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

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gon, by ceding to US, whatever right Spain
bad to that territory.
Nor is his next charge, in reference to
The tract Of laud lying west Of Arkansas,
aud south of 36 81, less baseless. lie as
ser.s that Ibis strip Of land. as he calls it.
was enough 10 form two States. and that
l"required this strip Of land TO be given
up to the Indians, as a permanent abode;
and that it was lost 10 The slave Stntes.'
This. like his other assertions, is without
foundation. lie makes no attempt 10 esIa-
blish il, but leaves it to be inferred from The
mere statement. that 81 was at the lime
Secretary OF War, and member OF Mr..
Monroe's administration" lie knew 1t
would not do TO 90 into details, as they
would refute his charge, and hence The
vasueness Of The language in which II Is
couchcd. VIVA, he omitted | shall supply.
The history OF the affair mag be told in a
few words.
The Choctaw tribe Of Indians, at the
lime, inhabited The State of Mississippi.
and occupied almost i'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 n portion Of their
lands. They succeeded in obtaining a
large tract, lying in the very centre Of tho
Stale. and extending from Pearl river TO
the Mississippi, in exchange for all The ter
rilury living between the Red River and
the Arkansas. west Of a line drawn from,
The point Of the Arkansas, opposite 10
where the lower line of the Cherokee In
dams struck il, to a point on Red River,
three miles below the mouth Of Lirtlc
River. and weslwardly to the source Of The
Canadian fork of The Arkansas, and a 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 The land given in Arkansas. in
exchange for tina, which we received IN
Mississippi. Nor did it make it the per.
mauenl 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 %slaveholding States, but "A great
deal gained, by The treaty. A large and
valuable tract in the very heart Of the cot
ton region, and lying convenient 10 mar
ket. was acquired by Mississippi. wittiou,
the loss of q single acre to her sisters OF
The sIavehoIjing States. So that the great
sympathy which he processes for the slave
States, in this case, is %misapplied. If he
chooses to consider me responsible fer the
treaty, instead Of Mr.. Monroe. and the
| Commissioners who made it, and the Se-
nate that approved Of it. he is welcome to
do so, however contrary to the truth Of the
case.
Another, and only another treaty, was
made with that tribe, while [ remained in
The War Department. was the Cnmis-
sioner on the part Of The United States,
and. Of course, acknowlcdge my response
biIiry for its provisions. Instead of re-
curing a strip 10 be given to The Indians
[ fur their permanent abode, The Indians re-
coded 10 the United States, by treaty, a
part. and a most valuable part, without our
cedlng an inch 10 them. The entire line
was moved westward, as far as Fort
| Smith, on the Arkansas, and thence by a
I~-L.a-.~nIhI u cd River. Nor dlLI II
make the slightest change in the title to
what remained to the Indians, or pros
vided a permanent home for them, as he
would have you believe. So much for
this charge and its author.
The Lcxt is of kindred character. He
states it sill mure vaguely; SO much so,
that | am at a loss to know To which one
of the many treaties made with The In
dams about the region in question, lie re-
rers. He speaks of a slice forty miles
wide aud three hundred long. "cut off
from Arkansas and given to The Indians -
" that it was done by Indian treaty-trealy
made by a protege Of Mr.. C%aIhoun's;''
and adds hat [ was Vice President at The
lime, but gives no boundary, and avoids
naming what treaty it was, with what
tribe of Indians made, or tho name of the
person be calls my "proteee." 1t is an in.
dictment without specification of time,
place. or circumstances, 10 which it is i'm.
possible to make a specific answer. But,
fortunately. such an one is not necessary
to repel it cffecluaIIy, without descending
into details, which, it is fair lolpresume. were
omitted because they could not be given
without exposing the absurdity of the
charge. Ills admission, that the treaty.
was made while l was Vice President, fur
nishes me with ample means for thar pur-
pose.
II is sufficient 10 repel it, to state. tina,
the whole period, that 1 filled the
office Of Vice President. that Of President
was filled, either by Mr.. Adams or Gen.
Jackson, and that j, was my fortune 10 be
in opposition to both, and the object OF
their strong dislike, as must be we'll known
to all. not only had no influence with
either, but was tho object Of their persc-
culiou. My support Of any measure or
recommendation Of any individual, was
sufficient To defeat The one, and reject The
olher; and yet Col. Benton, who is ia
nilliar with all this, assumes, in making
MS charge, that | am responsible. for a
made by either the one or the other
,f,hen, it matters not which. 1t was going
ar 10 make me solely responsible for The
of administration, Of which l was no
member; but it makes me responsible. not
'nly for them. but for the ac's of those,
hat werc deadly hostile 10 me, is a piece
# extravaganza beyond tho reach of any
Individual, hut The author of the charge.
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