The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-01-30

'Hh'unsl ~ " DC necessary Tor their defence buins
70 me appropriation now asked for, believe that,
insead OF arreSting the hosilities in Florida It's only
euec. MIL q 70 render that unhappy Territory sun
more desolae.
Again: | have said that this war has been most
disyracefully conducted. How many millions has II
cost US Will the chairman of the Committee OF
Ways and Means tell Has the War Department
communicated the amount 10 him. do not ask 10
wait till committee of investigation has bsen APP
pointed 70 have every possible obstacle andsumbling
BLOCK cast in its way by the whole Executive Depart
ment from the President himself down TO his lowest
agents. Twill cali upon The Secretary OF War 10
give us statement OF the total amount and how il
has been expended. will call for his balances, and
VIII see whether the enormous sums have APP
propriaied have gone bona to pay own troops,
or 10 Feed The harpieS who are bltienng on the pub
lie purse am told that this is now costing us
at the rate of $4,000 day We have already APP
propriaied eight or nine millions andtweny millions
VIII not pay our expenses thus far; and yet how
muen nearer are we 20 the end of the war Than when
me predecessor ofihai gentleman MIR. Whie) made
ms hfsl pathetic appeal 10 This Housel heard that
appeal; and made no cavil. said thatthe Terri
tory must be defended. Iyoted The money asked tor.
voted more and more year afler year helped TO
pour out the public money in floods for the same OBJ
Ject till the reports Of The national degradation and
disgrace have come up 10 me with Tongue 70 which
must listen cannot refuse II Is public duty
10 inquire. What his been the course OF the wara
Have not corps afer corps been massacred, from
Dade's bloody hed 10 The last disastrous baltlel You
have captured Micanopy and Oseo' and does not
have been taken7 And this BY the umos, force of
a nation which, little while ago. was boarding
France, and now talks Of calling England 10 expla-
nation about the capture of the Steamboat Caroline.
You have been putting out your strength for years,
and you have killed about forty braves Yes, you
had Jackson's troops the veterans of your stand
ing army, besides all your militia and volunteers
and these heroes Of Nature have met you with the
loss OF forty braves How, ask, can this have hap
pened Is nobody informed2 Is the government
not at all to blame Does the whole fault lie in dis
tanl contraclorSl Surely the gentleman himself
must find il his duty to join in this inquiry, andto
hold The head and not merely the members response
bic.
say further that this war has been conducted in
manner morally wrong i has ossn marked don On
treachery. Was there no perhdy in The capture oil
The young chief, Wild Cat, The son Of Philip whom
you used as a spy TO bring in Micanopy and Oceoa,
under The white flag Of truce, and then seized him
and carried him prisoner TO St. Augustinea The
Cherokees have been here abused and trampled upon
for acting as mediaors But was il not your Go
vernment itself who sent them2 Were they not APP
piled 10 TO become medators and officially employed
BY the Government TO tempt the Seminoles TO peace
They went to Gen Jesup. He officially recognised
their character, and sent them to the Semnoles as
medators. And were they successfull Yes They
carried in The head chiefs. They were unarmed,
There was no ambuscade. Does not this contradict
the assertion that the Cherokees acted double part,
and told them to hold on till spring. and Congress
would not appropriate. Gen. Hernandez willswear
that Jesup gave him orders to capture those chiefs
at all hazards and If Gen. Jesup should be put upon
his OATH he will bring the responsibility OF that order
10 another quarter. There is an old chief, well
known here who writes from the wigwam in Ten
nessee, and who originated those instructions
Mr. DOWNING here interposcd in explanation,
and stated that Alligator and Jumper instead OF
having been brought in by the Cherokees, came in
after they had left the ground. He did not know
what might have been The authority Of Gen. Jesup,
or what would be the testimony of Hernandez, but
this he did know, that although he did not possess
the boodhirslness ofthe writer's Of some of The let
tiers he had received, ii he had been Gen JeSup the
whole of those chiefs, who were all murdererS,
should have not only been taken prisoners but lett
pendent on the crooked limb Of yellow pine
Mr.. WISE resumed | have no doubt. from the
feelings Of that genema tina, he nigh, be led to con-
init an act which he would afterwards deeply repent
But though the force Of feeling might better boray him
into acts OF violence, or even of nhumanity never
could bring myself to believe that he would be guilty Of
deliberate reachey. II he had caught these Indians
the act OF murder he might, he says, hang them
the branch Of yellow pine, but he never could have
had recourse to reachory and pefdy to eutrap them
! am now going (said Mr.. W. with the facts pf
the Cherokee mediation. These medlators made threo
successive visits among the Semnoes. The first at
tempt to bring them TO conference successful
The second far succeeded that they broug in the
Chiefs all of them that would come, under their flag of
truce. The gentleman asks why Sam Jones left
behind when the others ia! i will tell him why,
and the exhibits but specimen of the conduct
ened for certain reasons that If Sam Jones
caught he would put petticoats on hin-a species Of
treatment Of which the Indian warriors stand IN the
utmost dread and horror, and therefore he told the
Cherokces he never would surrender himself The
chiefs were brought to the camp; they under
flag OF truce, IN reliance good faith, and they
were Immediately bound and carried to prison runner
who had accompanied them, and who stood waiting TO
watch the result OF the interview no sooner Witnessed
this act of American pcrfdy than he instantly turned
about and carried the intelligence back TO Jones, who
renewed the war. Again the Cherokee mediators
employed to make third effort. They went, and at
the risk OF their own lives penetrated within tn lines OF
the Seminole force They were met and told that they
must not approach that if they attempted they would
be In danger OF being scaped by Jones' They then
turned to Gen Jesup, from whom they obtained letters
expressive OF his entire satisfaction with the in
which they had discharged their mission, and his conf
dence IN their integrity and good faith.
Mr.. EVERETT OF Vermont, here asked that the
letters Of Gen Iesup might be read, and they were
read at the Clerks table accordingly, viz one the
Secretary of War, and the other the delegation Of
CheIokecs, both dated the 18th December, 1887
Mr.. WISE now requested that the Delegate from
Florida would read the letters which lac founded the
assertion that the Cherokee mediators had PLAYED
double part.
Mr.. DOWNING thereupon read, in his place, por-
tons OF two letters addressed him. dated December
90 and December 81 He then stated that at the time
Gen Jesup's letters, Just read were written, he was
unacquanted with the fact OF tho Discrimination Of the
Cnerokees, But Mr. d was informed that the General
had now become Of the same opinion with himself
Mr.. WISE proceeded. Now the gentleman from
Florida has done Just as did. He has made state
the authority Of letters, parts of which letters
he has read, without reading the Of the writers
So did, and my letters were subscribed with good
names his; nay perceive tfor the gentleman has
had the goodness TO hand the lettcrs) that one of
these names IS the very same which subscribed to