Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-08-05

4
search as closely as may into the history of the
claims they set up, and ehall find lnst-that they
were defended solely on the ground thai these were
hereto and ndel countries, and that the claims of
herettcs aud indes TO tho earth were entitled no
regard in preference TO Catholic dominion. But IS
the age OF superstition and bigotry passed awayas
lPrerogative became weakened and Popsh supremacy
te: into disrepute-as the minds of men became en-
lNrGed and the public law improved better principles
weFe established. Before the beginning of the last
century, moral and political science had become TOO
far emancipated from the superstition mud intolerance
of the times of Alexander VI well as the ,Tudors
and Siuarts. sanctify any longer the Volences
which had been cofhmitted in the name of religion
and Prerogatve. Grotius had long before given the
true foundation Of al original title Primus acqui-
rend modls est occupatIo eorum 9vi nullius STUNT p
We have the right to take that others have not
already appropriated to themselves, but we have no
! right to take away our neighbors property, This
was tho Fulc laid down by that great CIVILIAN and
Christian morast. Then it came TO be held by some
that Indian occupation occupation for any pur-
posc-that it was tn" state of without the Sc
curty of natural law. Some were SO very liberal as
20 admit that the Inisns zen, but held that ihey
roYeG over the earth Migrants and outcast of tue
human family, with title even to what thew
actually cultivated than the brutes that fed before
them or the winds which passed the forest and
that they fair subjects for force or fraud for all
who might Sld it be their interest to ensnare or
hunt them down There were John Bukleys before.
I734, who held to this doctrine as stoutly as John
Dulkley OF Colchester But | doubt if any other
treatise like this be found III the whole history of
n. England Why these people were, above all others
to be excluded from the social law of mankind was
not as closely inquired into il might have been =
1t was true that their Kings and Sachems had few or
no prerogatives. They generally governed by
councils assembled from the whole nation Bot IL
the mead men and warriors proved To be sometimes
refractory the kings had no power TO send Ia Tower
hui ar Iyburn. They hghted 10 no fires for hare
tues, and never scnt their prophets to the stake
fhey roasted their enemies only. They wess fero.
cious and roereilcss IN war, hut they had no ST. Bar
b,ll 4
ysted country. but they had Laws of the Forest
a. was neither death nor transportation for ryiur
man 10 take dear, aud /, is probable they never
heard adscussiuR the moay of sprinr.c GUNS y
ihey believed IN wicacratt well as socle others
OF their ieiiow-mea--and i'll thst they cauIe some
what nearer to certain king, who sat in his close,
with his Treatise on DemUnoogy open before HIM
and conveyed away their country by p2rchrnsnt
and green before he knew where il gas
to be found We cannot deny that the Euroou,nl
governments originally held the rights of the indian
nations IN very little regard. There were great
temptations TO treat them lightly, and they were moi
iooSed upon with that Difference to the sot,naer rrn
cpies otiustico. and that humanity which has since
81 highly improved the moral law of ne.iops rPb,
spt OF aVarce was excited, and the thirst of dunIin
ION tempted by the Developments of the rcsonr
ces OF the new world. Grants aad charters follow
ed and were often dispensed rewards to f. vorteg
But, SIR whatever may have been the theories ON
which the government al home assorted is suorema
cY, deny that our English ancestors who fast col
ohiEed these States, ever countcuanccd that d;sre
Sard OF lndion rights, carried INTO PRACTICE tfa,
system OF injustice 10 the native nhabltants which
nas Oeen asserted IN the Report Of the COMMITTEE on
Indian AtlAirs. On the settlement of lhe coIIo,rr
one OF two courses was be pursuel--to DENY alic
ssther The caInls of tho Indian occupants fer any
ana 10 dispossess them by violence under a.
ny Pansioie or convenient preozt TO treat them
as holding qualified right in the SOIL and exrIpnufs
ther titIe honestly by purchase We have already
seen IN The proclamation Of Ojeds, Tie system our
sued by Spain The natives were treated "a ft Tor
spoil only. The history of Spanish Amcrico - -
most dIsgracsfui tissue of Injustice cruelty and per
ndious Vlilony winch stains the annals OF chrison
Gon ana SPAN has suffered for her crime the re,r-
outVe justice of Providence. But to tho bnuor nc
our ancestors history has given us TO North AnIari
can annals like these. They held the doctrine OIL
discovery 80 far as to project the chartered rrhts I'll
fpe colohleS against the encrOachments of others
put they never sanctioned system which lef Tho
IndIan nations unprotected against themselves and
at SUBJECTS Tor lnwless plumber. They were mon
VINO acted up to their professions before the ,o,ld
ne Hohofaoe gentleman from Tennessee, 10 asking
WheTe we shouIdlook for the movements Of W iian
Penn directed to the noble institutions and envio
Die prosperity Of Pennsylvania. FhIs is very ir,s
10 inc name of Penn, but it fails short of t,JI
JUSTICE 10 MS memory. cun ts him where he
can ma another monument TO the fame of
That excellent man. Vattel has perpetua,ed hi
name TO oil ages and in all nations m that work in
Which ne has commended to all mankind. the inyari
aSls tfsPec IN which William Penn and the Puritans
OF new England he'd the right of the native inbab
uon's OF America TO their country. II is very true
mat IN the colonea the Crown wus considered AZ
the only legitimate source OF title for It's subjects
ana IN most OF them the lands ware geneTgJlv held
uhder patents FROM the Crown, Or The colonial rn
VcFninenis. This was early established, and comm
ueS 70 be palniaIued to this day Tie discoveries
mac ocen made under commissions from The Crown
a"d possession was taken IN its name. As between
me KING and his subjects, the lands were treated a
the domain OF The Grown, aud Indie purchases v,ero
not admitted against the grants of the KIM or ina
tito. He wos considered IN theory in the Iigb, NJ
an orglnalF ocdaI proprietor Of the country II was
n a aah That what otherwise might have been
called at the bar of the courts the sels,n of the In
olan nations, was nothing more against the Crown
tn9n naked occupancy BY The originai title of the
GooDist5 under their charters, they held in fact nm
Ger the King as the Lord paramount of The Realm
we mold tins docnes ourselves, 50 far il applies 10
our governments. But we CLAIM no Supremacy oyer
Ihe indian right, even theory, because they arc To
DC treated a5 IN state Of nature and without pov.
trhfnents OF thIer own which VIC have never ac-
Rho"iedged, or as hcretics and infdeIs Instances
may doubtless be found in history land the com
mittee have been able TO collect few 70 In Which