The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-02-22
DIsGRAcEFUL DEVELOPMENTS.


I ) dILHOUTn fNl
Senate some years ago refused TO ratfy treat,
made by Gen. Jackson, in which was large gran
of land reserved to himself, still his friends ma,
be provided for, and in way to elude the vigilance
Of the Senate, and the public Tine Presiden
must be a warm heated man, to recompense his
friends and supporters with land, as well as with
Offices. These remarks are made predatory to a
disclosure that is almost too d;sgraceful to name
The 4th article of the treaty made by Gov. Shelby
and General Jackson, on the part of the United
States, with the head men and warriors of the
Chickasaw nation Of Indians, the 18th of October
1878, provided as follows" The Commissioners
agree on the further and particular application OF
the Chiefs and for the benefit of the poor and war
riors Of the said nation, that tract of land con-
tdiniHg four miles square, to include salt lick or
springs, or near the river Sandy, branch of the
Tennessee River, and within the land hereby ced-
ed, be reserved, and to be laid off in square or
obong, so as to include the best timber, at the op-
ton of their beloved Chief Levi Colbert and Ma
Jor James Brown, or either Of them; who are
hereby made agents and trustees for the nation to
lease the said salt licks springs the follow
ing express conditions, viz for the benefit ofthis
reservation before recited, the trustees agents
are bound to lease the said reservation to some
citizen or citizens of the United States, for rea-
sonable quantity of salt, to be paid annually to the
said nation, for the use thereof; and that from
and after two years after the ratification of this
treaty, no salt made at the works. tc be erected
this reservation shall be sold within the limits of
the for higher price than for one dollar per
bushel OF so pounds weight ON failure of which
the lease shall be forfeited and the reservation re-
vert to the United States" William B. Lewis,
now second Auditor, was witness to the execu-
tion Of the treaty. Whether the object was to de-
fraud the Indians, or to ac0rk the United States
out of this land, at that time only be inferred
by the facts disclosed, by subsequent events
Weaker evidence than this case furnishes has SUBJ
jected many a man to the penalties Of the law
This treaty was ratified in the Senate on the It'll
of Jan. 1919. On the day the treaty was executed,
viz on the 18th of October 1878, VIM. B. Lewis
took lease from the trustees to himself, and an
other person, for this four square miles, for one
hundred and ninety-nine years, and agreed to pay
the trustees, for the benefit Of the poor and the
warriors of the nation, the yearly rent of $50 dol
lars, provided salt water was found. The treaty
stipulated, that the land should be leased for a
reasonable quantity of salt, to be paid annually
but the lease provided for the payment if salt wa
ter should be found. 1t is to be borne in mind,
that the lease was made on the same day the trea-
ty bears date, and that the treaty did not become
operative until the 7th of January 1919. 1t should
be recollected, also, that Gen. jackson and Mr.
Lewis had been for years on the most intimate
terms, and had been with each other in the profits
of various sports TO which they were addicted
They went, it is believed, to the treaty together,
were together when there, and returned in compa-
ny. When the Senate ratified the treaty, the
7th of January, 1919, this lease was unknown to
the members who composed that body.
No salt was found on the reservation, none was
paid by Mr.. Lewis under the lease, and the reser-
vaton by the express terms of the treaty. rererted
to the United States. The President and Mr. Ea-
ton went to the west in the summer of 1880, and
Mr.. Eaton, under the act for removing the Indians,
passed at the preceding session of Congress- form.
ed another treaty with the same Chickasaw tribe.
The President, at the opening Of the second
Session of the 2lst Congress, thus announces the
fact in his stating the policy of the
government towards the Indians, and after saying
| the General Government had no more right TO leg
islate for them, over them than over foreign
nations and after expressing his great friendship
for the Indians; to wit" With afull understand
ing of the subject the Choctaw and Chickasaw
| tribes have with great unanimity determined to
avail themselves of the liberal offers presented by
the Congress. and have agreed to a removal be-
yond the Mississippi river. Treaties have been
made with them, which in due season, will be sub
mitted for consideration" Mr. Eaton is the broth
| er-in-aw of this aforementioned VIM. B. Lewis
and the bosom friend of the President. The trea-
| ty with the Chickasaw nation to extinguish
their title in Alabama and Mississippi. The four
miles square of land had reverted to the United
States, and of course was not the subject of the
negotiation. This land, by some means, must be
vested in VIM. B. Lewis, and his cousin or friend
tor what particular purpose every person will form
| his own opinion. How was this TO be done The
question was grave, and no doubt perplexine
one If the United States should recognize the
right as existing in Mr.. Lewis and his friend, and
they should sell or not, there would be set up
what believe lawyers call estoppel, which
would prevent any recovery on the part of the Unit
| ed States.
The Indians had no claim, and the consequence
would be, perfect title to more than 10000 acres
of land, would be vested in w. B. Lewis & Cur
vim. A supplemental treaty was negotiated witt
the Chlckasaw tribe, on the LIST of September
l83O,-the 9Th article of which recognized the va
lldlty of the lease aforementioned to Lewis &
Curyin, on the 18th of October, 1878 and apoth
er lease was executed by the pretended trustees tt
Lewis IL Co., which states under " Whereas,
that they had expended more than three thousand
dollars in digging for salt in consideration o
which, and two thousand dollars, and four bushels
of salt, and the like quantity of four bushels TO BE-
paid annually. These pretended trustees vest sale
land IN Lewis d Curvin, for the term mentioned
in the first lease. And to this last lease, the con
sent of the commissioners was given by the Al
article referred to- This tract of land is said to b
highly valuable, among the latest and best in al
that fair region of country. Thus the matter wa
worked with admirable skill to accomplish the OBJ
Ject. The Indians had sold for a term of year
lands that belonged to the United States, by an,
with the consent of the President and the Secre
tary OF War. The lessees had before obligate,
themselves to pay $50 dollars year, for the sam
| land they were now enabled to purchase for tw
thousand dollars and four bushels of salt-whethe
! 1t was domestic or alum salt is not declared.
| Let every one who has the leisure, and the curl
osty, sit down and calculate the annual rent Q
100 dollars, per annum, with the interest for on
hundred and ninety-nine years, and then see wha
the 1000 dollars the price of four bushels of salt
1.-THE salt to be paid annually with the interest
these two sums for the like period, will be, an
thereby ascertain how much Lewis g. Curvin hav
/ l., H.. -
between the calculations is clear gain to the cor
Germ.
Mr.. Everett well remarked, that this " was dri,
ing bargain" 1t was worth journey for tn
President, Eaton g. Co., across the mountains,
for no other purpose than to obge friend. TIL
President found to his great astonishment durin
the last Session, that the Senate was not the mer
register of his will. His treaty with the Chick
saws must be withheld or the plan would not SUI
coed. The Choctaw treaty was presented to tn
Senate, and the Chickasaw treaty was put into tn
Presidents pocket, or snugly locked up in the Wa
Department. Now | submit the subject to I'll
lawyers IN the cities and country. whether. if th
like attempt should be made to deiraud an indiviC
ual, that there has been to defraud the U. State
or the Indians, take the case either way, the pei
sons concerned in the transaction would be likel
to escape the punishment they merit. Mr. Lew
has taken possession of the land with his partue
and required " scot and lot to be paid by the OF
cupants. Mr. Everett offered resolution a fe
days since, to bring these hidden mysteries
light. 1t was opposed by Mr.. Polk, MIR. Bell, NJ
lsaacs, and by Mr. Mitchell, principally on tn
ground, that the House was interfering with Ii
treaty making power.
Now it so happens, that all those gentleme
hold, that no treaty, in the diplomatic sense of III
term, can be made with the Indians that it amount
to nothing more than an agreement, or contrac
which need not be submitted to the Senate Tor Il
ratification. The last lease bears date on the sam
day with the last treaty, so that the treaty W,
promulgated to Mr. Lewis at least and Mr.. Lev
L. -1,rAa 10 H..