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ago, whenjus vessel tv as a wreck,
and he Was deserted by a part of his
jfl'vn crew, that an Indian Chief, upon
shearing the information “shed tears
and despatched all the people of his
town with large canoes to unload the
ship; and from time to time sent his
relations to'tfie Admiral, to console
him and entreat him not to be afflict
ed at his loss, for he would give him •
all he had” and Columbus adds “they
arc a very loving race and without
covetousness.” Such was the Ame
rican Indian in 1492, such were the
Inilidfito who hailed the arrival of our
pilgrim'fathers itf fG20, and similar to
this was the reception of the first
Georgians, when they landed in 1733
on the banks of tbe placid ,and beauti
ful Savanuah. One tyord from an In
dian then, might have blasted forever
the hopes of the white man. But the ||<
Indian was genbrous and confiding,
and he took the strahger to his bosom
and cherished him aS his own son.
4. It is clear that the Georgians
are now determined to rid the Indians
at all hazards.
Having been ! welcomed to their
shores, and war diet at their fires,
like the serpent in the fable, tbe
white man uf the south now brandish
es the forked tongue, and bids his ben
efactor fly for his life. The Geor
gians want the Indian lands, and they
will have them. They will get them
by low trick, by bribery, by mock-
trealy, by threats, by blustering if
they can, and by massacre if they
must. There is no mistake about it
—there can be none. The Georgians
themselves do not pretend to dis
guise it—the fly is in the web, and
why should the spider be mealy-
mouthedv No man can resd the pub
lic prints of Georgia, of the public
documents on thef subject withoiit be
ing astonished that knavery can be so'
barefaced.
5. It is clear that the government
of the United States are determined
to aid the Georgians in the accom
plishment of their iniquitous pur
poses
point, we apprehend, the controversy
is fast tending. Prompt and efficient
protection, or extermination, is the
only alternative. For therfe is evi
dently a spirit among the whites which
will be satisfied with nothing short of
tbe uncontroled possession ofthir lands
—and if force be requisite to obtain
them, 4 pretext will not be wanting.
This fpltu has been greatly encourag
ed and sustained by the part taken by
tbe President and‘Secretary of War,
who, in the documents relating to the
Jndiaris, recently published, have as
sumed grounds which', it is beleived*
are equally repugnant to natural jus
tice and existing treaties. The sub
ject, in some shape, will doubtless
soon occupy the attention of congress,
and it is desirable that its merits
should be thoroughly investigated and
understood by the people at large.
a, a subject which no* one, we
should* think, not unconcerned for the
character of the country, or insensible
to the claims of justice and humanity,
can contemplate with indifference.
—— Con. Cour.
THE EMIGRATING CREEK'S.
The party of about 400 Creek
Indians, whose arrival on the West
side- of the Mississippi, opposite
Memphis, wo mentioned two weeks
ago, passed up through the Big Prai
rie, about a week since, on their way
to the country assigned them up the
Arkansas.
By the Post-rider from Pine Bluffs,
arrived yesterday morning, we learn
that the steam boat Virginia, having
on board about 100 Emigrating
Creeks, on her way up the Arkansas,
run aground opposite the residence oi’
Mrs. Embrcc, about fifty five miles
(by land; below this place, some days
since, and had not got off when he
left there. The Arkansas is at a low
stage, and unless a rise takes place,
(Which, from the present appearance
in the weather, we have reason to
cxpe'cl,') we are apprehensive that she
will riot get off soon.—Arkansas Gaz j
etW.
aw
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10,1829.
At this interesting time when the Indian
question is about to form a matter of great
public interest, it is important that the dis
position of the Cheroke’es as a people to
wards the United States should be known.
We therefore invite attention to the cor
respondence inserted in another part of our
paper, been charged with
hostile intentions by oiir enemies'arid per
secutors, who, we venture to say, are
themselves more savagely disposed. To so
respectable a witness as Gov. Carroll, Wc
trust the public will give full credit
What other Iritrdpretatidn .cart be
put upon the ratification by the Sen
ate of the United States, in 1825, of
the pretended treaty with the Creeks,
nt a time when they had on their ta
ble documents which showed clearly
that it was a piece of vile fraud from
beginning to end,—that the proper
authorities of the Creek nation had
never consented to it! What other
interpretation caii be put upon the
late Jelter of the Secretary of War
1$ the Cherokees, in which he endea
vors to persuade them that the claims
of Georgia are righteous, and that In
dians'have no coffhtry and no rights,
except'such at they hold by (he per
mission of their white masters! What
other interpretation can be put upon
the whole history of the recent nego-
ciations'with' the southern tribes!
6. It is clear that the voice of the
American people must be heard on this
Btibje't'.
It bccomos us all to speak and to
speak boldly. We owe it to the In
dians—the poor, abused Indians. We
owe it to ourselves. We owe it to
the memory of our fathers—they will
cry from their.graves, if we do not
speak. We owe it to gratitude, to
justice, to humanity,- fo freedom—all
traltf*»!ed Upon,' all violated. We
owe it to our country and onr child
ren—to avert from them the curses
of Heaven.
Indians.—A writer in the Na
tional Intelligencer has commenced a
Series' of essays on the pending con-'
troVersy between the United States,
and tW Indians. The first number
will befoiirid in'our paper this week.
As tbe subject is one of great impor
tance, involving the character of our
country, as well as the rights, and
tianpiness, if not the existence, of
a brave but unfortunate portion of
the human family, we trust they will
not prove uninteresting to our readers.
It is evident, as the writer remarks,
that a crisis is rapidly approaching in
the condition of the Indins, particularly
of the tribes in the south-western part
of the' United States. The question
must sbon J be decided, whetherThey
shill bo protected in the possession of
their lands, and the enjoyment of civ
il and religious privileges, which, un
der the policy hithtrto pursued to
wards them by our government, they
have learnt to appreciate, or whether
they shall be exterminated by their
white neighbors, and driven at the
point of the bayonet into the wilder-
** beyond tbe Mississippi, To this
The Indian War, got up in the
western part of this state, without a-
ny adequate motive, unless it was to
effect a diversion in favor of a few of
the people’s servants, whose zeal out
runs their discretion, has ended, as
wc anticipated it would, in smoke.—
Who pays the piper? How are the
claims of the thbusand militiamen or
dered into service by the' Governor,
to be adjusted? Shall We have anoth
er appropriation, by Congress for
properly ‘lost, captured or destroyed
in the Ioway war, as was the case af
ter the Winnebago disturbances? Or,
shall our citizens suffer, from the
folly of their Governor, the loss of
their time, and the inconveniences to
which themselves, and families, were
necessarily subjected? We repeat
it, all this paraphernalia and r show of
war was got up without judgment ;and
without any knowledge of the cir
cumstances, of the nature of the ser
vice to be encountered—without en
quiring, indeed, whether an enemy
would be encountered at all.—JMis
souri Republican, August.
The Indian war in the state of
Missouri, it seems, did not bear ex
amination. It waft probably a com
mon frontier trick to grmg on hostili
ties, for the purpose of furnishing an
apology for driving off the natives,
and taking possession of their lands
by right of conquest. The amount
of this controversy, as it would seem
was, that on some occasion, the In
dians killed a small number of hogs
belonging to the whites; & in revenge
the whites hilled about an equal num
ber of Indians,—which, according to
any resonable mode of estimating such
property, might hav’e been considered
as no loss on the part of the Missou
rians. But, like their neighbours in
Kentucky, we presume they wished
to “go the whole hog”; and therefore
attempted to bring on a War of ex
termination. We are glad that they
are Price more defeated in their land
speculation. As for the expense of
marching troops to fight the’ Indians,
the United States will probably have
to pay for that, and of course the state
wilt have no pause of complaint, un
less it be that they have lost their
game.
We are gratified to say to our readers
that public attention is at last turned to In
dian affairs. A deep feeling on the subject
is evidently excited. This is what we
have uniformly hoped for since we have
beenjconducting a newspaper. Wc have
always been confident that we hail but lit^
tie to expect from the Government of the
United States, without the expression of
public opinion, and we have frequently
been grieved to notice the apparent indif
ference which has heretofore existed, We
believe now no one can remain neuters
We hope, we sincerely hope* this excite*
nent will not die away until we shall know
W»h certainty whether there is sufficient
viiUe and humanity in this great nation
to save the poor Indians from destruction.
We iavite the particular attention of our
readers to the leading article in our pres
ent No. WIL1.IAM Penh deserves to be ex
tensively reac,as he most undoubtedly will
be. We findhis pieces copied into many
papers of the irst respectability.
On this subject, the N. York Observer
sa
There are many indications that the
case of the Indians will soon excite
deep interest throughout the Uunited
States. The niiruoers on the “pre
sent crisis in the condition of the A-
merican Indians,” which we have
copied into our paper from the Na
tional Intelligencer, are re-printed in
the Boston i>aily a Advertiser and Re
pertory, the Boston Palladium, the
Massachusetts fceoman, the Newark
Sentinel, the Journal of Humanity,
and many other highly respectable
prints;’ and of the hundred papers
from all parts of the country which
fall undefr onr eye every week, there
is scarcely me which does not mani
fest a decided disapprobation of the
conduct of the Georgians. Editors
ale begining to comment on the sub
ject in the strong terms which the
case demands,' and the whole com
nfuriity are evidently becoming pre
pared to ulter a voice which will be
heard and obeyed. The State Gov
ernments and the General Government
will yet be compelled to respect the
rights of the Indians. We cannot
doubt it.
We believe the above is not too sanguine^
This is an intelligent and a Christian nai
tion, highly favored of God. It Cannot be
accessary in the ruin of a weak and de
fenceless people.
The following is from the Boston Daily
Advertiser:
Rights oj Indians.—The following
short extract from a private letter,
written by an eminent lawyer in one
of the middle states, shows in what
manner the Indians controversy is re
garded by persons of character and
intelligence. There can be but lit
tie doubt,- that, if the subject were
fairly aud fully understood by the
American people, an immense nia
jority would declare in favor of good
faith Sf honest dealing with the Indians.
“When I think of these afflicted tribes
and consider who it is that threatens
to distress them—a people whom
God has signally blessed above all
the nations of the earfh, with liberty,
and the richest social, civil, and na
tional blessings, my heart sickens at
the bare possibility of such an outrage
and I tremble not so much for the
her most iniquitous transaction r By What 1
precedent, and we would ask Mr. Secreta
ry Eaton, who we believe is a lawyer, by
what legal usage are we to be deprived so
long of a large and valuable part of our
Country? We have always thought that,
in all civilized nations, tbe claimant must
first establish his righ., before h# can be
put in possession of the property. It will
]}e time enough for Georgia to settle the
'lands now claimed by her When she sliall
have established her right by some legal
process. The settlers, for whose removal
frequent application has beenlmade, are
intruders in the proper sense of the word,
and the executirc of the United States are
bound to eject them by harsh and rigid
measures. The mere claim of-Georgia
cannot possible alter the case*—the country
is the property of the Cherokees until a
proper akd competent tribunal shall de
clare it otherwise, The Cherokees have
suffered much by the United States per
mitting her citizens to intrude upon their
lands,'We hope therefore she Will be dtt*
posed to satisfy all damages.
War Department, I
18th August 1829. y
Sift,—Application nas been made
to this* Department to suspend the
proceedings against intruders on In
dian lands within your Agency. It is
represented that you are about to cut
their corn and destroy their houses.
This you will for the present,omit to'do.
This exercise of your authority, a-
rising under some order of former
years is different from ordinary cases
of intrusion. Georgia claims to a
certain line, as having been formerly
the property of the Creeks, surren
dered to her by treaty with that na
tion. The question arising is, were
the lands settled upon ever the
property of the Creek Indians, or is it
m fact the soil of the Cherokees? If
the latter, then are the settlers iritro-
ders, acting in violation of the act of
Congress 4>f 1802. For the' present,
until this matter can be totter under
stood, you will forbear any harsh ^nd
rigid proceedings, affording Aft etttff as
practicable any- information yob may
be possessed of on the subject. When
a full understanding can be obtained
you will receive fr6m this Depart
ment further Instructions aft to the
course you shall pursue.
Very Respectfully,
J. H: EATON.
To Col. Huoli Montgomery
Cherokee Agency Calhoun Ten.
CHEROKEECONSTITUtlON
printed *i» parallel columns and for
sale at this Office.
JLAWS
OF THE CHEROKEE NATION
FOR SALE HERE-
CORRESPONDENCE.
Gob. Wm. Carroll, to JMr. John Ross.
New Town, C. N. >
August 39th 1829. y
Dear Sir—1 have corile into the
Nation by appointment of the Secre
tary of War, to see you and other
principal men on a subject interesting
to the Cherokees aS well as thef Uni
ted States.
It is Scarcely necessary to say that
the President of the United States
feels a deep interest in the removal
of the Cherokees west of the Missis
sippi—This you have been informed
of by himself. He believes that it
will teed to the permanent advance
ment of the prosperity of the Nation,
and will prevent those unpleasant
bickerings which are sure to arise
from the extension of jurisdiction by
the adjoining States over that part of
the Nation within their respective
chartered limits.
Without entering further into any
train of reasoning on the subject permit
me to say, that I am directed to make
the plain simple proposition to you—
Will you agree to meet commission
ers to be appointed by (he President,
at such time as may best suit the con
venience of both parties, for the pur
pose of discussing the subject of the
Cherokees removing west of the
then have an
opportunity of hearing the proposi
tions of the Government—If they are
such as meet the approbationof tbe na
Indians, as for my countrymen. I do tion you will of course agree to them; if
still trust that Georgia and her sister | they are not , you will reject them. Ii is
states will pauses—or, if they do not,
that He, who has all hearts ia his
hands, will raise a phalanx against
them to shield their feeble fellow*
men from oppression.
In our last'w made some remarks ori the
tardiness of the Government to remove the
intruders. We are now able to present to
our readers the following order of the
Secretary of War to Col. Montgomery.—
The Agent is Expressly ordered to use no
harsh or rigid' measures against, what the
to me a source of much satisfaction to
find that the best feelings exist every
where towards the United States in
(lie nation, and that the circulation of
tales of hostile intentions on their part
is wholly without foundation. This
pleasing intelligence I shall not fail to
communicate immediately to the
President. I trust that you will read
ily agree to meet commissioners for
the purposes above mentioned—It is
granting nothing on ^our part, and
e I will evince a disposition to keep up
Secretary is pleased to call the settlers, thoso friendly relat ions which {have so
which is equivalent to use no measures at
all. We believe it is the intention of the
t executive to Uphold tbe slate of Georgia in
Tong happily subsisted between the
Chorokees and the United States, and
which I trust wilt not be lessaoed by
any dircupistancd to doriie. . Receive,
assurances of iny best wishes for th©*
future happiness of the nation over
which you preside, and ,of the regard,
with which, I am, most respectfully
your friend WM. CARROLL.
Mfe Jno, Ross, Principal Chief
of the CheiPkee Nation.
Answer Iq the Joregoing letter.
Ne.1V EcHOjkyJ^N. )
August 29tlvyrap9. \
Dear Sir—Your communication of
this date, containing the object of
your visit to the nation un$j;r .instruc
tion froina the,’ Secretary of War, is
received and maturely wtj§B£ratpd.on
n Executive Council convened ibr‘
‘he cxprfei, mrpwe.
The deep interest felt oi.
of the President of the Unit
to part
«>. 7~-,,r-- r --«JL(Statea
for the removal ofthe Cherofeeesvreit
6f the Mississippi is known to the na-*'
tiort; it is a subject that has often arid
long since been suhriiittcd for consid^
eration And been' deliberated on by
thfe Councils of the nation with all
that soleifihity its importance de-^
serves, and the conclusion and result'
of those deliberations have been ex-*'
pressed in soberriesi and sincerity tef
the Government of the United State?*
adverse to a removal. We declare'
that those Sentiriierits and disposition
remain the same, and arc unchangca-
You state that you arc instructed*
simply to propose, that “we will a?
gree to meet commissioners to be ap
pointed by the president^ at such
time as may best suit the convenience
of both parlies, for the purpose of dis
cussing the subject of the Cherokees
removing west of the Mississippi, and
that we wOtild then have . an opportu
nity of hearing the propositions of the
Government.” It is deemed in expef
dient to enter , into a special agree
ment to meet commissioners for the
purpose of discussing the subject ..of
the Cherokees removing west of the
Mississippi, when it is well known
that the disposition of the nation is ad
verse to a removalynnd that no propo
sition couldjbe made so to change .their
disposition as to induce them ever
to enter into a treaty on the subject;'
especially^as the proper authorities
of the nation Are ever ready at all
times to receive in the most friendly
manner all public functionaries of the
United States, that may be appointed',
by the President for the purpose of
submitting' subjects for our considered
tion.- The Executive department of
the nation will never neglect to at
tend to Such business during the i:p-
cdss of the General Council, as 'is
manifest on the occasion,, and the
Legislative department during its ses
sion, which is convened annually on' 1
the second Monday of October, in
like inanner will always receive and 7
act Upon alf subjects submitted for
their consideration and decision-
The right of individual States exer
cising jurisdiction, over the Territo
ry solemnly secured and guaranteed
to the Cherokee Nation by treaty, is a-
subject that is certainly questionable.
The principles contained in the conftti**
tutionoCthe United States v and the
treaties establishing relationship be
tween the United States and the
Cherokee Nation are at . variance
with the exercise of such a power by
the State Governments. We are a«
ware that a decision on this import*
ant subject must seal our fate in pros
perity and happiness or in misery and
destruction; but confiding; in the mag
nanimity and justice of the United
States ,we place our dependence upon
their plighted faith, and await the re
sult. We are happy tC hear that it qf-
fords you much satisfaction . to finff
that the best feelings exist every
where towards the United States in
the nation, and that you will take oc
casion to communicate this fact to
the President of the United States*
in contradiction to tfib slanderous re
ports circulated by the frontier News
Papers, prejudicial to tbe-best inter
ests of the Cherokee People.
Permit us Sir, in addition, to say,
that so far from the Cherokqes.enter
taining any hostile feeling# towards
the citizens of ih<? UpitCff States, that
in our opinion, no people could bo
found in the United States who would,
in case of actual war, prove more
loyal to the cause of the .United States
than the Cherokees. Yourself qs well
qs the President of the United States
have witnessed thjs fact realized du
ring the late war. With groat pleas
ure we reciprocate your wishes-for
the future happiness of this natipp.—
In return you will please to accept
.be best wishes for your lw»?ltfr anti