Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1846-10-08
The Miami Indiaus---Emigrati
Indian Debts.
Fron. fhe Wakhingion Unica


per, statement of difficulties in the way of the
immediate emigration Of the Indiana Indians-and
knowing this 10 be subject of deep interest to the
enterprsihg people of that State, well to the
whole west, had intended, this, to have In
vestigated the subject, and to have furnished the
suit of inquiries 10 the public. The demands
upon attention from other quarters have delayed
Us somewhat in the preparation OF an article on this
suhJect-but have been at some pains 10 get
at the truth Of the aioat in rea ion IL, and
have colaed some facts that may be new to the pub
lic in regard the operations under the Miami treaty
of lS4O-4l, we shall occupy, We hope probably,
small portion of to-day's paper upon Miami affairs.
We regret TO have to state that it is that these
people lately resolved in full council, persist in
telr refusal to remove from the lands on which they
reside, in the State of Indiana and which they sold
to the United States in 1870 This result il is be-
lieved, has been brought about by few individuals
who set up claims against the Indians for pirate debts
contracted since the ratification of the treaty, and
which they thereby expect to coerce the government
to pay in some way But we shall allude TO
these creditors and their debts in another part of this
article.
By glance at the treaty of Is4O-'4l, it will be
seen that the government gave fair, and by some
considered exorbtan price for the lands of the Mi
ami tribe, and that liberal and ample provisions were
also made for their comfortable removal to and settle
ment in the country west of the Mississippi. This
treaty was fairly and voluntarily made, and they pro-
fessed to be well pleased with all its details; and
faithfully promised TO perform everything that was
stipulated to be done their part. The five years
within which, by this instrument, it agreed the
MIamies should remove, expired nearly year ago ;
and at their urgent request the period for their depar
ture prolonged by the President and War Dep art
ment until May last, at which time every assurance
was given that they would commence the work Of
removal The government in view of-thls under
standing, made contracts for wagons, teams, and pro-
visions in due season. and the contractors were ready
in May to transport the Indians to their country
The government has paid to the tribe every dollar as
yet due by the terms of the treaty, and have made
ample arrangements for their comfortable reception
and subsistence west and still they nger Ubstnately
on the lands they have sold and the public has
right to inquire, and should be informed, how this
wanton delay in their removal has been produced.
The government of the United States, while it is
solemny bound to carry out faithfully all treaty stpu
latons on Its part with red brethren, must insist
upon, and enforce, if necessary, compliance by the
Indians with their part of the contracts and the obi
cations of treaties. which declared to be the
preme law of the land, must not be dsregarded The
public inerest-the welfare of the ndianShe rights
of the Staes-all demand the faithful execution of
these treaties. And treaty with the Miamies
must not be made exception to this necessarily
infexibe rule But it seems that class OF persons,
before alluded to- have conrived to acquire sufficient
influence these people to induce them to violate
their voluntary and solemn engagements with the
government and to discard all considerations of good
faith and national honor. These creditors demand
the payment OF the debts due by individual Indians,
Of the annuities belonging to the trade al large
before the removals and strange to tell, the chiefs
council have been prevailed upon, not only to give
their to such payment, but make this pretext
for refusing to emigrate. 1t is the well-consdered
policy of the government not to interfere between
Indian debtors and their creditors except 10 prevent
positive fraud. This policy was adopted and ex-
pressed by the legislative branch of the government
more than three years ago, and it has since been
thoroughly established BY the executive departments.
And it must be borne in mind that the debts of the
Miami Indians referred to, created after it
known that the tribe had 10 remove and that these
credit-accounts were made with full knowledge of
the views of Congress- and the wel-known policy of
the department. and in express violation OF the spirit
if not the letter. of the local laws of Indiana. Nor
does it need an argument exhibit tie wisdom and
Justice of this non-interferencc the part of the
government.
We need go no further than to refer to the
presented to the commissioners after the ratification
of this Miami treaty of lS40-'4l, TO show necessity
for the rule. These were individual accounts, but
were iqu5ated out of the general funds of the tribe
The aggregate of these debts created within the two
years Immediately preceding the making of the treaty.
stated by the claimants, at some S26O,OO0; and
for period of less than three months, (rOm the date
of the treaty until its rati6cation,) the accounts
against few individuals, (ihe whole tribe number
ing only about l25 fmilies) for goods &c, sold
within this brief period, amounted to a modest aggre
gate of nearly $500, 600 Some curious facts in re-
aton 10 these accounts are mentioned IN the report
of former Secretary of War upon the subject. In
speaking of these accounts the circumstances of the
sales, &C., he remarks: No one can look at the
nature of the debts contracted latter the making of
the treaty. the fvolousness of many of the articles
sold the extravagan quantities delivered at one time
to the person." without being satisfied that
Sc advantage taken of Indian folly and inexpe-
rf ,t.cf.
'Extravagant guard-chains, in one instance,
charged at S93'-" enormous quantities OF ribands,
as in one case 1903 worth sold TO squaw;" and
slarge quantities of and coaks-in instance
'.fourteen delivered 10 one person within about
year." sc. And these accounts exhibit other queer
details On single day there sold and delivered,
as would appear by the voucher, to squaw, whose
name was not to be found the payroll, and who
consequently must have been the mere dependant on
some head of family, quantity OF goods, for which
the modest sum of upwards of $3.50 was charged!
dissipated and vagrant individual, whose family
consisted Of three persons besides himself, between
the 2Sth November, 1870 and 10Th January, lS4l,
purchased goods charged at within fraction OF
81, 100! female, whose annuity money was drawn
by the head of the family which she belonged, and
who had no one to provide for bur herself is charged
with nearly S6,CC0 for store goods within period Of
less than two months and the abstracts exhibit many
instances of dependent, yagrant Indians receiving
from their accommodating mercantile friends goods
in some Instances all delivered in single day, charged
at sums varying from 81 000 to $1,000. Some idea
may be fairly formed of the individual accounts crea
ted since the ratification of the treaty, the payment OF
which by the government out of the Miami annuites
is now approximately demanded by the creditors, from
the veritable items have here given. And no
reasonable will wonder that when the subject OF
this recent demand of the Miami creditors, sub
United to the Presden. of the United States who had
full knowledge of the nature and character of the
former accounts from which we have quoted, he
promptly decided that the government should IN no