The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-05-29
CITY OF WASHINGTON, SATURDAY MORNING MAY 49, 1852


actions were recent il is impossible for to do
justice, am unwilling 10 reopen the for the pur-
pose M Of sa1, ssae1sdss.ny ss ! again I'm,
briefly the Arguments which the senator from Virginia
Mr. HusrrRl has urged against the Justice OF this claim
Inc hrst objection which seems to strike bim most orci
bly, is the fact. that admitting that there is unsa
sied obligation, unpaid debt OF this government, this
claim should not be paid on account OF the difficulty OF
ascerlanlng 10 whom II IS due Well, SIR that VIII be
the fault OF the Indians and not fault IL il shall
turn out that families have become extinct, have died out
and there living persons 10 whom any OF these
claims aye 70 be paid, hen as matter Of course the
noney must return TO and remain in the treasury OF the
United States He asks whether there is any schedule OF
The claiman,swhethe there is any list Of those to whom
lhls money isto go As before said. BY the means OF
printed document can be asceaned not only precisely
as to the number of claimants and the particular amount
that 10 to each but the name Of that individual
and the amount which is yet due him, and the precise
amount which has already been paid to him By ami
nng this document you will find list which puTports to
be list The "cains Of the friendly Creek Indians for
,S y y ss z r. hs sy
23d OF April, lSl4. and the preliminary TO the treaty OF
Fori !sssson that year presented and qadatsd at
Fort Hawkins, in July, 1877"
find by this list that there was due to James Lowell
$3.50, OF which 500 has been paid; TO Andrew Lowell
$l03, OF which $4l has been paid 10 George Lowell
III ,652, of which $66l has been paid, &c.
The schedule OF these claimants, and the amounts due
to them yet, and the amounts which have been paid
them through some thirty printed pages of this doc
ument prosecuting probably the most accurate testimony
and information by which this money be dsbursed-
more accurate than be afforded for any other appro
priaton asked for in this whole bill.
MI. UNDERWOOD. What the date OF the docu-
ment
Mr.. SEBASTIAN. 1t was dated some time in 1877
and is detailed statement of the losses and the claims
OF the Claimants as made oat by Colonel MITCHELL the
successor Of the original agent Colonel Hawkins report
ing the amount he had paid TO the Indians, and the
amount which remained unpaid the date of this report
bave not read the whole oil the report the document
is very voumInous, but will submit il for the nspec
ton of SENATOR'S as it the very inquiry which
been 80 strongly pressed by the senator from Virginia.
Mr.. HUsTER.] / am informed now, MIR. President
and will say further to the difficulties sug
gesed by that gentleman, that the present agent OF the
United States for the Creek Indians states he has seen
and recognised yet living among the Creek Indians.
many OF Inc warriors who took part with the United
States in sbduDg the hostile Indians and says that the
neglect to satisfy this claim the and ceaseess
cause OF complaint yet OF those PERSONS and there will not
be The slightest difficulty in concluding in the final disir
button OF The lands separately what persons to whom the
lands should be awarded or those persons one old
chief is yet living; and when the United States sent
special agent 10 that nation TO ascertain the OF
their complaint in 1872 this old chief referred him TO the
balance which yet remains unpaid this very class Of
claims, and reproached the government of the United
States for doing injustice to them by not attending to their
liquidation sooner
The next ground is, that the Committee OF Ways and
Means 1917 had the whole Of these documents before
them. Well, sir, they did not have many documents
before them have before There were no
other facts before them beyond whatwere contained in
the report made by the first Indian agent, which were
those before that committee now.
IL will be that the Committee of Ways and Means,
in 1877, called upon the War Department TO furnish them
all the information upon the files OF that office; and in
response TO that MIR. Calhoun forwarded the estimate Of
Colonel Hawkins, which, he says, imperfect; and
this report OF the committee formed the basis upon bch
they founded their proceedings n 1917, and the es
male made by Colonel Hawkins. In separate paper he
speaks OF the Indians being satisfied the time OF the
running OF the line OF the treaty intend 10 show that
the 100000 here spoken of, and which Colonel Haw
kins audes as being which would cover all the
just expectations OF the Indians at the time, grow
ing out OF the drawing OF the line of the treaty,
referred 10 claims for land which was taken from
them by The Terms OF that treaty, and consequent
ly that they not claims for losses for in
demny in consequence of depredations committed by
the hostile Creeks among them Now. sir, this being the
case, the authority OF that report must of course fall to
the ground. will read from the paper which the
basis OF the report made by the Committee OF Ways and
Means of the House of Representatives in 1917 Itis
the report OF Colonel Hawkins, who resident in
the country during the war, who was mainly insiru-
about peace 1t is dated Coweta, April LIST, 1916"
He says:
Iherowh transmit In obedience the orders OF your
department., report the claims OF the friendly Indians
for losses sustained by thom In their civil war; agfceaby
Of peace offered by Major General Pinckney
l3d April lsi4 and the prelimnsrics to the treaty Of Fort
Jackson, OF August following IL is imperfect, from the
peculiar situation Of affairs here, aud be otherwise
tl all the hunters are n whicA is not expected I'LL the last
OF next MONTH"
Here the claim, admitted on the very face OF it to be
imperfect from the peculiar state OF affairs then existing
and that the only document which reached here prior
TO the appropriation OF 1917
He further says:
al believe from the best information have obtained
that the whole amount of Just claims will not exceed $780,
0o0 aud IL probable, upon revision in of the
claim ants, there may be deduction in OF those
ported IL IL should be deemed advisable take order
sm Ss H
These sir, are the grounds upon which was made the
original appropriation of 100000 and when the COM
nlttee reported, they reported $4,000 than the In
dans caimeda species OF generosity upon the part OF
government which rarely falls to their lot TO be
guilty of.
II they had the estimate OF Col Hawkins before them,
then their estimate 900 less than this imperfect
estimate. The estimate, as has been stated, proba
bly, sweed by the coming in OF the hunters from their
Now, sir, 40 well satisfied was the War Department
that this report imperfect and that did embrace
the whole OF the claims intended to be covered by this
general appropriation, that in the instructions transmitted
TO the OF Col Hawkins, they directed pro
rata distribution OF this amount TO all the different clam
ants
In answer TO the instructions OF the War Department
requesting Col Mitchell TO make pro rdia distribution
to all the claimants, he says n letter dated March IS,
1918
81 have the honor enclose concise OF
the accounts presented by the friendly Indians for losses
during the late war; and OF the application of the ap-
propr.ted by Congress for the payment by which IL APP
The gross amount OF the claims presented including
the abstract made by Colonel Hawkins, is very little
Or under bat they were reduced by the chiefs
muee in 1877 when they made this general appropria-
ton, based il upon estimate already admitted upon its
face TO be imperfect The War Department recognised
the fact that the general appropriation not expected