A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents. Volume 3, part 2: Martin Van Buren
History
A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents. Volume 3, part 2: Martin Van Buren
Presidents -- United States; United States -- History -- Sources; United States -- Politics and government; Van Buren, Martin, 1782-1862
York Indians in council, in order to ascertain, if possible, the views
of the several tribes, and especially of the Senecas, in relation to
the amended treaty. He did so in the month of August last, and the
minutes of the proceedings of that council are herewith submitted.
Much opposition was manifested by a party of the Senecas, and from some
cause or other some of the chiefs of the other tribes who had in former
councils consented to the treaty appeared to be now opposed to it.
Documents were presented showing that some of the Seneca chiefs had
received assurances of remuneration from the proprietors of the land,
provided they assented to the treaty and used their influence to obtain
that of the nation, while testimony was offered on the other side to
prove that many had been deterred from signing and taking part in favor
of the treaty by threats of violence, which, from the late intelligence
of the cruel murders committed upon the signers of the Cherokee treaty,
produced a panic among the partisans of that now under consideration.
Whatever may have been the means used by those interested in the fee
simple of these lands to obtain the assent of Indians, it appears from
the disinterested and important testimony of the commissioner appointed
by the State of Massachusetts that the agent of the Government acted
throughout with the utmost fairness, and General Dearborn declares
himself to be perfectly satisfied that were it not for the unremitted
and disingenuous exertions of a certain number of white men who are
actuated by their private interests, to induce the chiefs not to assent
to the treaty, it would immediately have been approved by an immense
majority--an opinion which he reiterated at Cattaraugus. Statements were
presented to the Secretary of War at Cattaraugus to show that a vast
majority of the New York Indians were adverse to the treaty, but no
reasonable doubt exists that the same influence which obtained this
expression of opinion would, if exerted with equal zeal on the other
side, have produced a directly opposite effect and shown a large
majority in favor of emigration. But no advance toward obtaining the
assent of the Seneca tribe to the amended treaty in council was made,
nor can the assent of a majority of them in council be now obtained.
In the report of the committee of the Senate, upon the subject of this
treaty, of the 28th of February last it is stated as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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