The Arkansas banner., 1848-08-15
SPEECH s
poy. ROBERT W. JOHNSON N OF ARKANSAS,
MN INTERPRETATION BILL
ON THE

Il ON THE
 ,vn,N APPROPRIATION BILL.
 a...,,J in the House of Representatives us'eas'
 pSa's''' July 6, is4s.
 c.,n,,i,,ee of the Whole on the state o' the ln ,,1a',, 1V",, on inc Indian Appropriations nl'''
 ~ JOHNSON said: The Senate had s'riekes
 M M House lil the third section, ana ne asked
 r,-k 10 read 10 the House taat seeuo"' ss , ,'a' I In. eo,omitice might know what hau "Se" S'' % ~, ,be amendment of the senate
 r ..,. accordingly read, as follows;
 T fad De II further enacted, That, for the
 ,',n. s,st of the Rocky Moudtains, there shall be
 ,,,nerintendents of Indian aiiairs' wim com .s.a,ion each of one thousand SIX hunoreo uo''arS
 n,,,,,, to have the general superintendence, v | ,L, direction of the Secretary Of War and s'l'. si,ner ol Indian Affairs, of such tribes as " pa-isnt o( the United States may deem proper 4 VI .boss dniies and powers shall be those dehned
 'a gd sactiou of the act of June the thirtieth,
 a,.s, ,. bnnAred and thirty-four, providing for the
 s,a,,,,ion of the Department of Indian Affairs ,e5 inc organization prescribed by that act shall |. h,ther 70 modified that the number oi agents sl not exceed nine, and the number ol sub-agents @ % t, oil inc Indians east of the Rocky Mountains,
 .o, bs Indians of Texas, to be assigned 10 the
 ..rs of .uch tribes as the Secretary of War, with ., ssn,robation of the President, may prescribe - ~ .or,,ensatiou each shall be twelve hundred
 g,,s for the arents, and for the sub-agents eight T ,5,sI dollars per annum; and whose powers and
 1a. shail he those defined and prescribed by said , of Tuoe tbirtieth eighteen hundred and thirty -,, propded. That whenever the position oi any fbs tribes or our relations with them may become changed as to require it, the President oi the rsited States may so far exercIse the power con .,sd by the fifth section of the above mentioned
 ,, to apeoint such additional sub-agents, ut the ,,y herein prescribed, as may be actually neees- ar. ,.- ,,, The section read was an extraordinary step. The - -,ls,,,n from North Carolina was the author tt He had no question of the genucman's hon. s and earnest disposition 10 do everything that v,. wise and just; and yet he was compelled to be- .re that the gentleman knew little of the conse- ,,e,css which would be entaied by this enactment 9ga the people of the Western frontier, portion I of whom he represented.
 Tn. gentleman might consider il arrogance in so ,.,sg member as himself, { NIT. J , to express aRf so freely with reference to any action of l. tNr. MeKay's:l yet representing those deeply 5q,aruei in this issue, he could not but speak ..4Iy whether it was 10 the gentleman, 10 the House. or to 10 other party.
 Phi, Government had long since established an h. ian policy The policy was dictated by the in rests of the Union and benevoleHce to the Indian a,,ns systems had been attempted, but the pre- a h,d been found 10 be by far the most efficient
 .uccess(t,l. Most unqneslionably, where our ,,sreours, had been conducted and sustained by ,.a loo lshed and war had been tho consequence; a t had become apparent, that the benign inilu- ss of policy dictated in peace, were far best inc In ian, as well as preferable 10 us, What g4s that poicyl It was the establishment of Il
 seful ialluence in the bosom of the tribes, back 5r all good objects by the power and authority dis Government; an influence in itself without sca force, exciting jealoasy, and attracting l6iencc It was that of establishing Indian ageH- 2. Accordingly, we had found, in almost all the A tzeaties of the present. century with the differ t trbcs that stipaatons had been made which Ibished ageueies to conduct our intercourse with 4an.
 rom time to tme these agencies had been in- ,sased, until there were now twenty-nina--eis- lbatcd mainly uPou the frontiers of Texas, Ar Aasas, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin, which it.s uere immediately and vitaly interested r e subect before the House. Upon their con Hae cNistencc the representatives of all portions l. tae ' nj III were now called to act. The membci 5ei o.th Carolina (Mr. MckaF) WIS for redu ss the number to nine agents and six sub-agentS -'syjnn large hunter of tribes without any q5cy- or. in other words, auiagamaling two oi -se ibes under single agency; or, us the Indians
 ifed t, destroying their nationality by reducing go oue common agency, one commoa govern tut.
 t be not to one copmon government, then smaller tribes amalgainaied could not consider ~ had a5 Y agent at aiI. Such was the absolute, ..,..ld,. result. Tue agent could not reside con sally or permanently with more than one tnbe g3 tts tribes with whom he did not reside would g#f r.ari hitn IS equally friendly or just to them agency in their matters would even be regarded ,aaAcncad and dictated by prejudice and faYorii- r Either they would be compelled to travel a
 ,,llergbs distance for the transaction of business sIa Lim, or the greater part of his time wonid be .llnri in travelling from one tribe 10 another - f9ul not acquire that confienc nor exercise bat iaiu.nae which hitherto il had bcen the N .g1i fortune of our agents topossess, and which it been attained alone by residence anoug them, ana au Identification with them. To alier the sys- m new. k 10 alter cusloin which Is he Indians aw, and to violate what they ali regard as their S si, so bong they choose to insist, by treaty I Jaia,ions or by prescriptions.
 Inns at a mighty effort at economy in cur h.
 aB y,;a ;a,tJas, for d saving of n eleven thousand
 lr,t and fifty dollars, the saluttry influence * Teser..ed is decidedly impaired, if not wholly >'myed.
 H. addressed these remarks Co the good sense of House and in no spirit of passion, and he ap- ,tsi 10 every member of the House, who had any
 g.sdre of Indian character, to show that his
 actions were correct. They knew. that 10
 aadoo the present policy of an agent to tribe, sa' 10 abandon the be,t and approved policy; they
 ''r thal lo attempt 10 bind different tribes to- pn-r. having diferend habits, rules and regula-
 24s in some instances different language and or-
 a ,n others existing and long gcherished and deep eled enmtes--to attempt to place such under the
 lmon agency of one individual, would be 10 pro-
 .s- resistance, and long series of crimes, II not q tsi'reus expensive, and cruel wars
 The Seniinoles and Greeks have been divided, and sA- fought each other for generations. Yet it is as oaslgn Of the present movement to unite them
 aoai their assent. The Creeks desire the union,
 orier that the seminoles may be reincorporated
 iae old nation. now by far the most numerous
 ai powerful of the two but they oppose this meas . 'e oi the Government because they say it it must
 sa %'l widen the breach, and destroy all hope @H by mH'ual concessions and consent it may OCT te done hereafter. There is no tribe more in-
 e'ss'e ''ian tho sicinihoies, as tie Florida wa,
 -" N''sty all; and upon their own declara-
 AA predict Indian difficulties, aud the future con
 'lenl expenditure by the United States of fifty 10 .aAdred thousand dollars to quel them, to say
 Aag ol intervening hostilties and crueltieS.-
 sN once npon our frontier the torch of war, and
 siai tell how many of the tribes shall be
 .l'e'' crowded as they are together; how long
 var shall be confined to thir own borders, and