下载辰思小说免费APP
Ifthedifferentdegrees—comparativelysoslight—whichexistinEuropeancivilizationproduceresultsofsuchmagnitude，theconsequenceswhichmustensuefromthecollisionofthemostperfectEuropeancivilizationwithIndiansavagesmayreadilybeconceived。]
TheIndians，inthelittlewhichtheyhavedone，haveunquestionablydisplayedasmuchnaturalgeniusasthepeoplesofEuropeintheirmostimportantdesigns;butnationsaswellasmenrequiretimetolearn，whatevermaybetheirintelligenceandtheirzeal。Whilstthesavageswereengagedintheworkofcivilization，theEuropeanscontinuedtosurroundthemoneveryside，andtoconfinethemwithinnarrowerlimits;thetworacesgraduallymet，andtheyarenowinimmediatejuxtapositiontoeachother。TheIndianisalreadysuperiortohisbarbarousparent，butheisstillveryfarbelowhiswhiteneighbor。Withtheirresourcesandacquiredknowledge，theEuropeanssoonappropriatedtothemselvesmostoftheadvantageswhichthenativesmighthavederivedfromthepossessionofthesoil;theyhavesettledinthecountry，theyhavepurchasedlandataverylowrateorhaveoccupieditbyforce，andtheIndianshavebeenruinedbyacompetitionwhichtheyhadnotthemeansofresisting。Theywereisolatedintheirowncountry，andtheirraceonlyconstitutedacolonyoftroublesomealiensinthemidstofanumerousanddomineeringpeople。*t[Footnotet:SeeintheLegislativeDocuments（21stCongress，No。
89）instancesofexcessesofeverykindcommittedbythewhitesupontheterritoryoftheIndians，eitherintakingpossessionofapartoftheirlands，untilcompelledtoretirebythetroopsofCongress，orcarryingofftheircattle，burningtheirhouses，cuttingdowntheircorn，anddoingviolencetotheirpersons。Itappears，nevertheless，fromallthesedocumentsthattheclaimsofthenativesareconstantlyprotectedbythegovernmentfromtheabuseofforce。TheUnionhasarepresentativeagentcontinuallyemployedtoresideamongtheIndians;andthereportoftheCherokeeagent，whichisamongthedocumentsIhavereferredto，isalmostalwaysfavorabletotheIndians。"Theintrusionofwhites，"hesays，"uponthelandsoftheCherokeeswouldcauseruintothepoor，helpless，andinoffensiveinhabitants。"AndhefurtherremarksupontheattemptoftheStateofGeorgiatoestablishadivisionlineforthepurposeoflimitingtheboundariesoftheCherokees，thatthelinedrawnhavingbeenmadebythewhites，andentirelyuponexparteevidenceoftheirseveralrights，wasofnovaliditywhatever。]
WashingtonsaidinoneofhismessagestoCongress，"WearemoreenlightenedandmorepowerfulthantheIndiannations，wearethereforeboundinhonortotreatthemwithkindnessandevenwithgenerosity。"Butthisvirtuousandhigh—mindedpolicyhasnotbeenfollowed。Therapacityofthesettlersisusuallybackedbythetyrannyofthegovernment。AlthoughtheCherokeesandtheCreeksareestablishedupontheterritorywhichtheyinhabitedbeforethesettlementoftheEuropeans，andalthoughtheAmericanshavefrequentlytreatedwiththemaswithforeignnations，thesurroundingStateshavenotconsentedtoacknowledgethemasindependentpeoples，andattemptshavebeenmadetosubjectthesechildrenofthewoodstoAnglo—Americanmagistrates，laws，andcustoms。*uDestitutionhaddriventheseunfortunateIndianstocivilization，andoppressionnowdrivesthembacktotheirformercondition:manyofthemabandonthesoilwhichtheyhadbeguntoclear，andreturntotheirsavagecourseoflife。
[Footnoteu:In1829theStateofAlabamadividedtheCreekterritoryintocounties，andsubjectedtheIndianpopulationtothepowerofEuropeanmagistrates。
ChapterXVIII:FutureConditionOfThreeRaces—PartIII
In1830theStateofMississippiassimilatedtheChoctawsandChickasawstothewhitepopulation，anddeclaredthatanyofthemthatshouldtakethetitleofchiefwouldbepunishedbyafineof$1，000andayear’simprisonment。WhentheselawswereenforcedupontheChoctaws，whoinhabitedthatdistrict，thetribeassembled，theirchiefcommunicatedtothemtheintentionsofthewhites，andreadtothemsomeofthelawstowhichitwasintendedthattheyshouldsubmit;andtheyunanimouslydeclaredthatitwasbetteratoncetoretreatagainintothewilds。]
IfweconsiderthetyrannicalmeasureswhichhavebeenadoptedbythelegislaturesoftheSouthernStates，theconductoftheirGovernors，andthedecreesoftheircourtsofjustice，weshallbeconvincedthattheentireexpulsionoftheIndiansisthefinalresulttowhichtheeffortsoftheirpolicyaredirected。TheAmericansofthatpartoftheUnionlookwithjealousyupontheaborigines，*vtheyareawarethatthesetribeshavenotyetlostthetraditionsofsavagelife，andbeforecivilizationhaspermanentlyfixedthemtothesoil，itisintendedtoforcethemtorecedebyreducingthemtodespair。
TheCreeksandCherokees，oppressedbytheseveralStates，haveappealedtothecentralgovernment，whichisbynomeansinsensibletotheirmisfortunes，andissincerelydesirousofsavingtheremnantofthenatives，andofmaintainingtheminthefreepossessionofthatterritory，whichtheUnionispledgedtorespect。*wButtheseveralStatesopposesoformidablearesistancetotheexecutionofthisdesign，thatthegovernmentisobligedtoconsenttotheextirpationofafewbarbaroustribesinordernottoendangerthesafetyoftheAmericanUnion。
[Footnotev:TheGeorgians，whoaresomuchannoyedbytheproximityoftheIndians，inhabitaterritorywhichdoesnotatpresentcontainmorethanseveninhabitantstothesquaremile。
InFrancethereareonehundredandsixty—twoinhabitantstothesameextentofcountry。]
[Footnotew:In1818CongressappointedcommissionerstovisittheArkansasTerritory，accompaniedbyadeputationofCreeks，Choctaws，andChickasaws。ThisexpeditionwascommandedbyMessrs。Kennerly，M’Coy，WashHood，andJohnBell。Seethedifferentreportsofthecommissioners，andtheirjournal，intheDocumentsofCongress，No。87，HouseofRepresentatives。]
Butthefederalgovernment，whichisnotabletoprotecttheIndians，wouldfainmitigatethehardshipsoftheirlot;and，withthisintention，proposalshavebeenmadetotransportthemintomoreremoteregionsatthepubliccost。
Betweenthethirty—thirdandthirty—seventhdegreesofnorthlatitude，avasttractofcountrylies，whichhastakenthenameofArkansas，fromtheprincipalriverthatwatersitsextent。ItisboundedontheonesidebytheconfinesofMexico，ontheotherbytheMississippi。Numberlessstreamscrossitineverydirection;theclimateismild，andthesoilproductive，butitisonlyinhabitedbyafewwanderinghordesofsavages。ThegovernmentoftheUnionwishestotransportthebrokenremnantsoftheindigenouspopulationoftheSouthtotheportionofthiscountrywhichisnearesttoMexico，andatagreatdistancefromtheAmericansettlements。
Wewereassured，towardstheendoftheyear1831，that10，000IndianshadalreadygonedowntotheshoresoftheArkansas;andfreshdetachmentswereconstantlyfollowingthem;
butCongresshasbeenunabletoexciteaunanimousdeterminationinthosewhomitisdisposedtoprotect。Some，indeed，arewillingtoquittheseatofoppression，butthemostenlightenedmembersofthecommunityrefusetoabandontheirrecentdwellingsandtheirspringingcrops;theyareofopinionthattheworkofcivilization，onceinterrupted，willneverberesumed;theyfearthatthosedomestichabitswhichhavebeensorecentlycontracted，maybeirrevocablylostinthemidstofacountrywhichisstillbarbarous，andwherenothingispreparedforthesubsistenceofanagriculturalpeople;theyknowthattheirentranceintothosewildswillbeopposedbyinimicalhordes，andthattheyhavelosttheenergyofbarbarians，withoutacquiringtheresourcesofcivilizationtoresisttheirattacks。Moreover，theIndiansreadilydiscoverthatthesettlementwhichisproposedtothemismerelyatemporaryexpedient。Whocanassurethemthattheywillatlengthbeallowedtodwellinpeaceintheirnewretreat？TheUnitedStatespledgethemselvestotheobservanceoftheobligation;buttheterritorywhichtheyatpresentoccupywasformerlysecuredtothembythemostsolemnoathsofAnglo—Americanfaith。*xTheAmericangovernmentdoesnotindeedrobthemoftheirlands，butitallowsperpetualincursionstobemadeonthem。Inafewyearsthesamewhitepopulationwhichnowflocksaroundthem，willtrackthemtothesolitudesoftheArkansas;theywillthenbeexposedtothesameevilswithoutthesameremedies，andasthelimitsoftheearthwillatlastfailthem，theironlyrefugeisthegrave。
[Footnotex:ThefiftharticleofthetreatymadewiththeCreeksinAugust，1790，isinthefollowingwords:—"TheUnitedStatessolemnlyguaranteetotheCreeknationalltheirlandwithinthelimitsoftheUnitedStates。"
Theseventharticleofthetreatyconcludedin1791withtheCherokeessays:—"TheUnitedStatessolemnlyguaranteetotheCherokeenationalltheirlandsnotherebyceded。"ThefollowingarticledeclaredthatifanycitizenoftheUnitedStatesorothersettlernotoftheIndianraceshouldestablishhimselfupontheterritoryoftheCherokees，theUnitedStateswouldwithdrawtheirprotectionfromthatindividual，andgivehimuptobepunishedastheCherokeenationshouldthinkfit。]
TheUniontreatstheIndianswithlesscupidityandrigorthanthepolicyoftheseveralStates，butthetwogovernmentsarealikedestituteofgoodfaith。TheStatesextendwhattheyarepleasedtotermthebenefitsoftheirlawstotheIndians，withabeliefthatthetribeswillrecederatherthansubmit;andthecentralgovernment，whichpromisesapermanentrefugetotheseunhappybeingsiswellawareofitsinabilitytosecureittothem。*y[Footnotey:Thisdoesnotpreventthemfrompromisinginthemostsolemnmannertodoso。SeetheletterofthePresidentaddressedtotheCreekIndians，March23，1829（ProceedingsoftheIndianBoard，inthecityofNewYork，p。5）:"BeyondthegreatriverMississippi，whereapartofyournationhasgone，yourfatherhasprovidedacountrylargeenoughforallofyou，andheadvisesyoutoremovetoit。Thereyourwhitebrotherswillnottroubleyou;theywillhavenoclaimtotheland，andyoucanliveuponit，youandallyourchildren，aslongasthegrassgrows，orthewaterruns，inpeaceandplenty。Itwillbeyoursforever。"
TheSecretaryofWar，inaletterwrittentotheCherokees，April18，1829，（seethesamework，p。6），declarestothemthattheycannotexpecttoretainpossessionofthelandsatthattime
