Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-12-07
uccltlp tree Dress.
BURLINGTON, FRIDAY, DEC. :, 1855.
The General Assembly, No.Jv.
TIE IROQUUIS CLAIM

! ''' N'NhN'"' <hSoS"oJs ANVs I've
TIE IRopUoIS CLAIM.
The loss Of tile Till intended to provide for
/ the extlnguishment of the lroquois Claim is
| to be regretted. Often as this claim has been
before the General Assembly, we suppose but
lew of our citizens have any clear notions
( about it, and slight sketch OF the case may
be interesting
Very soon after the government OF Yer
mont was fairly established, application was
made to the Legislature by the chiefs of
those Indians Tor proper compensation for
their hunting grounds now occupied by part
OF the State wiz, 50 much as lies wea of the
high ridge oil the Green Mountains and north
OF line running eastward from riconderoga
to Sutherland falls on Otter Creek) for which
it was alleged the aboriginal owners had
been never paid by anybody, in any manner.
The manner in which the subject was
treated iy those who spoke for the State in
early days, cannot be spoken of with much
commentator. Considerations were pressed
into the case which did not beloag there
arguments were used better fitted to stop the
than to satisfy their minds,-the case was
rather shufllcd off. a small gratuity was
made TO the chiefs, and the matter
had the go by for the time, the hope
being evidently, that the claim would he
dropped But it has never been dropped.
Again and again has it been rresented-and
as often pushed aside with slight notice
/ without an admission of the claim, but with
a slight appropriation for travelling expenses,
and general expression of good will for our
red hrcthren.' Under growing sentiment
that the matter deserved more thorough
treatment, year before last the Governor Of
the State, acting under n Joint resolution Of
the Senate and House of representatives, APP
pointed Hon. Timothy p. Redtield of Mont
pelier, to investigate the subject and make
report thereon. Mr.. Redfeld's report was
communicated to the General Assembly in
1854, and his report and the accompanying
documents are to be found at length in the
! Aprerd,V TO tho tIo,,ro Tn,,---i sc >L~. year.
The candor and ability Of the report made
a decided impression on the minds of many
in the General Assembly and the result
Was q joint resolution requesting the Governor
u appoint commissioner to investigate the
matter still further, and to negotiate the
claim with the proper claimants, and to re-
port anew. Hon. j. W. IIotchkiss Of Water
Vile, was appointed for that purpose He
seems to have fulfilled the duties of his ap-
ppintment with iaithtulness, ability, and dis
cretion According to his report, the In
dams Of three distinct settlements, viz,
Caughnawaga, St. Regis and Lake OF the
Two Mountains, are the survivors Of the Iro.
quoi,, who once occupied after the Indian
fashion, the territory in question and they,
by their chiefs, in Il formal and regular way
conducted the negotiation on the part Of the
Indians
The amount of compensation proposed by
them at first, the commissioner considered to
be cxorhitant under all the circumstances {;
and the result was proposition on their
part to submit the amount of compensation
. to the sense Of justice in the minds of the
Legislature of the State. Mr., liotchkiss S
report was not completed till the session was
considerably advanced. The matter then
went to the committee on claims, and after
patient examination, both committees agreed
on a bill for appropriating $4,000, payable
$1,000 year) to be equitably apportioned
by IL commissioner to the three fragments of
tribes before named, and the money "a small
portion for expenses excepted) to be applied
Tor the purposes OF education among them.
We cannot give full outline Of the discus
sion on the bill in the Senate, where the bill
was introduced but only meagre sketch OF
the remarks Of those who spoke most at
length Senator Green, of Washington Co.,
with his usual candor and discrimination,
slil that the subject was out OF the range
Of those matters which commonly occupy
the attention of the committee Of claims,
(uf which he was a member,) and were it to
he dealt with in the same way precisely, 1t
would be difficult to find n strictly legal
ground for the claim. Yet in his view there
WAS claim which, vague as the grounds OF
il would he considered before court OF law,
should not be treated as altogether unworthy
of rcgard-thcre could No no reasonable doubt
that the region in question once was consid-
cred part Of the Iroquis hunting grounds,
and though they seemed to have made little
use of it for a considerable time previous TO
the Revolution, there was no evidence Of
their having altogether abandoned il, and
none that any compensation had been made
to the Indians for it. 1t had been the prac-
tice Of the governments Of this country to
consider the Indian title as valid, to q GER
tain extent, though they could show no writ
ten records Of their ownership, and to re-
muneratc them for it. This claim had
been urged for nearly sixty years, and no
doubt it would be urged till it was settled by
agreement lie was 50 far satisfied with the
grounds Of the clam and the reasons for its
adjustment, as provided, that he was ready
to vote lor the bill.
Senator Hotchkiss, Of Lamoille Co., (the
commissioner, and also chairman of the COM
Inittee On claims,) stated somewhat at length
the relations of the present claimants 20 the
great body Of the lroquois who once occu-
pied Il considerable part of Central AMI
Northern New York-the difficulties which
the tribes had to encounter with the French
and English, both of whom claimed their
friendship and aid in the wars with each
other and both of whom, treated their In
dian allies quite often more like enemies than
friends New York had years ago quoted
the title of the Iroquois, in that State, by di.
rect appropriations for that purpose. lie
had uryad upon the Chiefs that mn so Inroe