The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-03-03
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10, TIE POOR INDIAN!

yond the Mississippi" For this purpose the
land now embraced in territories of Ne
braska and Kansas were ceded to them forever.
The only condition was that in case any Of
the tribes should become extinct, or should
voluntarily vucate any lands thus granted,
the same should revert to the United States.
In this "home Beyond the Mississippi" the
Indians might again enjoy their rude sports
"beneath their own vine and fig tree,"--there
the foot of the aggressive white man would
never trod.--We held up before them the
document by which they obtained home, g.
pointed them to the millions Of acres Of
rolling prairies and rich upland-the thous-
ands of aores oe forests. for their bunting
grounds, far from the haunts of civilization.
Some of the tribes embraced that offer
they have made their permanent homes in
Nebraska-they turned them. with heavy
hearts from theif old familiar hunting grounds
and from the oft trodden warpath-they left
the dust of their departed braves, and to
satisfy the insatiate longings of the Anglo
Saxon, they retired farther West. In their
new homes for twenty years, there is much
change in their conditon-the Choctaws
more especially have made great improve
ment in the arts of civilisation.--Their
churches and their institutions of learning
| are hacomino ,unorous Q,,, ,,;,h III .Lo;r
improvement, they are do )med race
Hunted like wild beasts, from hill top to hill
top, but little more than two centuries have
elapsed since their wigwams dotted over the
whole continent, and the smoke from their
council fires were up from mountain and
valley even to the Atlantic shore--tley are
now but a miserable handful, and driyen be-
yond the great father of waters. Retiring
step by step before the bayonet, the axe and
the plough share of the pioneer--,hey leave
| all that was dear to them, all that served as
mementoes of their departed greatness--and
find their "home beyond the Mississippi
The envious white man follows them even
here. That plea Of necessity is again resorted
to--and the red man must seek refuge farther
west,among the rocky businesses of the noun
tans--they must again bid adieu to their
council fires--ther happy hunting grounds
aye, their churches, erected to the ever living
God, to make room for the onward march OF
civilization. What matter if they are be.
coming civilized What matter if, taught
by their merciess victors, they do kneel in
humble, sincere worship, to the Great Spirit!
What matter if they do hold up before our
eyes the solemn promise--ratifed by more
than trenty years observance,-to show that
this is their home! That single word ne
cessty covers the entir, ground; we need
room! ....... 49,.
Room for what! Room for our Rapidly IN.
creasing population! Room Cor the thous-
ands and tens of thousands of emigrants from
the Old World9 Room for the prosecuted
exile! Room for the fugitive from tyranny!
Room for the hard working, poor man, seek
ing protection from the land .monopoists in
our older States! Point them to the millions
upon millions of acres of arabic land unoc-
cupied in Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Oregon, and Woshngton-there is sample
room and verge enough" for another twenty
five millions of people, without expressing
the Indian and perpetrating an act of gross
injustice. Then why trample upon solemn
compact-why break faith with the helpless
indiana Simply because soe caa-he is weak
and we are strong!
The Black Juggerment dema nds sacrifice
land beneath its mighty wheels we toss
national honor, solemn treaties, self respect,
all, all gone to appease lis exactng demands;-
Insatiate ter, will not all suffcel
Our government may make treaties, and
move the red man still farther west, but can
money or lands compensate them for broken
ties-for desolated homes--for the bitter
pang of leaving their graves to the desecrat-
ing touch Of the curious white man? We
place in one end of the balance the land we
propose to give them as an equivalent, and
in the other we place the comforts of their
present home;-the latter far outweighs the
former. But, as of old did Brennus, we
tyrant like, toss our sword in the other
side, and swear they have received their
equivalent, and they shall submit.
Such an act of Punic faith towards Great
Britain, France, or Russia would give rise to
a bloody war--but because we are dealing
with a handful Of Indians whose race is al
most extinct we point to our rank and file