Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1829-11-17

this town on Thursday last, and considera.
BILE number of citizens placed their names
to the Constitution. The Constitution to-
gether with the preamble is to be printed.
CHERoKEEs. We copy below piece
taken from the Cherokee paper, in relation
to the present controversy between that
tribe and the general government. 1t is
a we'll written and feeling article, and must
excite the sympathy of our readers. We
hope that the temperate conduct observed
by those friendly to the Indian rights, that
the excellent pieces of William Penn, and
that the sober sense of the country, oil COM
bined, viii prevent the cruel aggressions of
Georgia, and save our beloved country from
another deep stain, not upon her magnanimi-
ty, but upon her justice -
1--WE have seen published letter of the
Secretary of War to the Secretary of the
Indian Board in New-York, in which Mr..
Eaton says, that nothing of compulsory
course to remove the Indians has ever been
thought of by the President. 1t may be so,
though we very well remember that Col.
McKenney, speaking the language of an
agent of the Government, did once recon-
mend, and the State of Georgia has threat
ened,, force. For our own part, we, never
thought that the United States in her FEEDER
al capacity would come out against the In
dams in military array, and say, you must re-
move. She dare not do such thing in the
face of an enlightened world. But let the
candid reader consider the policy, and the
effects of this policy on the poor Indians,
and then say that the United States are
guiltless. 1t is her unjust measures that we
complain of, and which, to our minds, par
take of the nature of force. We presume
our readers have not forgotten the late Greek
controversy. Two Commissioners of the
United States, COL D. G. Campbell, and
Maj. J. Merewether succeeded, after pre-
vious failure, to make fraudulent treaty
with a small party of disafected Creeks,
which treaty was afterwards ratified. The
Creek nation hereupon made protest, and it
was made fully apparent by them and by the
Governments agents that the treaty was
obtained in fraudulent manner, entered in
to by persons unauthorized on the part of
the Creek nation. The illegality of the
treaty was put beyond question by its snb-
sequent abrogation. But mark the conduct
of the Government. What was her Ian
guage to the poor Cherokees who had gone
to the house of their father to ask that COM
mon Justice may be done towards them by
restoring the lands taken, away from them
by underhanded measures "We know
that the treaty is illegal it has been OBJ
tanned by unfair means. as our own agents
have told US, and that it ought to be annulled,
but remember the Georglans have already
surveyed the land and they will soon be set
tied upon it,and we cannot remove them. We
know you have justice on your side, but the
delicate situation of the Government renders
her unable to annul the treaty, ,unless you
cede and relinquish that part of your coun-
try claimed by the State of Georgia" 10
such language as this what could the Greeks,
poor, weak, and detenceless people an
swer? They were forced to yield, and con-
seqnently their ancient territory has fallen
into the hands of strangers.
From among many similar instances we
will select one other. The State OF Geor-
gia, despairlng OF ever obtaining the Chero-
kee country by lair and peaceable means,
and being encouraged by successful in
trigue towards the Creeks, has laid claim to
portion of our territory. Soon after the claim
originated, which was in the Legislature of
the State, surveyor was appointed by the
Governour, who, dlsregardlng the protest OF
the United States Agent, run the line. How
sincere the Government was in making the
protest, is not for us to say. When II was
known that the line was run by order of the
State, and that the United States had not
used efficient measures to prevent it, as in
duty bound she ought to have done, our
neighbours on the frontier began to flock in
and take the country. Hereupon our citl-
zens complained to the Agent, and demand
ed, agreeably to treaty stipulation and the
intercourse law, the immediate removal of
the intruders. The Agent at first returned
favourable answer-but that was all. The
Cherokees, finding that nothing was done,
and that the hardness OF the Government
encouraged the intruders, and after suffer-
ing repeated insults and oppression, urged
the complaint over and over again. What
has been the late answer, our readers are
referred to the letter OF the Secretary of
War to Col. H. Montgomery, lately publish
ed In the Phoenix. The Agent Is expressly
ordered to use no harsh and rigid measures
against the intruders. Why? Because the
State of Georgia claims the land. In what
light shall we view such conduct as this !? Is
it not apparent that the design of the Gov
eminent is to create difficulties for us on
every side? Are we not likely to be treat
ed as the Creeks were in 1896? Since the
order above referred to has been received
by the Agent, we understand more intruders
have been removed into the country than
were before. When the question is once
decided and settled, shall we be forced to
cede and relinquish the land because these
intruders cannot be removed, and because
of the delicate situation of the Government /?
Such is undoubtedly the policy. But, gen.
tie reader, we beseech you to reflect mo-
ment on the effects of such a policy. As
the State OF Georgia has done, with equal
propriety may she, North Carolina, Tennes-
see, and Alabama severally do, in regard to
the remaining portion of our territory: and