Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1819-02-11

Us VI 'V'c,Sb power, .bOT III capturing
me person OF your enemy when he unwa-
rliy pnfs himself III Your power. Nor, in
what had been done in relation 10 these
liuians, was there any violation ofhuma-
nify or OF public law. Do they meet MS
IN honorable combat! said Mr.J. I'm The
case OF The unfortunate Mrs. Garrett, did
they meet us in Honorable conflict there 2
When they burnt tic seaman alive. whom
They had previously Iarred and iealbered.
nid they meet us IN open combat 2.
Was the war one in which Greek met
Greek, or an American met The citizen or
subject OF any civilized nation 2 If il
were, the course of General Jackson. so
lar from receiving appreciation. would de-
serve execraiion. But, considering tie
ireacherous enemy lie had to cope with.
and the object OF his measures, wiiicl,
was to give security 10 Tie frontier. and
TO save The was!eiul expenditure Of the
blood, and even Of The treasure of the
nation; when think OH this, said Mr..
j. do not censure Gen. jackson but,
as before my God, give him any thanks.
but Tor ms energy, what would have been
The consequence! The frontier Of Geor
gia would have been deluged with blood,
as II has been once before, aud the gen
,irmail from Georgia (Mr. Cabbl would
again have called upon us, with voice of
patriotism, and voice of thunder. 10 pay
me gallant Georgians for going against
the Semnloles.
"iln regard 10 the treaty OF Fort Jack
son, Mr.. J. SAID, he should enter ieio no
long argument, but he differed exceed
,nsiy from his honorable colleague.
fiaVe we moi right, said he, To dictate
terms 10 conquered enemy Was not
'iie war which was terminated by that
treaty an unprOvoked war? Was il not
'nsi,gaied againstus, and without cause
on The part of the Indians? On whose
head should the blood fall, ifyou cannot
con'rol the Indians with Tie bible?
wish to God you could, said Mr.. ]. and
towards that Object | will do, and have
done, as much IN my sphere as anv one.
ihere Is al Tins moment, in The heart of
my country, school for The education
OF The indians In the arts of civil life
but, when you come into contact with
them, when they flourish their iomaIayk
over your head, are YOU 10 meet Them
with the bible in your hands. and invoke
their obedience ofthat holy religion. of
which the Speaker Tells us | should be
me iasi TO raise tie sword against them. if
The employment OF such means would an
peaSe iheir fury. Experience had shemp
II would not; and il became necessary TO
meet and chastIseihom. And would apv
man say. thar, having put down their
hostility by force, we had moi a rjgLt 10
dictate othem the terms of peace? We
had the right, and we made the treaty. 80
That treaty received the sanction of eye
ry part of fbc government, This house
among them, (by the appropriation to
carry II INTO efiecD and it was too late
now TO disiurbit.
r But, IN regard TO the Indian tribes, an
extraordinary doctrine had been advsuc-
ed-f'iat they are 10 be considered. in
every respect, IN negotiating with them.
as independent naIons. What. then. MIR.
J. asked, should we say of The treaty of
Greenville, depriying those tribes with
whom II was made of all the superior
rights of sovereignty? What was TO be-
Gene oil the declarations of our commits
sIoners at Client, where The British gov
ernment demanded, as sine gna ,,on. that
we should not only acknowledge The In
dependence of the Indians, but should
establish certain boundaries, within which
The lands belonging 10 The Indians should
never be sold TO us? With What indip-
nation had that proposition been met u
The Indians, Mr.. j. said, were in fact
mere tenants at suffcrance: not that he
would treat them with harshness--for he
never would. That the principle that we
nave right to occupy the country, in
doependenily OF The qualified right Of The
INDIANS, was recognized, not only bv the
ireaiy OF Greenville, utby iIIetreaiy with
spain herself, who, in the treaty of 1895.
stipulated to keep the indians within her
oouudares from disturbing our frontiers.
And YET, after all this, il was commended.
that we had been fighting with a soye-
reign and independent power.
As TO the war, the consiifntionalitv of
winch had been doubted, MIR. j. said. the
President of tie United States was not
only authorized, but il was his bounden
duty, TO make war on The Seminole In
dams. Admit, for the sake ofargumenf.
that, beyond our boundary, they were TO
be considered as exercising a sovereign
and independent authority. What would
gentlemen ;aiu by that admission II if
were fru,, had we not right TO trace
them 10 their strong holds, even i'm a
neutral country? On that point. the
exposiiors Of the laws ofnafions were uot
silent. Ii was there laid down, iI,at Won
may pursue a retreating enemy INTO a
neutral country, if the government Of
that country, either from parlialitv to
bin, or from inability to prevent it. shall
not stop The progress of the retreaiing
army.
Now, as to another point, which. per.
haps, considering it as too delicate. the.
military committee bad not thought pro-
per to approach. Mr.. j. said he should
be deferred by 10 such motive, from ex-
aiming the question of the power of Tie
President 10 prosecute this Indian war.
and from ceDsuring him, if, in doing so.
he usnrped power, or exceeded his duty.
As early as the year, 1887, the Congress
had authorized the stationing of troops