Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-03-22

issued at the close Of the revolutionary
| war. N consequence of repeated pledges,
given 10 the soldiers Of the state, that Their
! .er, ices should be thus rewarded. 1hey
| q ere amongst the inducements to them 10
| engage in the service oil their country
! They constituted, 10 fact. as much pari
| of their pay as the money which issued
| from their treasury. And why, sir, are
the claims they have created. sill unaa-
iusted Scarcely had the warrants them
| selves issued without any limitation as 10
the time of their location, when, in conse'
oueDce Of symptoms of rising dissatisiac.
ton on The part of the lndians, the pro-
| claInation of your governor forbade your
commissioners. surveyors, and all other
persons from surveying or taking posses
sion, of any OF the lands in question:. un'
I'll they should be legally authorised to 90
So" And in less than twelve months At
forwards, the treaty of HopeweIl, TO which
you were party. in common with the
other states Of the union, declared that
4" il any citizen OF the United States, or
any other person, should attempt to settle
on any of these lands, such person shall
forfeit the protection OF the government
and the Indians might punish him or aot,
as they pleased And this is precisely the
! state OF hiRgs, which continued, until the
extinction of the Indian title in the year
1918.
Here then It was hoped, that the mol
ders of the warrants might, al ieng'n, iooh
! for Justice tut here again they are met
BY an obstacle which threatens, not Tue
| suspen,ion, but the total aunihilat'on OF
their rights. Kentucky, in reply 10 thelr
demand for ius,ice, refers them to her
compact with you, AID tells them lnat you'
who had prohibited the location OF lhsir
warrants before '92, have agreed IN mat
compact, that they should not be located
after '92 That any tribunal uhder hea'
yen can give to your compact With heh-
! lucky, such a construction ! am by no
, mean. willing to admit. But il, upon the
| institution OF suit in the federal court,
that court should so decide, what would
be your situation in relation 10 these war
rants Would you leave the holders OF
them to their fate Would the obligations
which they have created cease Would
their value be al an end No, sir, II Is
impossible. The very moment II shah De
decided, that Kentucky IS released from
her obligation to satisfy them, that mo-
ment an obligation will attach 10 you,
| which you cannot, which you dare not
which you wall not resist. ! know 100
we'll The high and exalted character OF
Virginia, to believe that she will require
the authority O guarantee 10 induce her
TO do simple act OF Justice.
An by, ir, should you be unwilling
to pledge yourselves to that which you are
prepared 10 do without pledge? Why
should you iorego the NUN: er e>s advaD
tages which that bill offers 10 you, because
il gives to the decision OF the tribunal
which it will create, precisely the effect,
which you are willing to concede to the
decision of the federal court This Is the
only guarantee which is asked OF YOU
This is the only responsibility which you
are required t. as ume,
had intsude to have said much more,
sir but My failing voice reminds NE thai
ii IS time to stop. ! will. therefore, only
express my earnest nope that the bill may
pass. trust that even those gentlemen,
who seem positively to have decided
gainst it, will yet ponder on the conse-
quences OF The vote they are about TO give;
and will bear IN mind, that this is perhaps
the Last occasion that will be afforded them
OF providing, ON advantageous terms, tor
the claims OF those, who ought to be OBJ
jects OF peculiar interest to them. inns
is, indeed, the tide that must be taken al
it. hood. For myself, sir, confess, that
as have proceeded in this investigation,
the importance Of that bill and the awful
responsibility under which | am acting,
have increased very tar beyond the limits
which my Imagination had, at hrs', pre-
scribed to them. / feel that great and i'm
portant interests are at stake, and that the
character Of Virginia itself is deeply IN
voIved IN the result of your deliberations
do not know that | have conveyed to
you, a very distinct repre- seniation OF the
deep impressions and sincere convictions
OF my own mind IL, however, | have
partially succeeded ! cannot help antlci'
pating from you a decision, which, while
it will do justice 10 the character OF my
native state, will shed transient gieam
OF happiness around The closing scenes Of
many soldier of the revolution,
Tho Surname Court after 4 session OF