Iowa news. [volume] (Dubuque, Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1837-1841, 1837-09-09

lIs
]. vENYARD,
A. d. HOLT,
Committee Of Platte.
INDEPENDENCE, No., July 90. 1887.
Gem(emen---I accept with great pleasure ,ne
kind invitation with which the citizens OF S'ay
and the Platte country have honored me- 'h1o
Won. TO public dinner: Duties requiring my
immediate attention oblige me to deny myself
the pleasure Of complying with your wishes
at this time. will, however, take the earli-
est occasion in my power, TO appnse You OF
the time OF my return TO this frontier, to NIX a
day for meeting my friends and countrymen OF
this land Of premise at the festive board, IN
time to partake with them OF the corn and fruits
ofthe season.
I have made arrangements for the whole OF
the Indians now within the limits OF the Platte
country to leave it in the course OF the next
week. They go not only without murmur,
but with willingness and apparent pleasure
because they were assured by me that all the
promises made 70 them by the United States
in their Treaties, will be faithfully complied
with. Upon this point the late sudden stop
page Of their rations had filled them with doubt
and apprehension, which have reason to be-
lieve, would, in the course Of a few days have
produced, on the part Of the Indians, all the
distressing scenes Of starvation, or consequent
robbery and war, such as our frontier citizens
have too often experienced from violations Of
our Treaties.
All the human family, from the highest
grades Of civilization to the lowest ranks Of
barharism, appreciate more or less---and the
Savage more scnsitively than the civilized
Uan---the maxim. that
sTru.h is the basis Of all excellence.'
This maxim should be regarded by civilized
man in his intercourse with the Savage, even
more strictly TO the letter and the spirit, than
with civilized nations. The Sayages Of our
country were taught by our beloved Washing
ton himself, and by those who followed the
plain straight forward path of public duty
marked out BY that greatest and best Of men,
that tho uord Of the Omitted States Government
as eiyen to the Indians in the form of a Treaty,
should be held sacred as an oath registered in
the Heaven above! The Indians now near you
had been thus told when by treaty they coded
their valuable lands in the States of Illinois
and Michigan, for those Of the far west, that
lhey should receive bread and meat for their
subsistence, on their way to their new homes
and for one wear thereafter. This all-impor-
t,nt promise (without the falflment Of which,
the Indians could not livc,) they deemed TO be
broken as soon as the public supply Of subsis-
tonce was withheld from them-.-as they were
apprized that the tract of country ceded to
them, afforded little or no means for subsis-
tence by the chase.
Nv duty under these circumstances, was
plain and simple. l had little or nothing to
do but to see, and to assure them that the
treaty stipulations were not TO be regarded as
lies, but would be respected and fulfilled in the
spirit of truth and honor. accordingly ORDER
ed their supply with rations, aud their imme-
diate removal. They were satisfied and happy.
Ihave been hon ored with the confidence of
my country in the United States service ever
since was grown, near thirty-nine years past,
..-during the greater part Of the time my du-
ties have been confined to different sections OF
the frontier, upon which had previously car
ried my rifle in the performance Of militia du-
", before had seen the eighteenth year Of
NY age. You will readily infer, therefore,
that have had the means Of witnessing the
privations and exposures, and Of approaching
the value to our beloved union, Of this class
Of the American community, which may with
strict military propriety, be designated the Ma
1ioNAL PIoNEERs Of the Republic.
Often have !, when hungry and worn down
WIN excessive fatigue, approached the cabin,
or the camp Of the Pioneer, from the frontier Of
Georgia and Florida TO the Sabine border of
Louisiana---thence TO the great N orthern Lakes
and from thence TO the ST. Lawrence and state
of Maine, inclusivcly, and never without r..
Heiyi1g hearty welcome, and being cordial (,
II invited TO partake Of the comforts Of their
frna;Aa aud tah1n TI,ov hoyo ,-.o,,,,l -, -, IL