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sehted, and gave authority, having the majority OF
MS friends IN the delegation, he refused 10 treat


there, determined TO come here, that is to Washing
ton city. Passing over the opposition made by John
Ross and MS adherents TO the proposed treaty, and
the difficulties he piled in the way point you to
the Council Of the Cherokees, held at New Echota,
G. NJ, IN the month of December, 1895. Gen. w.
Carroll one of the commissioners being sick and
unable to proceed with business, John F. Schemer-
horn, the other commissioner, gave notice to the
Cherokee people, that the 2lst Of December he
would meet them in General Council, forthe purpose
of entering into treaty arrangements with them at
New Echota-thatt the decision Of that council would
be final, he concluding, that those who remained at
home or absent from the Council gave their consent
to whatever should be done and transacted there.
The Council assembled, and it was great Coun-
Gil - composed of the intelligence and patriot
ism of the nation; and the Commissioner, con-
cuding as he said he would, presented a treaty
to the assembly; which, being considered by
a committee appointed for the purpose, and the ne
ly approved, and being signed by the chiefs auhorlz-
ed SO TO do by the council, was carried to Washing.
ton and laid before Congress Gen.. VIM. Carroll
signed it, when 1t was presented to HIM. And this
is the famous treaty of the 25th December, 1885 Ii
was Immediately ratified, though not without the
strongest opposition from the Constituted authorl-
ty." A delegation under Ross arrived soon after its
with long and earnest protest against
the treaty, signed by themselves, and claiming to
have been signed by thousands more. This latter
was not the case, for the number OF signatures was
about equal to the population Of the whole Cherokee
nation, (blacks excluded) according to the census
OF 1885, counting men, women and children. There
were more signatures, OF course, than there were
men in the nation, even including the men who met
in the council that approved the treaty; and 1t
would be unreasonable to suppose that the men
approving the treaty, would protest against 1t We
have the census before us of 1885, There were then
in the Cherokee nation only 1892 men, and here are
the signatures to this protest amounting to l5,94-
1t would take men, women and children-those
against and in favor of the treaty-to swell to that
amount. The protest, however, had no effect. The
protesting delegation were told, the United States
recognized the authority Of the New Echota Council,
and not theirs land the treaty being ratified now
the supreme Interchangeable law OF the land.


The treaty of 1885 provided for the removal of the
Cherokees to the land occupied by the Western
Cherokees old settlers y it being understood by
the Commissioners and Council at New Echota, that
they had given their consent to it through delega.
the New Echota treaty The authority of this dele
CATION was denied afterwards by the Old Settlers,
but for the sake of harmony they reconciled them
selves to the removal under the treaty PROVISIONS


trust you have noticed what have said sufficient
ly, to understand that the country occupied by the
Old Settlers was their own country, and claimed by
none other than themselves that the government of
the country was their government, and could be
rightly administered by none other than themselves
then comes the question, how could the United
States government treat away this country to the
Eastern Cherokees II could notdo tjustly-it did do
it in direct contradiction TO its own principles and IN
hagrant violation OF ITS own supreme SUI law. !. But
consent!! Well, that forms no excuse for the man.
ner in which the United States have since allowed
<he old settlers to be treated. Even granting that
this treaty OF 1885 was made by all the Cherokces,
both the Eastern and Western-yet the Western
Cherokees have received not a single benefit from
one of its provisions! On the contrary, they have
lost every thng-their homes, their country, their
government, their common rights and privileges as
hac haa,, hare tod htt that afxy
but the very party that most strenuousy and vehe-
menty opposed it to the last inch The Eastern
Chcrukees did not remove until 1888, and with the
exception OF a few families, when they dld remove
removal," who, although he refused to acknowledge
the New Echota treaty. or to abide by single clause
OF 1t, received an enormous sum under Its first ar


Gle. For removing eleven thousand souls he receiv-
ed one million three hundred and fifty-seven thou
sand seven hundred and forty-five $500 dollars


($1 ,357 ,745 S6,) which, by universal acknowledge
ment, was a tremendous speculatlon-it was alto


gether unnecessary, and robbed the Cherokces fair


y of thousands they would otherwise have been


paid. Mark the conduct of this man after his arri-


val In 1889 he gave notice to the Cherokee people,


that he would hold council, for the purpose Of uni
ting all parties. Alpartles according met, and were
eager for the unlon-but the pretensions OF Ross
were somonstrous, that all but his own party left in
disgust. For instance: He claimed that the East
ern Cherokees removed as a government, and OF
course, their government must go into operation inn
fneQldtely on us ARRIVAL NOW mere Is travelling
government, and government implies jurisdiction
over the land 1t stands on,-a government exercising
its authority, moves over all Tn States between
Georgia and the Territory OF Arkansas! giving its
mandates to the governments OF Georgia. Alabama,
Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Ar
kansas, and at last letting itself down in a coun-
try under the jurisdiction of another government al


ready permanently established Such pretension
would appear ridiculous, laughable in the extreme,
were it not followed by events rulnous disas-
trous in their character. After the "Ridge party"
who favored the 'Old Settlers" and the Old Settlers
themselves had retired from the council ground,
John Ross called convention of the Cherokees, to
consider on the state of things; and to determine
holding, plot was laid for the murder of the sgners
of the New Echota treaty, and darky was it hid,
SO carefully guarded from discovery, that nothing
was known OF it beyond the minds OF the conspra-
tors themselves, until the OF the assassination
Of John Ridge, Major Ridge and Elias Boudinot, on
the I'D of June, came like thunder-bolt from Hea-
ven. The other slgners were to have been murdered
on the same day, but by happy circumstances escap
ed. These murders were committed within few
hours of each other and with sixty seventy miles
distance between them; yet early in the morning of
the 22d June, John Ross dwelling was surrounded
by hundreds OF his friends as 1t to guard HIM, and
the woods around rung on that day with long and
loud shouts of Indian triumph What did this
mean? 1t told that John Ross was the arch con-
sprator, for how could the news reach him early
from corner of the nation seventy miles remote
from MS mouse, unless Dy positive HlIdCit Anu
what was the necessity Of five hundred to stand
around him with as many guns, at that time, if he
had not been the spirit and director of that plan of
deathl This was the suspicion then, and subse-
quent developments have proved it true. The muir
derers themselves boasted of the deed and OF their
authority, sought protection under John Rosss very
roof and although poor before that, Immediately
after, piled silver dollars around them! The Ross
party, as the next step, declared the long known


constituted authority 'the permanent government ct
tho Charak 20 Natlon the cOllntrV-dud this


constituted authority" declared the government of
the Western Cherokces no longer existent. Thus,


in the face of the United States, before their very
eyes, is beautiful and harmonious government for
years favored and acknowledged by the United
States, suddenly overthrown, and on its ruins
erected another government, whose long history
in the old country but connected tale OF op-
preston, cxtortion and murdcr!! 1t is needless to
follow up, particularly, the acts of Rosss govern
ment. Ii was established over the Cherokees with.
the consent Of the Cherokees; laid in BLOOD and
supported by money alone-it was violent usurpa-
ton! The nurderers of the Ridges and Boudlnot
