Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-06-29


they shall be duly cared for, that they shall
taste justice and love from all to whom we
have delegated the Office Of dealing with
them.
The newspapers now inform us, that, in
December 1885. a treaty contracting for
the exchange of all the Cherokee territory,
was pretended to be made by an agent on the
part of the United States, with some per-
sons appearing on the part ofthe Cherokees;
that the fact afterwards transpired tina:
these deputies did by no means represent
the will ofthe nation, and that out of eigh
teen thousand souls composing the nation,
fifteen thousand six hundred and sixty
eight have protested against the so called
Treaty. 1t now appears that the Govern.
ment of the United States choose to hold
the Cherokees to this sham treaty, and are
proceeding 10 execute the same. Almost
the entire Cherokee nation stand up and
say, "This is not our act. Behold Us
there are we Do not mistake that hand
full Of deserters for us )" and the American
President and his Cabinet, the Senate and
the House of Representatives neither hear
these men nor see them, and are contract
ing to put this nation into cats and boats
|
to wilderness at a vast distance beyond
the Mississippi. And paper purportiug
to be an army order, fixes month from
this day, as the hour for this doleul re.
moval.
In the name Of God, Sir, we ask you if
this is so? Do the newspapers rightly in
form US? Men and women with pale and
perplexed faces meet one another in streets
and churches here, and ask if this be so !?
We have inquired if this be gross mlsrep-
resentation from the party opposed to the
Government and anxious to blacken it with
the people. We have looked in newspa
pers of different parties, and find horrid
confirmation OF the tale. We are slow to
believe it. We hoped the Indians were
misinformeJ, and their remonstrance was
premature, and will turn out to be a need
less act Of terror. The piety, the principle
that is left in these United States,--if only
its coarsest form, a regard to the speech Of
men, forbid US to entertain it as a fact
Such a dereliction of all faith and virtue,
such denial Of justice, and such deafness
to screams for mercy, were never heard Of
in times of peace, and in the dealing Of q
nation with its own allies and wards, since
the earth was made. Sir, does this Gov
eminent think that the people of the Uni
ted States are become savage and mad !?
From their mind are the sentiments of love
and Of a good nature wiped clean out p
The soul Of man, the justice, the mercy,
that is the hearts heart in all men from
Maine to Georgia. does abhor this business
IN speaking thus the sentiments of my
neighbors and my own, perhaps overstep
the bounds of decorum. But would it not
be higher indecorum, coldly to argue a
matter like this? We only state the fact
that crime is projected that confounds
our understandings by its magnilude,--a
crime that really deprives US as we'll as the
Cherokees ola country, Tor how could we
call the conspiracy that should crush these
poor Indians, our Government, or the land
that was cursed by their parting and diving
imprecations, our country, any more? You,
sir, will bring down that renowned chair in
which you sit into infamy, il your seal is
set to this instrument of pe'fidy: and the
name of this nation, hitherto the sweet
omen ofreligion and liberty, will stink to
the world.
You will not do US the injustice of con.
Meeting this remonstrance with any section
al or party feeling. 1t is in our hearts the
simplest commandment of brotherly love.
We will not have this great and solemn
claim upon national and human justice
huddled aside under the Aimsy plea of its
being party act. Sir, to US the ques.
tions upon which the government and the
people have been agtated during the past
year touching the prostration Of the cur.
rency and of trade, seem notes in the COM
parison. The hard times, it is true, have
brought this discussion home to every
farmhouse and poor mans table in this town;
but it is the chipping Of grasshoppers be.
side the immortal question whether justice
shall be done by the race of civilized, to
The race Of savage man whether all the
attributes of reason, of civility, of justice,
and even OF mercy, shall be put off by the
American people, and so vast an outrage
upon the Cherokee nation, and upon hu.
man nature, shall be consummated.
One circumstance lessons the reluctance
with which l lntrude at this time on your
attention, my conviction that the govern.
ment ought to DO admonished of a new
historical fact which the discussion of this
question has disclosed, namely that there
exists in great part of the northern people
a gloomy diffidence in the moral character
ofthe government. On the broaching of
this question, general expression of DIES.
pondency. disbelief that any good will
accrue from remonstrauce on an act of
fraud and robbery appear red in those men
to whom we naturally turn for aid and
counsel. Will the the American Govern,
menI steal? Will it lie? Will it kill p
we ask it trumphantly. Our wise men
shake their heads obviously. Our coun-
sellers and old statesmen here, say, that,
ten years ago. they would have staked
their life on the affirmation that the pro.