The Van Buren press., 1861-08-28
THE VAN BOREN PRESS.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. %, 1861.

Letter of Capt. Albert Pike,
Commissioner Of the Confederate State, to
Hon. John Ross. Principal Chief Of the
Cherokee Natios.
SExlNoLE AGENCY. Aug. 1st. 1861.
SIR had the honor. some weeks since
to receive your response to my letter OF aa.e
.he 9th dav of June last and. also wit,
the same, copies of the letter to you. of the
Hon. Mr. Hubbard. Commissioner Of Indi
an Affairs. and Of your response to him.
do not propose now, on the part OF the
Confederate States of America, to enter
upon any further argument. in regard to
the subject npon swhich had the honor to
| solicit your attention. nor to seek to open
any further negotiations with the Cherokee
Authorities, or again to offer through you
to your people, propositions for an alliance
offensive and defensive. or of protection on
the one hand. and wardship on the other.
All this is forbidden to the Confederate
States by considerations of self-respect. af-
ter the decided and unqualified announce
ment by ycu, that you and the Cherokee
people will remain neutral during the pres
ent controversy.
But there is still purpose for which it
is, think. not only proper, but necessary.
that should address you this letter and
which warrants me in believing that you
will not regard it as uncal!ed for or not
pertinent.
| In my communication of the 9th of June
had the honor to request you to convene,
at suitable and convenient time, your cx-
ecutive committee, TO the end that might
lay before it the communications with which
l was charged by the President, and. also,
that you would advise me. at the Creek
Agency. of the day on which the Council
would convene.
| In that communication l also had the
honor to inform you. that. in case the au-
thorities of the Cherokee Nation should see
fit to enter into an alliance. offensive and
defensive, with the Confederate States,
was authorized to assure you of ample pro-
tion by their troops. and that at any cost.
and at all hazards, they would maintain
the Cherokees in the possession of ther
country, and it's condition as All integral
part Of the South.
l also had the honor to inform you, that
1 was empowered in effecting such an alli-
ance. =" to guarantee to the Cherokees THE
GEE SIMPLE TITLE and perpetual posses
sion, With the right of disposition of tn III
whole country; and to pleige the Con-
g feterate States. in case of the loss, from
"any cause of the SO calieI Ncutral
I" Land between Kansas anl Missouri, To
"the pavmen, of the purchase ponev,
" $500. 900. paid for it by ;he Ch.roks.,
with interest from the time of purchase
Gin 1885"
Aud after Offering. in that alternative.
these and other guarantees, including the
payment of all moneys due the Ch,rokecs,
under existing Treaties. Delegate in Con
gress, and a local court of the Conf. ieraie
States, | further said IF. however. the
National authorities should la.m it mp,
"wisc and safe to adhere to the po ~ oI
{" strict neutrality, recommen led Dy voar-
self. shall still hope - eStaol n. 5y
50 formal articles. such relations of neutral
"ity as shall prevent any collisions or I'M
friendliness between the people or troops
" OF the Confederate States and those Of the
Cherokee Nation and shall with pleas
9 ure, give the Nation all such assurances
" OF recognition of rights may. in view
of that arrangement, be proper
To that communication it pleased you to
reply. in substance. courteously, but posi-
lively, that you had consulted your Council
and that it was still your decision, in which
they agreed, that your people ought to main.
tain strict neutrality. end not violate
your Treaties with the United States. by
entering into any agreements OF any kind
with the Confederate States.
do not at all complain, in behalf of the
Confederate States, either that it did no,
please your Executive Council to grant me
an audience. since it may be that this would
not have accorded with your customs and
usages; nor that you have elected to con
slider your Treaties as continuing with those
States only that still compose the United
States of America. AS little do complain
that in your letter to Gen. McCulloch, yo,
by implication, admit that you would no
consider the entrance into your country by
troops of the United States, as an act au
thoriz'ng armed resistance on your part
since If they are legally those United States
with whom your Treaties were made, am
zoe are rebels. they have the right. by those
Ireaties, to occupy anil hold your country
and place In it as many garrisons as the,
please.
wish, only. as you have declined to en-
|
the Confederate States. even for the pur.
pose of maintaining real neutrality, now
and for all future time to exclude the con.
clusion that the Confederate States viii
hold themselves bound by, or bound to re-
new any of the guarantees offered, or sny
OF the propositions made by me in the com
munication above quoted.
Especially wish to exclude the conclu.
sion that the Confederate States will eve
hereafter feel themselves bound to paw tn,
Cherokee People the purchase money Of tn
SOC. 900 acres of land lying between Kan.
sas and Missouri. That was offerel hy me
as one OF the terms Of an alliance offensiv.
and defensive which being rejected, tn.
proposition is now withdrawn forever. I,
is not possible that any obligation can now
or ever rest on the Confederate States &c
pay this large sum. In electing to remain
nominally neutral, and really in allian.s
with the Northern States. You will have
elected. also. to look to them for the price
Of that land. of which they have already
plundered you. If the Confederate States
ever pay any part of its value, they will
only pay to those Of your people who have
declared themselves the friends of tue South
their share and proportion of that value.