wound,
it up, and put it to the ear of ope
of them-and returned it. Every hand
was now- out stretched with eagerness
to take hold of it—it was applied in
turns to their ears—they wore aston
ished at the noise it made—they lis
tened asrrin to it—turned it on every
side, and exclaimed, “Moo-ovi” (it pi
alive.)—They pinched and hit it, as
if expecting it would speak out-they
looked at each other with wonder,
laughed aloud, and snapped their fin
gers. One brought a sharp stony
for Mr. Mariner to force it open w it!),.
He opened it in the proper way, and
showed them the works. Sever 1
endeavored to seize hold of it at cncq-
hut one ran off with it. and ail thcicst
after him. About an hour after they
returned with the watch completely
broken to pieces, and giving bin? the
fragments, made signs for him to make
it do as it did before. Upon his me*
king them undeistand that they hae|
killed it, and (hat it was impossible to
firing it to life again, the man who
considered-it r.s his property, exclaim-'
ing-mow (spoiled,) and miking a hiss
ing noise, expressive of disappoint*
nie-nt, accused :b<? lest cf using it With
violence; and they in their turn, ar-,
cased him and each other; Whilst
they were in high dispute, another mo
tive approached, who had seen and
!earned the use of a watch on board
a French ship. Understanding the
i a use of (heir dis ute he called them
all cow-vale (a pack of fools,)aqd exr
plained in the following manner, the
use of the watch. Making a code
in the sand, with sundry marks about
its ciroomfereiK e, and turning a stick
almut tha centre cf the circle to rep
resent an index-, he informed them-
that the use of the watch was to tell
w here the sun wi s—that when the sum
was in the cast, the watch would point
to such a mark, and when the sun waft;
highest it would point low—and when
in the west, it would point there, and
this he said the watch would uo, al
though it was in the house, and could
noi see the sun; adding that in. the night
time, n w ould tell what portion ol a
i clay s length it w ould be before the sun
! would rise again. It would be ditfi-
I cult to convey on adequate idea of
j their astonishment. One said it was
an animal, another said.it was a plant-*-
but when he told them it was maim*
factured, they all exclaimed—Foon-
noor lioto! what an ingenious poo*-
pie.—Mariner's Account of the '1 onja
islands.
DIED—In litis neighbourhood, on ilia
8th in,taut Mr. EDMUND CRUTCH;'
FIELD. We arc told that the deceased
went to bed apj arently well, and was
found a corpse the next morning.
At A11>anv,«n the lltli ultimo, vorv sud*
denlv, His Excellency DE WITT CLINr
TON, Governor of the State of N ew Yci k.
(pan?.—.o-Qtsy sir,*
81, 0 3 IiF {W>1'4T
rotrz o-rr.xo- Ts.rr. etsy^Myii qct**
TVoT-, !i.ISYKU-6*V* IiA.38 TltUlA-lT,
lU til 0=01 AS r.
x.sy o-nte-RT ne.:<* js
NOTICE,
A LL persons are hereby fort warned a-
gainst trading tor a Nr.lo of hand,
given bv the Subscriber to James Cunning*
ham, of Ten. for the sum of $14 with a.
credit of fine dollars; dated the 19th dav of
February 1S23. Also a Due Bid of thirty
tb’ir dollars given liy Alexander McCoy in
favour of Michael A, Render with a credit
of about two dollars and twenty five cents
made ores to said James Cunningham by
me.
As the consideration for which the said
Note and Due 11 M were given, has proved
to be unsound, 1 ant determined not to i ay-
except by due c.ouse of law.
EDWARD ADAIJL-
Mapph 6,1828.—fMK