Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-08-18

the middle Of those Lakes and the waters which unite
them. 10 be The boundaries of the United States
"Brothers-We determined that our conduct
shall be marked with openness and sincerity. We
therefore frankly tell you that think those Com
missiones put erroneous construction that
Of our Treaty with the King. As he had not purcha-
sed the country Of you, he could not give il away
He only rsnquished to the u States his claim it.
That CLAIM was founded a right acquired by treaty
with other white Nations, to exclude them from pur-
it is this right which tho King granted to the U.
States.
'Brothers-We concede this great point.
United States, acknowledge the property or right Of
soil Of the great country above described to be in
the Indian Nations 50 long they choose to
cupy the same. We only claim particular tracts
in it, before mentioned and the general right gran.
ted by the King above stated" y
These papers are to be found in tho manuscript
volumes of the Senate. They were communicated
to that body by General Washington The origin
the present Secretary wrote his letter Of the 9Th
of April. to the Cherokee delegation. In an ad
dress of Mr. Jefferson to the Cherokees, during
his Administration. he says:
81 sincerely wish you may succeed in your laud-
able endeavors 20 save the remnant Of your Nation
by adopting industrious occupations, and q Gov
eminent of regular law. In this you may always
rely on the counsel and assistance Of the United
States"
These, sir, sthe lights tn at flow from the mind
that founded and the mind that reformed our sys
tenn, speaking Of which. one has said to his
try that d'fhdence, perhaps too just, in his
qualifications, would teach hirn to look with rover
ence to the examples Of public virtue left by his IL
lustrous predecessors
Mr.. Jefferson's opinion to Gen. Knox in 1891,
speaks language that cannot be misunderstood. He
there says, Government should firmly mant ain this
ground that the Indians have right to the occupa-
tons of their lands, independent of the States within
whose chartered lines they happen to be- that until
they cede them by treaty other transactions equiv
sleht to treaty, no act Of State give a right to
such lands; that neither under the present Consti-
tuition, the ancient Confederation, had any State
persons right to treat with the Indians without
the consent of the General Government" What is
the answer, sir which the Cherokees and Creeks have
received tn all this? The modern records of the De-
partment of War, and the papers our table will
show liable contI that iust and hu
name policy, which the Administrator OF Wishing
ton solemny pledged US to follow in our intercourse
with these unfortunate people. If any hing can
bind Government, we have not pretex for denying
the qualified sovereignty Of the Indians. We have
dealt with them BY Commissioners appointed under
all the forms of the Constitution. We have asserted
compacts to be dcfintive treaties with them as
Nations We have ratified them like other treaties.
They are promulgated In the statute book the law
Of the land We have not only recognized them as
possessed Of attributes of sovereignty but IN some of
these treaties have defined what these attributes
are We have taken their lands cessions-terms
IS.
We have stipulated for the right of passage throu oh
their country and for the of their harbors-or the
restora ion of prisonersor the surrender of gtves
from Justice, servants and slaves. We have limited
our ovn criminal jurisdiction and own sovereign
ty and have dsfranchised citizens by subiecing
them o o. her punishments than own. With the
Cherokees you have IN treaty stipulated the man
ner Of proceeding for injuries, by formal declaration
OF hostilities before These some of the most
prominent and remarkable of your acts. You can
not open chapter OF Vattal, or any writer the
Law of Nations, which does not define your dutie
and explain your obligations No municipal code
reaches Them If these acts Of the Federal Govern
ment do not show them to be sovereign some ex-
tent, you cannot show TINT you have ever acknow- |
lodged any Nation TO be SO The condition of these
Indian Nations is not treated of by Authors of public
law IN Europe because such condition of things ex
lists there. You may find some analoges in former |
times, but they will turn out to be against |
you 1t you look to the moral law, You can find
NO escape there. might ask, where was your au
thorty to make the compact with Georgia? The
lands To be acquired not to be Of the domain of
the General Government. What is the bill now be
have "existihg treaties?" Who are to receive new
guarantees from the United States if after this thew
will accept another from us3 Who are those that
the President is to exercise superintendance over?
Are hey ctizense The trainers of this bill have no,
been able 10 make it's provisions Ineligible without
admitting much which they deny in susta it.
The guaranty now proposed is as much dismember-
ment OF the sovereignty of the United States as for
MOI Sh"s "S'O W SOo'Biu' ne only ulHeronce Is,
that the President alone is to act in this mat er
while your treaties were made by the States in the
Senate where the sovereignty Of Georgia was repre-
sened If there is any thing in this part of the ar
gumen' against the Cherokees, gentlemen are bound
to prot ect the sovereignty Of the United States by
voting against this Bill The President informs us
that they are to have Governments of their own
choice" located on our domain.
| There is nothing alarming to our own security or
our pride in admitting this sovereignty in the Indian
nations. We took in the first instance To oh
tain all necessary limitations Of 1t. They confessed
themselves to be under proteotIon-that their
lands should be sold to only, that we should repu
late their trade, and we stipulated for various other
restriction on their part Great foresight and WIS.,
dom IN this respect was shown by those who first adj
mtted them to their present condition The treaties
will show how carefully this matter was guarded
and we have suffered no Inconvenience from It of
which reasonable men should complain. We have
made them subordinate to all essential points by
express treaties. Our intercourse laws are founded
on the system we have adopted, and though their