Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1805-1805, 1805-04-08
poIitffal.
CIRCULAR LETTER, rxeM THE
Hon. MATTHEW LYON, NfmB. C.Hgrel5,
TO lis CONSTITUENTS.

I va ~hOASh1 III WHICH nave D6eu nOnOIed WIKI
feat by The free fuffrages Of my eIIow-cItizens
OF the fFit Congregational Ditrid in Kentucky,
having expired, and the fccond felfion clofed
latt evening, sgreeably to my promife, and what
conhder my duty, now give you fummary
account Of the proceedings Of that lelion, the
hrtt part OF which has been dull, formal, quer,
and unimportant the middle turbulent and
boiiterous; the lalt almoR wholly occupied by
the trial Of Judge Chafc
/ Il behoves me to explain mYlelf with regard 90
the trania6tions of the middle part Of the felton,,
by the following narrative:
In the year 1875. the government Of th- fate
OF Georgia, fold TO certain companies, I. ooo COO
OF acres of their Wefern Lands, received the
price agreed on, and gave ample conveyanccs Of
the property on the faith Of which the frlt
Purchaicrs fold to fecond purchalcrs, they to o.
theirs, and 70 on. Il
iucceeding legislature, in 1870, it leems,
did not like the barg il made by their predccef-
fors, they declared it founded il fraud, and
without bringing one Of thole concerned in
what they called fraud, TO trial, they reclaimed
the property and offered to fell part Of their
Weitern Territory to the United States. The
purchaiers from Georgia, remonltrated againt
the proPoied fale to the United States, aud no.
tlhed the PRECEDENT Of their claim, its validity
and extent. CongrelS, however, By a law, au-
thoriled the Preidept Of the United States, TO
accept the celion of the territory propoG7d to
be coded by Georgia, which includes nineteen
millions Of acres more than The before MENTION
ed Purchaies, at the time time making pro-
viflon Sor compromise with the aforelaid cia-
mants. .. ,.-..
fer u nc
on between the United States and Georri2. bv
which the United States became bound to give
for the land ceded TO them By Georgia,
t25oo0odollars out Of the avail of the lands In
this convention the exafperated Georgians eau
fed to be inferred clauie limiting to 5000, 900
of acres the extent OF what the United States
fhould be liable to give to all the claimants, by
way of mpromife, which if not appropriated
for that purPofe within one year, fhcud revert
to Georgia-the appropriation was accordingly
made in due time.
The claimants at frf view were unwilling to
accept Of the imall pittanee Of the 100000
which, by the convention between the III lied
States and Georgia, the u. States were allowed
to give for the compromiie, but when they con-
iidered that without the content Of LongrcfS the
Indian title could not be By them extinguifhed,
and without that extinguilhment they void net
be allowed to fettIe on their lands, they felt diC
Poied TO accept what was in the power of the
United States to give.
In 1903, law pafed confirming the conven-
ton between the United States and Georgia,
IN which the claims of the purchaters were a.
gain recognized, and they invited to a eompro-
mife and to record the evidence Of their CLANS,
WEIGH has been done at vaf expenle and 10
further this objeGt the FreGdent, twho in a pre-
vlous mefiage to Congrefs recommended COM
Promile as mealure preliminary to the fettle-
ment of the country was authorized to appoint
commiiTioners to hear and report the offers Of
compromife which fhoud Be made, with their
opinion thereon. Thofe commi1ioners,n namely.
| the Secretary Of State, the Secretary of the
Lreaiury, and the Attorney General, all appoin-
| ted by PIeGdent Jeferion, after full examina-
ton Of the nature Of the claims, and the atten-
| ding circumstances, reported to Congrefs in
| favor Of comPronife with the claimants, fla
| ting that the intereft5 Of the nation, together
with certain equitable conEderations in favor of
| The claimants, rendered compromile in their
opinion deiirabe..
The fubjea of the compromiGe was accor-
dinghy brought forward in the frt lclFion Of the
eighth Congrei5, for Legislative fanaion las |
conhdered,) under the mott favorable aufpices.
| feel deeply interefed in the compromile, not
that | ever bought, fold or owned foot Of the
and, or ever expected % own any Of It, but |
looked forward with pleafure to the time when,
by this compromife, every objection to the ex-
tinguifhment Of the Indian title would be remov-
ed, and the country lying between the dilfri6t I
rePreien., as well as our neighboring fate Of
Ienneiee and the waters Of the Alabumar, the
Tom5igbee, and The other rivers running into
the Mobile bay, might be lettled, and our coun-
try BY that means have new and more conve-
nient channel and courie Of commerce than any
ihe now has. | know of no object 70 impor-
tar,t II The -,aorIe IS he ,rail.r .---,-.--