Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-08-30

the 2sth ult., which, now that am
writing, has for the first time beer put
into my hands, and almost a week al
terits publication, l have to remark,
that the history of diplomacy will not
furnish a parallel,-so marked with In
discretion, intemperance, deliberate
~disrespect, and the outrage OF ABIDE
cency. Gen. Gaines forgets as well
what he owes to his own Government
as to this-his duty to you required him
to show respect to this government In
all his intercourse with it. If in that
intercourse he had found himself
wronged or aggrieved by the authori-
ties here, it was not allowed him to
take the redress into his own hands
upon representation to you, you were
competent to decide the nature and the
extent of the injury he had received,
and of the redress most suitable to it
he would not Confde the exercise OF
this privilege to you, no doubt ques-
tioning your fitness or discretion for
such matters, but chose to rely on his
own dexterity and pfowess. He writes
among other things Of the" malignant
villainy" which has been extensively
practised on the ~credulity of many OF
the good citizens of Georgia, and other
States, in reference to the Indians and
the treaty-a charge SO vague cannot
be easily understood, much less dis
tinctly answered. Presupposing it to
be directed against the authorities OF
State, and to be in all, respects true,
who made Gen. Gaines the Judge to
pass this condcmnatory sentence on the
conduct of those authorities? 1t had
been understood that you had reserved
to yourself this power, and that Gen.
Gaines was here only as your agent, to
collect the evidences upon which that
power was to be exercised.
He proceeds to make another refer
ence to the certificate Of the Indian
Chief and the white man-reiterates
the expression of unlimited confidence
in the veracity Of Observation-Disclosures
him as among the most worthy OF the
%"little treaty making party" and comes
again to the conclusion, that the Chief
Magistrate of Georgia and others, are
not to be credited against the certificate
of such respectable personages. With
in this hour have received the testi-
mony of the Chiefs of the friendly par
ty voluntarily given, "that the state
ment of Joe Marshall to Gen. Gaines is
FALSE" and enclose you the certificate
of my Express, a man of fairest cha
racter and undoubted yeracity, to salts
fly you that Marshall has added false
hood to %treachery. In this part of his
letter, he takes occasion to manifest his
resentment towards the friends ofNl'In-
tosh; he calls them "he Httie treaty max
ing pariy"-then again "Me U0ssal Chiefs
of M'htosh," and questions their right
to give permission to make the survey.
What a dispassionate and impartial
umpire is this General Gaines; one
would have supposed, that consulting
the magnanimity Of a soldier if he de-
| parted from the line ofneutrality at all,
he would be found at the head Of the
weaker, the innocent, the injured party.
But the General consulting the better
part OF valor, and counting the odds "a
gainst him as fifty to one, throws him
self into the ranks of the stronger par
ly, and thus commends himself again
to you for that discretion which you
had given him in advance.
The General is correct in one of his
positions, and being in the right him
self he puts you in the wrong and so
conspicuously, that you stan9on the in
sulated eminence an almostsolitary adj
vocate for making and breaking trea-
ties at pleasure. General Gaines says |
"the treaty no matter how procured,
had become a law of the land" sc. sc.
he had said to the Council of hostile
Indians at Broken Arrow that the trea.
ty could not be annulled, and must be
carried into effect, sc. &c.-this is good
sense. The day before yesterday / re-
ceived your letter, in which you say
General Gaines having informed you
that the treaty had been obtained by
intrigue and treachery, it will be refer
red to Congress Tor reconsideration
Gen. Gaines tells the Indians that no
treaty has eve yet been annulled-you
say this treaty shall be made an excep-
ton to all others, and upon the infor-
nation received from Gen, Gaines.
Gen Gaines proceeds to manifest
his respect and compiaisance for the
Chich Magistrate Of a sovereign state,
by informing him that che has been
greatly deceived by the persons in
whose honor he placed reliance, but
who were unworthy Of his confidence"
thus liking upon himself the response
bility 10 decide for the Chief Magis-
trate, one of the most delicate of all
questions connected with government
and sovereignty, viz. the question who
are worthy of trust, and who among