The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-03-15

from whom they purchafed were in ponehiou
of the law Of Georgia ratfying the fale ofgrauts,
duly executed with all the Solemn formaliteS
and ofreceipts for the purchaie money-many
ofthe claimantSa are among the mott diitiuguiih-
ed characters in the northern ltsSes, they had
held, and then held important Offices under the
tate authority, and had taken cath 10 ful,-
port the contribution of the United States
which declares that full faith and credit,
!hali be given to the acts, and judicial
proceedings of the REFLECTIVE fates; their
INCLINATION as well as their oaths induced
them to give full! credit to then; it could
not be prefumed bv them that the Repre-
ientatives of = iiher fate, had been corrupted
and although the az Of f:le might have been in
diicreet. and a bad bargain 10 the vendors they
knew alto, that the contribution prohibited the
ttates from paiiing any ex pot facto law, by
which any title velted in Others will be'impair-
ed-under thefe circumstances, they aik that
we ihould give them part Of the property tet
apart for fatisfying their claims, permit their
right to be decided before the judicial tribunals
of the nation, and to grant this requeft is what
majority of the Houie of Representatives be-
eve that iuttice, no lels than found policy die
tates and this is what we have been told, is
fupendous robbery rely on the boiicp of
this meaiure, that alone is futlicieut in my OPT
mon TO warrant the adoption ofthis report (; we
can now quiet thefe claims by portion of the
five millions; they may if not Quoted recover
Fifty millions by the DEGREES of our courts of
jufice this is ferrous reafon, in favor of the
policy ofthe meafure-lat year, when, as my
colleague alledges, the prefs was gagged, and
virtual fedtion law was in force, he declared
" let them get decree of the courts in their
favor, let them take pohetiioE of the property
and zuW ev,end the IqR dollar in the treajitry,
and Eaerifce the LaREfe in TIE nation to fgbt them
ont oftbe eounfyr' (here Mr.. Randolph declared,
loud enough 70 be heard, that he till faid fo)
Mr.. Jackfon proceeded. The gentleman de-
cares that he IS Till in the fame mind, that thefe
titles are to be trampled under foot, by law
lefs foldiery.--Is this true policy? God forbid,
that mycoleague, whole influence inthis Houfs,
is equal to the capacity ofthe fpeculator whole
gigantic grafp has been defcribed by him, as ex-
tending from the flores of lake Erie, re the
mouth of the Mobile, ihould make the nation
think 70. Sir, an enlightened and independent
judiciary isthc fafeguard ofthe poor, againft the
tyranny of the rich, il is the fafeguard of the CT
! tizep againft the tyranny of his government-In
England, Sir, the virtue of the Judiciary has,
except in few initances, difgraceful TO their
authors, been the only refuge of the flbiect a.
gainit the gripngs of tyranny-the judiciary
there has been the pride ana boat of that nation,
and has excited the euogies of this !; orr Judi
ciary, is the heet anchor of fafety, aganft popu-
/ lar fury, or the more destructive, though efs
violent attacks Of ufurpation. look to it with
veneration and refpe6t, as the preferver of civil
rights, and civil liberty; but if it is to yield to
the power of an army, and its DEGREES are to be
reverted on the points of lireling, mercenary
bayonets; then indeed, nought remains of IL
berty but the name, 4 phantom not worth pre-
ferving.-It is polite in the language ofthe Pre-
fident, TO compromise thefe claims, g prompt
fettlement too, of all exiting claims within this
territory, prefents ihelf as preliminary ope-
ration" IT ~ polite, fir, on every ground, many
eminent lawyers alike hyperion to the qurks,
and quibbles of the law as well as the hereby
ofmaking the law yield 10 military force, be-
lieve in the legality of thefc claims, and lf there
! is pretext oflaw on thet Eide, it will produce
i more injury than the value OF the land, they are
willing TO take !; / fpeak expermentally upon
his fubie6t-ten millions of acres of land, (by
computation) in the difri6t / reprefent, are
claimed by perfons called the Indiana company,
by grant from the fix nations of Indians I'm
the year I744, public treaty under the regal
authority. was held at Lancalter, with thofe In
! dians, and ar that time they ceded the whole of
their title to all the lands within the chartered
{ limits of the fate &: fome years afterwards, viz
in 76S, as an indemnity tn a company OF MGR
chants for goods forcibly taken by the Indians,
they coded large tract of.land, bounded by
the Laurel Hill, on the eat, the Pennfylvania
/ line on The north, the Ohio river, on the wet
and the little Kenhawa on the fouth to Trent
and others. In 1870, this company Detitioned
the Virginia. legislature, to grantthem fome COM
penfation, this they refnfed' to do, and thew pro-
ceeded to pats fundry refohItions upon the filb-
ictf, namely, that this grant to Trent, and his
al1ociates was null and void, that the executive
right Of presumption from the Indians, was velt-
ed in the government, and that they would vim
dictate its rights to their utmoft power.-Soon
after the contribution was adopted, fuit was
brought againG Virginia in the federal court,
and in contequence of the amendment concern
ing the liability of the fates, it was difmined !;
various efforts were afterwards made by the
company TO obtain fome allowance, and
finally they infituted fuit aganft us in the Vr-
ginia circuit court of the United States, which
is now depending. prefumS from reference
to the dates of the giants, and the eHablilhed
rule that individuals cannot purchafe the In
dian title every member of this Houfe will
oin me in faying, that there is no chance of
fucceis for the company-yet, fir, the difri6t
attorney of Virginia, who my colleague on
former location, pronounced to be A gentleman
Of great legal learning, (which ALTO admit) has
given an opinion in their favour, and he with o.
Their eminent lawyers generally as learned as
himfelf, are their council the effect of the ex-
iltance ofthis claim is, that tract of country