Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-04-16
ruE oNsrrrUr,oN-SrArE RIGHTS.
RICHMOND DAILY WING.
ny GaLIAuEw, EIIiorr a 60.
THURSDAY MORNING. APRIL re- 1916.
The Cherokee Indians.

|
since the formation of the treaty between Il nj
aority of them. headed by Ridge, and the Govern
mcnt of the United States, by which the lands of
| the rhole tribe in Georgia and Tennessee were,
! as the majority allegc. lraudulenty and corrupIly
cedcd To those States in exchange for the terri
tory now occupied by them ON the Arkansas
frontier. has recently grown more violent and
sanguinary than ever Murder and outrage are
the order of the day. Ii seems either that the
organized government existing among the Che
! rokees and at the head of which is the talented
John Ross, who To the last an uncomproml-
sing opponent of the treaty above referred To. and
ONLY consented to remove from the hunting
grounds of his tribe, when he became assured that
! determination 10y the sword was the only aiterna-
! tive, is either too feeble to hold the lawiesS muir
dcrers IN check, or that, as is charged 10y the
Ridge party, It wnks and conni'es At Iheir bloody
proceedings. 1t is evident. from the tenor OF the
suhloined Message, sent TO Congress last MONDAY,
! that the President, who, in his Indian policy,
seems naturally to have adopted the feelings OF
Gen. jackson and Mr.. Van Buren,, by both OF
whom John Ross was held and treated as an enc
my, while the Ridges and the party of which they
were the head were the constan, objects of go
pute the guilt OF the late outrages in the Chero-
kee nation. to the Ross party, with the connivance
of the Cove rnmen And If this be the fact, We
cannot question the wisdom of the policy winch
recommends the separation of two parties 50
inappcasab,y hostile to each other. Originating
IN the negotiation of the treaty above referred to.
though civilization and the accompanying arts
have made considerable progress among the peo-
pie many of whom indeed are highly educated
and refined, this fcud seems 10 be characterized
by the same ierocity. and the parties exhibit the
same marks o? inex,inguishable hatred, that we
read OF IN the early annals Of the Indian race,
and As We might now expect to see displayed
among the wilder tribes of the Desert who have
never learned any thing of civilization beyond
some of those cOarser vices, the influence OF
which they unfortunately subjected TO IN their
| intercourse with the hunters and pioneers with
whom they first come in contact But. happen
ing to be well acquainted with few persons re-
siding in the Cherokee nation, who, from their
position. are intimately conycrsaut with the par
ties TO this quarrel aud its causes, as well as the
administration of its affairs by tue Government,
modelled after our own. which mas been establish
| ed by the Chcrokees. with their elective Chief
and Legislative Councils, their Judicial Tribunals
and Military organization, we are strongly
disposed from their representations, TO ques-
ton the correctness of President Folks op,n.
ion and the mpartiality OF his action. The
| Ridge party, now admitted 10 be a minority of
| the tribe, made the treaty with our Government.
by which the title to their lands was eXtingui.h.
ed and in conformity TO the stipu!aiious OF which
the majority, headed by } ohm Ross, their acknow-
led Chief then, he is now, were compelled, at
the point of the bayonet, to abandon their homes
! and to form a new settlement West Of the Misss-
| sippi. Ross has been ever since engaged in con-
| ttOversy with the Government, while Ridge and
| mis- party have been as constantly engaged in
| friendly and confidential communication with the
Cabinet at Washington, either for the purpose Of
| lhwartlng the purposes Of Ross. or, what is more
probable, of turning the beneicence Of the Go.
vernment into channels more conducive to their
own personal interests. II is not strange, there.
! fore. that Mr.. Pok IN the following Message.
communicated to the House of Representatives
| on Monday last. seems to take sides with the mi.
nority, though we are strongly disposed to doubt
whether, as the language OF the Message would
seem to imply. hc is influenced 10y the fact that
they are tie weaker party, and are therefore On.
titled peculiarly to sympathy and protection. We
doubt it, as well because Oiihe facts Iust advered
to- as because our observation Of the recent bloody
occurrences ~ The Cherokee nation has strong
impressed our minds with the conviction that the
series Of murders which have been there pcrpelra.
ted, were commenced by thc Ridge party, and that
those which have follow ed have been committed
IN that spirit Of Yindctve retaliation which constl.
tutcs a feature o! the Indian character, and has
| besn from time immcmotia consecrated by Indian
| custom, aud winch mas been but slightly modified
among the Cherokocs by the Influences Of the
partial cviliL ,tion to which, more than any other
tribe, they have eyinced a strong susceptibility.
We have deemed these explanatory observa.
tons due to the majority Of the Cherokee Indians
and more especially to their distinguished Chief
John Russ, Who himself q man Of rare ability
highly educated, aud Of polished .Ganners, has 50
long -narted under u keen sense Of the wrong.
real or imaginary, which he and his people nave
suffered from the policy Of our Government. Ne.
yerthcloss concur n the wisdom Of Mr.. Folks
suggestion, to separate the hostile parties into dis
tlnct settlements, # that be- the only ~ de Of ar
resting the brutal atrocities Of which the Chero.
kec nation has recently been the theatre
"Wnsmyerov, April 49, 1916.
Tohe SENATE and House of E,yrsssniahrss.
~ my annual message Of no ~ u December as 70 wos
stated that serious difficulties of long st10dag continued 90
distract the several parties which the cherokee Tribe NJ
ndsus uuloppdy dided hat OIL the efforts Of Tho Gov.
ernnent adjust ofe dicuIu,s had proved 90 be- unsuo
oesgfuI, and would probably so. WITHOUT The sd ID
further legislation BY Congress. Subsequent events have
confirmed this opinOn. communcnp herewith. for bs
information o Congress report NJ the Secretary War
transmitting report VI the Comm.i0r,r Of Indian Anas
with accompanying document together with msnoria /.
which haze been received from The several band piu,l
NJ the Cherokee themselves. will be- perceived that n
terpnl fuds still ctiat which coll DI the prompt interyep
| lion Of the Government Oi the Uniteo Sis;rs.
Sinco e meeting n Congress, several ulpfoyDk,i mur
de have been committed BY The stronger upon che weak
81 party II thc ube which viii probably unpun.h
I'd by ludI70 authorities aud there reason appfo-
~ bend that similar Ouuagos will continue o. BE- pcpruaed
y unlcss rciin,d by the authorities o. Tie Uncd States