Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-08-04

released from the raora law OF nature. IL would
DO much easier to get rid our treaty obligations, 10y
assuming at once that christian nations were not
bound 70 keep their faith With infdels and plentiful
casuistry be found for that too This matter is
not I" be disposed OF in that way, will be hereaf
ter 1t is too late for us to deny our claims to be
considered civilized people; that we ore willing to
acknowledge the public and social law of the human
family. and be bound by that code of universal
rality which is confessed by every government which
feels it be honorable to stand within the pale Of
christian nations. 1t lie not trHing thing for US TO
start any principles at this day, on which we may
claim to absolve ourselves from the obligation of that
faith which We have pledged in all our Indian trea-
ties. The question IL too solemny settled FIT was
now an original question and mere speculative in
curry, We might treat it theme for the exsrcita
ton OF ingenuity with better grace. and shelter
ourselves from the imputations which may follow,
under some more plausible apology. But We cannot
approach our Indian treaties any side without fin
ding them secured by sanctions which cannot safely
be desplsed.
fully admit, that shortly after the discovery of
America, the principle became established by Euro
pean nations, that they held their domnons here,
among themselves by the right Of discovery, and
that this doctrine must be considered as settled at
this day, let its origin have been what 1t may. We
should hold maxim of such long standing IN the
greatest respect Some nconvenenccs may have
followed from the history of the
" discoveries and the difficulty OF its application to
the claims of nations as the population advanced
into the interior But from the very nature of the
subject, any rule would probably have led TO some
collision. This may have been considered the best,
and almost any rule preferable to nome II was
clearly better for England, and probably for France
too, establish this rule than to submit the question
of title the decision of the Pope, who claimed all
undiscovered lands his spiritual patrimony, and
parceled out his unknown domln,ous on maps w iich
furnished him nothing but degrees of longitude to
define the extent OF his earthly domnions We
must consider therefore that the question OF priority
in right is be settled by priority of discovery. Oc-
cupaton does not TO have been first consider
ed strictly essential, though generally taken
symbolically. 1t is probable too that this rule had
no reference originally to any question growing out
of the title OF the natives. The morality of sucn
application Of it would nave seriously mcrited
b the sarcasm of one of our poets, who has said,
"The time here, to the world he known,
"When all a man saild by was his own"
As ;he spirit of discovery advanced, the claims of
the native occupants who might be found here pre-
sented another question The voyages OF Columbus
had shown it TO be probable that evey part of the
new world peopled. 1t necessary to find
some sembauce of principle TO dispose of their title.
In age which overshadowed with superstition
and when the human mind darkened by big try.
it was not found difficult TO silence conscience and
enlist the religious feelings of mankind in favor
of the schemes Of avarice and ambition. They were
therefore cloaked under the garb of religion Ole
das proclamation will show the nature of the
claims of Spain to the soil and sovereignty of South
America against the natives.
GSpeech TO be continued