BR

85 D63

A SHORT HISTORY.

1. Some forty years ago, the State of Georgia possessed the soil from the Atlantic to the Mississippi river, from east to west; and from the Spanish line of demarkation to the line of 35 North latitude-embracing what constitutes now the States of Alabama and Mississippi.

2. But a man by the name of Cox, excited an object of speculation, by the association of a party to electioneer for such men to fill the Legislature, as by fraud and bribes could be induced to sell the western lands for a mere song in point of value, known by the name of the Yazoo speculation.

3. The people discovering the fraud in swindling the public land, caused another election to the legislature, who repealed the old law and burnt the records thereof, and ordered the purchasers to take back their money.

4. Some obeyed, and others said the sale was good, and they would rather have the land than the money, and hung on for the purchase.

5. Georgia offered to sell the land to the Government of the United States.-Hence General Congress had Commissioners appointed to meet the Commissioners of Georgia for a treaty of safe and purchase, if they could agree.

6. The conditions were-for the lands that constitute the two above named States, viz. Alabama and Mississippi, Georgia should receive $1,250,000, and the extinction of the Indian titles to the remaining lands in certain limits or lines still within the boundary of Georgia, as soon as it could be done reasonably and peaceably; at the U. States expense, &c.

7. This agreement was ratified by the Governments on both sides, in their legislative capacity.

8. When any of the lands were ceded by treaty (it being State and not national property, Georgia would dispose of it by lottery) every white male, 21 years of age, for twenty-five cents should be entitled to a ticket-that a poor man should have as good and equal chance to obtain a lot of land as the rich-hence all the citizens of Georgia were mutually interested in those lands, as a common, personal and State interest.

9. Now it must be remembered, that at the close of the Revolutionary War, there were some old tories and 'scape gallows,

who had to flee their country and take shelter in and among the Indian tribes.

10. Taking Indian wives, a quantity of half-breeds was the result in the CHEROKEE TRIBE, whose lands extended into five States, viz: Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia; in the last of which the number of Indians and half-breeds amounted to five or six thousand.

11. Corn bearing a price to travellers from two to four dollars per bushel, an old tory would soon be able to buy a negro, and soon, a gang.

12. Hence becoming rich, would be able to send their halfbreed children into the settlements for an education.

13. These half-breeds conceiving themselves, above the common Indians, attempted an assumption of the Government, by putting FULL-BLOODED CHIEFS in the back ground, and brought their system of monopoly into execution accordingly, to predominate in the land.

14. The former Treaties were made with full-blooded Indians but the half-breeds having seized the government, said, no more land shall be parted with or ceded away and moreover, appropriated the money given by the United States to their own use, by putting it into a bank; and thus defrauding the real Indian from the use of it, for whose benefit it was originally designed.

15. Georgia called on the General Government to fulfil the treaty and cause the Indian title to be extinguished; who replied "As soon as it can be done reasonably and peaceably."

16. Here then was a stand for a season.

17. Georgia then requested permission from the General Government in the days of J. Q. M. the privilege to send commissioners into the Indian country, and try and see what they could do; which request in the days of J. Q. Adams was given.

18. The Commissioners met the old full-blooded Indian Chiefs, who came to a treaty of agreement on both sides; which treaty was ratified by the President, J. Q. Adams, and the SENATE of the United States.

19. But the half-breeds said nay; and those full-blooded Chiefs were massacred accordingly.

20. Therefore Georgia passed a law to extend the foree of her laws and government over all the lands within her jurisdiction. 21. But the half-breeds, on the massacre of the full-blooded Chiefs, passed a law that no Indian should consent to emigrate : and if any did, he should be tied up and whipped fifty lashes, and then be banished.

22. An Indian viewing himself as much above the white man as he does the negro slave below him, would consider this worse than death itself, such a degradation--but to be shot, is to die as a man, and a warrior.