Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-03-16

withdrawn from stations west of Missouri in consequence of the belief of the administration that the danger in Utah is much greater than is to be apprehended from the Indians immediate ly west of Arkansas. In the country west of my State five forts have been abandonel. I believe there are not ten soldiers left upon that whole frontier.
 MT. BELL I ask my friend if he fears any thing there?
 MT. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. I do
 Mir. BELL. From the Choctaws and Chero- kees?
 Mr. JOHNSON of Arkansas. I apprehend that consequences may result there which will be of very serious import, and which may be very expensive to this government. I believe that the result of the withdrawal of the troops there may be to intiict on that region not only present evils, but evils which will last for many years to come. 1 believe this government has hitherto guarded against them; but those evils may now be the consequence of the withdrawal ot the troops. Senators undoubtedly are fa- mlliar with the history of the Creeks, the Se- minoles, the Cherokees, and the Choctaws- They are savages, barbarians Remove the troops from amongst them, and you give them an opportunity to 20 to war with each other: you will have no power to compel them to keep 'AAS HN"SS1 the peace. Letthis be known, and dscord will be the result. Habits of disobedience are easily acquired. This government has felt the power of these Indians. When they formerly occu- pied the States of Tennessee, Mississippi, Ala bama, and Georgia they were engaged in long continued wars which cost the government a great deal of money. No Senator is better aware than the honorable Senator from Tennes- see, of the bravery, the courage, the despera- ton m infested by these Indians throughout those wars. These powerful tribes have been transplanted to the country west of Arkansas. You have peace in the old States which they i formerly occupied, and you have cast these | tribes on the frontiers of Texas and Arkansas | They have been for twenty-five years past kept | Tn peace and obedience and good order by the | presence of troops among them, and the main- tenance of military posts. The Indian gov ernments themselves have been sustained in some measure by your troops; schools have been established amongst them; and they have be- come in some measure civilized. They have been partially trained to habits of obedience; but yet is not to be denied, and the executive department of this government know, if Sena- tors here do not, that in each of these Indian nations there are bad men, and not a. few of | them. The records of our courts show the df- | hculty which has been experienced in appre- hehdng and snbjecting to puuishmentmen who are stlil proving about amongst these Indians breeding difficulties and engenderng private feudS, leading to bloodshed and to violations of the laws of the United States in many re- spects.
 A present there is no great difficulty in en- forcing our intercourse laws with these Indians The marshal is able with few men to % through these nations and apprehend offenders; bat even at the present tune, occasionally, prisoners who are apprehended are rescued by force, and battles take place among the Indians in which men are injured and the law set at defiance. Heretofore, however, in conseauence of the system of this government in keepin, mp torts and having an armed force close by the damage has never been great, the wrong has never been extensive, but it has been nearly lighted and penalty has been early imposed
 All these Indians, having some twenty five thousand warriors, are locatcl west of my State: and immediately beyond them are the genuine wild savage tribes who live by incursons on the more peaceful lndians and bv every species of predatory warfare, and particularly by rob- berries committed upon white men wherever they may find them, and especially em grants crossing the continent. They have been partly restrained and kept back heretofore by our troops but the government has been compelled to | withdraw them. and in that region, occupvinq many thousands of miles, 1 believe the govern- ment has now only a hundred men, and they are stationed at Fort Bclkuap in Texas We established an Indian agency some two or three wears agoln that region, aAi sent an agent there: but he cannot live among them; he cannot stay there with any safety; he must lose his life if he rem ,ins there, unless the troops of the Uni ted States are near by.
 Thai bniu., tha c.,to of coeo ,.h,t ., l,a the conse Iaeuce of the withdrawal of these troops? Suppose a war should be once com mencel with these Ind ans, what is to be the cost of t? It will undoubtedly be very great much greater than the expense of aifordjng proper protection to your citizens. We have right to claim that this government shall give ns on that frontier the security weice they have disturbed by putting those Indians thcrc- Certainly gentlemen will not deny that if this government IS compelled by its convictions of duty to take away the troops located there and send them to Utah, 1t ought to put others in their place, if they can be obtained bv this bill. l do not believe there is any doubt that the troops which may he raised under this bill will b. placed on that frontier.
 have referred to the frontier of the State of A'kalsa, because am more familiar with 1 that; but know that our frontier forts and d '- lenses generally are abmdoned. My object in rsng was to present to the Senate the necessity for an increase of the military force, n order to furnish men to replace those who have been taken away from the defeuses of our frontiers. 1 will say to s Senator's now, hat petitions and remonstnnces are constantly transmitted to us here and to the department against the removal of the military force on that frontier. Mir. BELL. l will ask my friend whether, if there Was any appearance of difficulty with the Creeks, Cherokees, or Choctaws, 1t is posi- ble anything conld take place before the go- vernmcnt would have time to call out the mi itia?
 Mir. JOHNSON, of Arkansas. At present, the intercourse laws are respected, and they are but seldom violated, com paratively speaking; but whilst l am now addressing the Senate 1 have no doubt that men are carrying whisky into the Indian territory contrary to the laws of the United States and to the disturbance and destruction of the peace of those Indians and the security of the whites. They are carrying whisky and other forbidden articles into the h. dian nation, ana there Is no efficient means to arrest them The officers of the courts can do nothing unless they are supported, and you have taken away the troops on which they have here tofore relied for support.
 One of the main objects that has dictated the | has been to preserve peace within their own nations; to enable the arm of the law to be rigid ly and effectively enforced. Their governments are but weak. They are not very we'll organi- zed and they need support; the Choctaws I be- leve are the best; and 1 think it is unjust to them to leave no troops there.
 After we have been attempting to establish the habit of obedience on their part to the laws of the Unitei States, by long course of care and guardianship which has been effected main i y through the army of the Unitel States, do not think it is wise or just for Us now to throw away at once what 1t has taken twenty-five or thirty years 10 establish. l am satisfied that we ought to have troops on the frontier, and am free to say further that if the Senate conclude to give Us volunteers in place of regulars it will | be an error. The volunteers will not answer our purpose. If you place volunteers on that ! frontier now all they will have to do will ba