The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-03-01

Missouri to the Rocky Mountains, and
make all the territory south Of it sacred
to the rcd man. Ordain and execute
laws to protect him; you can do that
peacefully If not, keep your faith with
the helpless, and do it by force plant
line of soldiers, double or triple line, if
needed. around the whole boundary. #
that Will not do, keep your word cnd
plant a. Chinese wall around it. and let
flaming sword gleann over every gateway
Can It be believed that this govern
mont is to be formed without even ask
ing the consent of the 1ndians2 Your
commissioner went to Il portion of the
tribes. lie found them in great alarm
at the tidings Of the threatened invasion
of the whites-terror had taken hold of
them. They had believed they were
safe in their solitude when our Govern.
ment had vowed them protection No
wonder that shudder ran through their
savage hearts when tribe after tribe took
up aud bore on the fearful intelligence Of
renewing cncroachmcnts. They were a.
bout TO call together council Of war,
and confederate for defense shall be
amazed if the shall not yet do it; if they
do not look on the passage Of these bills
as their dcath-warraut and, seeing their
last hope for existence has expired when
our vow Of protection is revoked. il they
do not light up their courcil-Grcs, and,
together. dance their last wardance, de
termiued, if they must have death they
will have revenge in advance Does the
report of your commissioner give prom
| Use that they will ever consent 10 an
other removal? Directly and positively
the reverse 1.-the tribes. EXCEPT few
Insignificant fractions. refused to dispose
of any part of their lands
The interview itself Of the commits
sioner with the Indians but for the aw-
fll events connected with it, would have
been suprcmely ridiculous. do not
blame him he acted ably aud faithfully.
Look at the scene An agent of this
Government is having talk with q band
of Kickapoos. in the far off wilderness
Of Nebraska he is giving them. in the
name of their great father, Franklin
Pierce, lecture on the United States
morality. He is chiding them for not
having become better farmers, better
mechanics for not making more advance
in education, in morals, and religion for
adhcring to the customs and traditions
of their fathers, 'and that therefore
it was absolutely necessary, in their
present ignorant and feeble. condition
that they should abandon their present
possessions Why were those savages
sent to that wilderness Simply be.
cause they did not wish to conform to the
rules of civilized and Christian society
They were sent there to live as they list
When did they ever agree or the United
States threaten, TO forfeit their posses
s;ous if they did not mend their morals ?
| should rejoice 10 soc all them become
industrious. skillful, intelligent and vir.
tuous but l nope it may be voluntary.
without tho coercion Of force or Of for
feiture. If religion is to be forced on
them, l trust it may be brought from a,
broad Import the crescent and creed
and sword of Mohammod to convert the
Indian, but in such political and com
puiSory bcnevolencc, pray you rot to
degrade the religion Of Christ.
l had read. with deep interest, the re
port on the progress Of the transplantcd
Cherokecs Many of them, so soon af
Ter their migration. are living in style
equal to southern gentlemen in easy cir
cumstances. They are inclosing and
cultivating their farms-building beau
tiful dwellipgs-adorning their gardens.
maintaining their schools rearing church
es, printing and circulating the Gospel
l acknowledge that a feeling of indigna-
tion and horror came over me when
saw that the boundary of the first bill
ran directly through the whole Cherokee
country. and cleft it in twain And are
we so soon to make our pledges to them
a Kissing and by-word among the heath
en-? Is that tribe, who SO nobly conquer.
ed themselves, and moved peacefully
westward under the guardian care of our
great military chieftain, again to be torn
up, aud its bleeding roots retransplantcd
into some sterile aud distant soil The
new bill, for some other political reasons.
without any reference to the Indians. has
moved the line to their northern from
tier But other tribes enclosed are treat
ed with equal injustice. Where, if their
consent could be gained-and it cannot
-cnn you locate theml You have no
other place for them If not safe here
in what province Of Jehovah's empire
can the hunted and persecuted Indian
6ud a refuge from the grasping and re
morselcss cupidhy Of the white man ?
Pause whore you arc. Look long and
well as to what you are doing Remember. !
that this act of injustice and atrocious
treachery may provoke the wrath Of the |
Eternal to inhict on this nation the woes
he has denounced against the truce-break
er and against him who movcth his
neighbor's landmark
The third objection I have TO these !
bills is the proposed boundary. The
first bill took the Rocky Mountains as
western line the present one crosses the |
natural barrier, and takes in large por- /
tion of Utah-almost six degrees Of lon
gitude and three of latitude-into Kan
sas, and a triangular section OF four de-
grees Of latitude and more than four Of
longitude into Nebraska.
think the gentleman from Indiana
entirely right in his opposition to this
change and as he proposes to discuss 1t.
and as [ do not wish TO occupy the fall
time allotted me, | will not be so
uncour teous as to take the matter out Of
hs hands.
The fourth reason for opposition to
these bills, hardly need to say, is, be-
cause it aims, by indrectiou, to destroy
uhnt IL dnra moi sar rcnnnl-ihn Mis-.