The Van Buren press., 1870-04-19
\ Desperate Effort.

the United States oufsuie Of the tcrritori-
alhenn,laries Of the United States. is be-
ing followed up by motions and rcsolu-
lions in Congress by those who desire to
visaate solemn treaties in order to iurth.
or schemes of agrandisement. That the
Government of the L. S. would sooner
or later absorb the lntiian Nation bord-
ering on The West, has long since been
clearly seen. \ man of ordinary capaci-
" might have Supposed that no better
time could have been selected than than
in 1856 These Indians had violated
their treaties with the Government, by
taking up arms and entering into treaties
with power at war with the l.. S. The
Federal government could have refused
to enter iuto further treaties with them
and not have exposed the Government to
the odium Of a violation Of Information
al law, il, dealing with weaker power
isut for various reasons unknown to us,
this opportunity was permitted to pass
unimprovcd, and now the Government
proposes to violate the solemn treaty of
1866, and others, rcneged by that treaty.
In order to manufacture some plausi-
BILE excuse for this, every available means
i, resortcd to. We find after the iniquit-
GUS seizure OF the Tobacco Factories in
the Cherokee and Choetaw Nation, the
Commissioner Of Internal Revenue pro
10 divide the Indian Country into
Revenue Districts, and attach them to
Arkansas. This is the second act in the
drama. and thus far the Indians continue
tosoIcmnly and faithfully observe their
treaty obligations. We next see various
resolutions introduced in Congress to
lend the public mind into habit of think
ing,i conducive TO the end in view. The
Indians enter manly protests but passive
Is observe their plightcd faith TO the gov
vrnment, Then comes the OKLA hama
Bill. A. more daring step, because furth-
The Government by her representa-
lives tllreatcn TO make the Indian citi-
zens of the United States, by asserting
right to the soil and the concurrent right
OF government or sovereignty. This
threat fail 10 arouse the Indians to such
an extent as to bring about a violation
Of treaties. Driven to desperation by
this determination on the part Of the In
dian Nations to abide by these engage
mcnts, and finding no action of this kind
can give birth to u just cause to abi iogatc
the solemn treaties between the Nations
and this Government, measures are he
Ing inanguratcd outside of the Depart
mcnts aud the Halls of Congress. We
zee by the journals of the day, that one
VALENTINE DELL, not unknown to fame
has suddenly discovered that he is u dele
gntc, or minister plenipotcntiary rather
Of all the colorcd people of the Choctaw
and Chickasaw Nations. And being 50
endowed with the power to act for them
in allttings, puts in a petition this gov
crnmcnt for redress The government
under which they live have failed to give
to them equal rights before the law and
they claim that by thus neglectng them,
the .Ndtions hare riolated the treaty OIL
1866. So here is an opportunity to
abandon the entire treaty. This is the
best opportunity they will have, aud they
will doubtless not long hesitate upon the
legality of it. The violation of this one
article Of the treaty, by no means, ac
cording to all international law writer's,
abrogates or annuls the whole treaty. 1t
was notthc chief object Of the treaty, but
only an incident. Treaties had existed
before recognizing slavery, and embrac-
ing declaration of the full rights of all
parties to the contract These treaties
were made from the first settling Of this
county, first by Great Britain, France
aud Spain and after the Revolution, by
the United States, who succeeded to the
rights and Duties of Great Britain, by
successful revolt aud afterwards, to the
rights and duties Of France and Spain by
purchase. All the treaties up to 1866,
recognized the institutions Of slavery
and the consequent inequality of negroes
before the law as existing in all the Ma
lions with whom they were made. These
treaties having been abrogatcd by the
acts Of the Indians during the recent war,
were re- established in 1866, and the abo.
lition Of slavery having been an incident
Of the war in the Southern States, the
Government demanded its abolition in
the Indian Nations, rs one Of the condi-
tions upon which they would consent 10
treat with them. At the time these treat
les were made the Chcrokecs gave to the
negroes all the rights Of native born
Cherokee Indians, in the Cherokee Ma
tion, by their treaty. The Choctaws and
Chickasaws agreed conditionally, to do
so, by acts Of Council. 1t was not one
of tho essentials to the validity of the
A !. N