Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-07-25


gon, by ceding to US, whatever right Spain
bad to that territory.
Nor is his next charge, in reference to
The tract of land lying west Of Arkansas,
and south of 36 30. less baseless. He as
serts that This strip Of land, as he calls ii,
was enough 10 form two States, and that
"required this strip Of land 10 be given
up to the Indians, as permanent abode;
aud that it was loal to The slave SIaIes."
This, like his other assertions, is without
foundation. lie makes no auempt TO esIa-
blish il, but leaves it to be inferred from The
mere statement. that IL was at the lime
Secretary of War, and member oil MIR.
Monroe's administration" lie knew II
would not do 10 go into details, as they
would refute his charge, and hence the
vasueness of The language in which 1t is
couchcd. What he omitted ! shall supply.
The history of the affair may be told in
few words.
The Choc,aw tribe Of lndians, at The
lime, inhabited the State Of Mississippi,
and occupied almost 's entire territory.
General Jackson and General Hines. Of
Mississippi, were appointed by MIR. Mon.
rue TO treat with them, for The purpose CT
obtaining a cession of portion Of their
lands. They succeeded in obtaining
large tract, lying in the very centre Of the
State. and extending from Pearl river to
the Mississippi, in exchange for all the ter.
riory lying between the Red River and
the Arkansas. west Of line drawn from
The point of the Arkansas, opposite to
where the lower line of the Cherokee In
dians struck il, TO point on Red River,
three miles below The mouth of Liltle
River. and weslwardly to the source Of the
Canadian fork Of The Arkansas, and n line
drawn due south 10 Red River. But The
treaty, in making the exchange, made no
provision 10 change The character Of the In
dian title 10 lhe land given in Arkansas, in
exchange for tnat which we received in
Mississippi. Nor did it make it The per-
maueni abode of The Indians, as he asserts.
They hold it just as they held The land
they ceded in Mississippi. Nothing was
lost by the slaveholdins States, but great
deal gained, by The treaty. A large and
valuable tract in the very heart Of the cot
ton region, and lying convenient TO mar
ket. was acquired by Mississippi. without
The loss Of a single acre TO her sisters Of
The slaveholjing States. So that the great
sympathy which he prOfesses for the slave
STATES, in this case, is misapplied. If he
chooses to consider me responsible fer the
treaty, instead ofsMr. Monroe, and the
Commissioners who made it. and the Se-
nale that approved Of il, he is welcome to
do so, however contrary 10 the truth OF the
case.
Another, aud only another treaty, was
ma,le with that tribe, while remained in
The War Department. was the Comis-
sioner on the part Of :hc United STATES.
and. Of course, ackno wledge my response
biIily for its provisions. IusIead Of re-
curing a strip to be given TO the Indians
fur their permanent abode, the Indians re.
ceded 10 the United States, by treaty, a
part. and a most valuable part, without our
cedlng an inch TO them. The entire line
was moved westward, as far as FOr
Smith, on the Arkansas, and thence by a
-is ad-RivPr- Nor hlu II
make the slightest change 10 the title to
what remained to tho Indians, or pros
vided permanent home for them, as he
would have you believe. So much for
this charge and its author.
The Lcxt is Of Il kindred character. He
states it sill mure vaguely; SO much so.
that am at loss to know to which one
of the many treaties made with The In
dians about the region in question. he re.
fers. He speaks Of slice forty miles
wido and three hundred long, cut off
from Arkansas and given 10 The Indians :"
"that i, was done by Indian trea,y-treaIy
made by protege Of Mr.. CaIhoun's :"
and adds that was Vice President at The
lime, but gives no boundary, and avoids
naming what treaty it was, with what
tribe of Indians made, or the name of the
person be calls my "proteee." II is an in.
dictment without specification of time,
place. or circumstances. 10 which it is i'm.
possible to make specific answer. But,
fortunately, such an one is not necessary
to repel it eheclually, without descending
into details, which, it is fair lo|presume, were
omitted because they could not be given
without exposing the absurdity Of the
charge. Ills admission, that the treaty
was made while was Vice President, fur
nishes me with ample means for that pur-
pose.
1t is sufficient 10 repel it, to state, that
during the whole period, tha, l filled the
office Of Vice President. that Of President
was filled, either by Mr.. Adams or Gen.
Jackson, and hat il was my fortune 10 be
in opposition TO both, and the object OF
their strong dislike, as must be well known
to all. not only had no Influence with
either, bu, was the object Of their persc-
cution. My support of any measure or
recommendation Of any individual, was
'ufficien, 10 defeat the one, and reject The
,lher; and yet Col. Benton, who is ia
nilliar with all this, assumes, in making
lis charge, that / am responsible, for a
reaty made by either the one or the other
,flhem, it matters not which. 1t was going
ar 10 make me solely responsible for the
tcls Of administration, of W hich | was NO I
member; but il makes me responsible. not
nly for them, but for the acIs of those, s
hat were deadly hostile to me, is piece |
# extravaganza beyond the reach of any I
hut The author of the charge.
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