The Van Buren press., 1874-08-18
Views Of Col. Adair. One Of the Cherokee
Delegation, in Opposition to
B0udinot's Bill,

Col. Adair is descendent of the cele
brated historian of the North American
Indians OF the same name. He is fns
specimen OF his race, with an imposing
physique, good sized head, with long
! glossy black hair ripping down his
shoulders. In conversation he developes
Il fund of information on almost any top
ic that comes up
As pHtriotIc Cherokee he is a valiant
defender OF the rights of his people t.
exist AS nation, against
WHITE ENCOURAGEMENT.
AS guaranteed to them by solemn treat.
les He says If congress passes a bill
establishing government over the In
dian territory it would exinguish the
present Indian government He instanced
the decision III the supreme court of the
United States in the case Of the Cherokee
Nation versus tue state Of Georgia. The
court decided that the Cherokee Nation
as then existing in Georgia was a domes-
tic, dependent state. Then, under the
constitution of the United States, the
I state of Georgia took the ground that no
state could exist within another state in
other words
AN IMPERUM IN tMpERlo
territory is established the same result
would follow. 1t would break up the In
dian nationality, shatter them to the four
winds. The bills before congress he
contended would accomplish this effect
| They provided for the establishment Of a
territorial government that will exclude
the whites, but this was a deception and
snare, while the federal constitution
provides that citizens of one state shall
have all the rights and privileges Of citi
zens of every other state. This would
/ let squatters into the territory, the samr
as was the case in Kansas and the Chero-
kee neutral lands. 1t would
| CRUSH OUT THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT.
"The Cherokees, he said, =" held theie
title to the lands as a political corpora
ton in common, and when that is de-
stroyed all the railroads can come in and
get their lands, which, under the charters.
they are TO have when the Indian title is
extnguished. "
Both railroads and their branches will
get 100000 acres Of the very bes,
lands in the Indian territory.
Col Adair pointed out and alverted
to the cant embodied in the preamble to
the various bills which led ont with tie
object Of chrislianizing and civi izing the
various tribes, whereas to show
THE FALSE IMPRESSION
Intended to be conveyed among the mis-
informed, Col Adair adduces the follow
ing facts: The Cherokees alone have
sixty five schools, two colleges one male
and one female), an asylum for orphans
besides, they are erecting house for
their deaf and dumb and blind. They
have churches, consisting of every ortho
dox denomination. Religion is free to
all under the Cherokee constitution, and |
in pursuance of its liberal provision they |
have invited all denominations to come |
in and establish churches. The Chcro-
KEGS have
HUNDREDS OF NATIVE PREACHERS
And school teachers. Col. Adair says !
this territorial question is misunderstood |
even by some of the friends the Chero
KEGS A great many people suppose that
the treaties Of 1866 authorizes congress
TO establish Il rritorlal government of
the civilized tribes, whereas they do not.
Those treaties only provide for Il con-
federation of the lnl.an tribes in that
country, with the treaty as the organic
act, and embraces the articles of conlede-
ration for the Indians This confedera-
ton is very much like the confederation |
of the colonies before the present consti-
tuition was established, and the treaties
provided that this coniederacy should be
established by the president Of the Uni
ted States and the secretary of the inte
rior, as amended in 1869.
The president and the secretary Of the
interior established the confederation by |
organizing
THE GENERAL INDIAN COUNCIL
That council has been recognized by
congress year after year, in the fact that
it has made appropriations TO deiray the
expenses. Under the treaty of 1866. con
gress has the right in addition to the es-
tablishment Of this general council, first,
to establish United States court or
courts, and in the next place, to pass
laws for regulating the trade between In
dians ID whites. The general council
referred to, is still in existence, and has
been since 1869.
Col Buudlnct, he said, has not alluded |
to this fact. though he Incorporates IL IN
ais bill. The general council meets al
Ochmulgee. but has no connection with
THE oCHMULGEE CONSTITUTION,
Which is dead and ought to be dead
W hen submitted to the different nations
the Ochmulgee constitution,was rejected.
Col. Adair expressed himself very
Aopeiul Of the future, ii The Indians were
lett to work out their own advancement
rhe, were used To Il strong government. |
Like all
THE WOODS INDIANS
That inhabited the Lake region and the
,ca coast, they had places Of abode.
narked cut by nctes and bounds, differ
INT from the plains Indians, who are
hunters. and ike the Arabs are nOmadic.
wanderers from place to place The
Cherokees in particular always had II
strong government, hereditary in it,
character. but they have since assmiated
To the democratic form or imitation OF
the state government They have their