Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Mass.) 1828-1830, 1830-01-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
FROM THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENcER.
PRESENT CRISIS IN THE CONDITION q,
THE AMERICAN INDIANS.
NO. XIII.

NO. XIII.
There are in our country nota few be-
nevolent individuals, who cheerful]v admit
that the Indians have a perfect right to
the possession Of their country that we
are bound by treaties to defend this right
and that the forcible seizure and division
of their lands would be an act of enor-
nous injustice who yet suppose, that the
continuance Of the Cherokess where thew
now are, would be extremely inconvenient
to Georgia and to the United States.
These persons are inclined to think. that
the Inconvenience will be found so great.
as to amount to sort Of moral necessity
and that, therefore, the sooner the Chero-
KEGS consent to a removal, the better it will
be for them, as well as for their white
neighbours.
An acquaintance with the real state of
facts, would convince these benevolent
individuals. that they are quite mistaken.
in regard to the best manner of promoting
the permanent good of all parties. The
Inconvenience, which appears so formida-
BILE, is altogether imaginary. 1t will Ut
terly vanish at the very moment when the
State of Georgia, and other white neigh
bours of the Indians, shall be inclined to
do what is right If the disposition to
take the property of the weak and de-
fenceless and convert it to our own use, is
to be dignified with the name of moral me-
cessity, we should be aware that such a
doctrine subverts the very foundation of
law and order.
II is urged, that if the Cherokees remain
where they are, Georgia is deprived of a
valuable, portion of land within her chart
cred limits. But this is an abuse of lam
guage. Georgia is deprived of nothing.
1.-THE Chreokees are compelled to remove,
either by physical force, or what is called
moral necessity, they are deprived of their
inheritance; but if they remain, there is
no deprivation on either side. An opu-
lent landholder might as we'll complain,
that he was deprived of some excellent
land, which would be very convenient to
him, and which he expected to have &C
quired long ago for trife; but, to his
great surprise, the rightful owners refused
to sell. This is species of privation to
which covetous men have always been ex-
posed, in every part of the world. They
cannot get all the land that lies contiguous
to their possessions and the larger their
domains are the greater inconvenience
do they feel /; for the more extensive their
limits, the greater is the number of obsti-
nate neighbours, with whom they come
into contact. What an inconvenient
world do we live in And what ca
lamity it is, that there should be so many
of the poor, the weak, and the defenceless,
who are in perpetual danger of being trod-
den under the feet of their betters
Thus it is, that the Unsuitable desires of
men create imaginary troubles. The
State of Georgia, exclusive of the Chero-
kee country, has only six or seven souls,
one half of whom are blacks, to each
square mile; that is, emitting merchants,
traders, and mechanicks, less than one
white family to two square miles of land.
The most remote part of her chartered
limits is still in the rightful occupancy
of the Cherokees. The land Of this por-
ton is far less capable of lucrative cultiva-
ton, than the State is generally. | speak
not without some knowledge on the SUBJ
subject; and | have made inquiries of
others. Let the Representatives in Con-
gress from Georgia, if they are personally
acquainted with the quality of the land
within the Cherokee limits, state frankly
how large part is composed of noun
tains and barren tracts. which Georgian
would pronounce utterly worthless how
large part would produce but moderate
crops; and how small fraction would
be considered land of very good quality.
Let these things be stated, and it will be
found that the Cherokee country is not by
any means SO valuable, as has commonly
been supposed.
1t can make no odds as to title, wheth-
er the soil be as fertile as the banks of the
Ganges, or as barren as the sands of Ara
bia, but it should be known that the value
of the property here at stake is nothing,
compared with the feelings of the Chero-
KEGS; not to mention the importance of
the principles to be decided. Though
the Cherokee country is in healthful
climate, and is pleasant and comfortable
residence for the original inhabitants, the
far greater part of it would be left I'M
touched for many years, if exposed to sale
in the same manner as the publick lands
generally of the United States. The in
terest of Georgia, therefore, is inconsidera-
BILE; nor would the prosperity of that
State be materially affected, if another
acre were never to be added to the terrific
ry now in her actual possession.
1t has been alleged, that great inconve-
niences will be experienced, by having an
imperium IN imperio; separate, indie
pendent community surrounded by our
own citizens. But in what do these
frightful inconvenience consist A little
paci6ck community of Indians, living
kI~WS