Cherokee phoenix. [volume], March 20, 1828, Image 3

About Cherokee phoenix. [volume] (New Echota [Ga.]) 1828-1829

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their own blood to the sepulchres ot ,
their fathers: and unless such eii'orts
and prayers as yours, accompanied by
the strong arm of the mighty, and the
redeeming spirit of the vjod oi Hosis,
aid at this awful crisis, the death dirge
of that land of the I and heroic
will come to us from thi mouldering
towers of Acropolis, an the mourn
in-; waves of the iEgean and awaken,
when it is too late, the lunentation—
"The fair and the beautiful have fall
en; the valiant in battle are laid low,
jmd there is none to helji"
i avuuU areit my Cyes from the
dark storm that lowers ind blackens,
and bursts upon the lanl of my child
hood. Destruction comsth. Aiy coun
try seeketh peace, but there is none.
Her persecutors are snifter than the
eagles of heaven. H;r warfare is
that of the undying spi it of freedom,
with the demon of tyranny. Her ap
peal, therefore, is to tie patriotic.—
Would to God it might go forth as the
voice of many waters, to the patriot
ic of the world s entire population.—
Shall the angel of freecom revisit the
graves and battle grounds of her he
roes, but to weep at the tomb of her
Achilles, her Khraiskakas. her Gau
ms; or sighing in saekelpth among the
desert solitudes of her once beautiful
Aihos, look out on her fields, scathed
by ravages of war—upon her cities
sitting solitary in their desolation up
on her whole land sending to heaven
the one agonizing prayer of the oppres
sed ml enthralled?
© trf? oaniry! 'file warfaVC' Oj
\ Greece is that of gifted intellect with
I ;he tiger that prowls with ferocious
luxury around the funeral pyres of ge
nius. Her appeal, therefore, is t.o the
scholar. Shall the halls of the Acade
my remain forever a bourt for owls—
a place for the beasts of prey to dwell '
in? Shall silence regn in the moun
tains of song, and th«f laurel of poesy
fall from the brow thfit should wear it ;
as immortal. :
0, my country! Her warfare is
that of the cross with the crescent —
of Christianity with the principalities
of the power of darkness. Her ap
peal therefore is toj the Christian.—
the buried altars of the Seven
Churches moulder with the bones of
the slain in battle? •/ I
0, nfiy country! ? seem to look thro'
the portentous cloAil, which is ready
'o discharge its magazines of wrath
• J'paa f i!ie ungei of thy
Vrighter destiny descending from hea
ven. Behold he ometh! From the
vales of Morea to the mountains of
Thracia—the voice that summoneth
to battle is heard—Onward! Oavvard!
to the conflict! the redemption of
Greece draweth nigh!— The voice is
heard in this land of the Pilgrims of
Freedom. Their Christian daugh
ters assemble with the weapons of
spiritual faith. Shall I look abroad
over this fair conntry in vain for the
marshalled host of the powerful of
their sons!— But I cannot reproach a
people to whom my country ovveth so
much. No; already have the 'States
man" and the "Si* Brothers," like
the "May flower of a fori rn hope,"
which succored trie infancy of this
mighty nation, wal-fed the song of re
joicing in the dwelliigs of Greece.—
Is there a Christiai who will refuse
to co-aperato iii tlvfc holy struggle.'—
I remain silent—thfc moveless, lifeless
objects of Nature answer, No.
The regenerate 11 of will
be as life from the. ead to' the religion
of the eastern worl It will be ac-
companied by a net and powerful era
qf Christian enterp ise. Even now, I
behold the standarc of the true faith,
With the cross uponlhe summit, just
rising upon the si ores of Greece.
The cresent hides Itself in the black
,pet;s of darkness. I behold all Asia
and Europe shakin; themselves from
the slumber of corupt Christianity,
and angels of the sjven Churches re
kindling the fire oil their altars, and
writing upon theilj walls, Salvation.
Shall C hristians, tlpn,—shall patriots
scholars, fail tojfecl a common in
terest in the holy struggle of my coun
try? God forbid!—l am happy, mad
am, that I may miigle my prayers
with yours for thw redemption of
Greece. C.PERDICARI.
IEWECHOTAs
TIHJRSI>A V", M
TO CORRESPONDENTS.
The communication of "A Cherokee "
vc have inserted entire, according to his
request, with verbal corrections As our
correspondent seems to think we have done
„ m a ,Itt,e '"justice, ir omiuing a «»ntence
ln hls forracr wm-mirtication, it may be
k proper to state for his consideration, that
our word is out before the public, and we
consider it to be our duty to adhere to it.—
We request those who write for the columns
of the Phoenix, to peruse our address to the
public, published in our first number, and
to observe, scrupulously, the principles
therein contained, as we shall endeavour
to do the same. "A Cherokee" is under a
mistake if he thinks the correcting of Gram
matical errors in communications one of the
duties of an Editor. We hope no one will
write under such a belief. —It will be equal
ly as advantageoustu trap Correspondents as
it will be relieving to us, if they will pay
particular attention to correctness; and we
would beg of tliem to send their pieces trans
cribed in a legible hand. We do not wish
to be severe, arid we hope our remarks will
be taken in no other light than as dictated
by a wish to avoid misunderstanding, We
are willing, as far as we are able, to make
necessary corrections on the pieces of our
correspondents; but we wish it to be dis
tinctly understood, that we do it merely out
of choice, not under a conviction that it is
our duty.
We were not a little diverted, in notic
ing lately, in a paper, to which we are not
now able to recur, a motion made in the
House of Representatives, by Mr. Wilde,
a member from Georgia, to taite measures
to ascertain, what white persons have as
sisted the Cherokees in forming the late
constitution; and in what way, and to
what extent, such assistance has been af
forded. It is a little surprising that in al
most every instance, wherein the Indians
lu i lotto tlioir Yrlaitc
brethren, and have succeeded, (to be sure
not in a remarkable degree,) it is currently
noised about, that all is imposition, as
ihough Indians were incapable of perform
ing the deeds of their white neighbours.—
This evidences an extreme prejudice. We
cannot conceive to ourselves, what benefit
Mr. Wilde expected to receive in offering
a motion, or who are the persons that
are suspected of having interfered in this
affair? We believe that the Cherokees
are as scrupulous, in avoiding such inter
ference, as Mr. W, if not more so.
It has been customary of late to charge the
Missionaries with the crime of assisting the
Indians, and unbecomingly interfering in
political allairsj and as some of these are
the only white persons (with few excep
tions) in this Nation, who are capable of
aribruing any substantial assistance, it is
probable Mr. W. had a distant reference
to them. We can, however, assure him,
tnat he need not be under any apprehen
sion ir m this class of our population, for
the Cherokees will not, by any means, per
mit them to have any thing to do with their
public ailairs; and w believe, that as their
sole object is to ail'ord religious instruction,
the societies under which they laboijr par
ticularly forbid their interference in po
r.iicai matters. We know this is the case
With the Presbyterian Missionaries, and
we doubt not it is equally true with respect
to the others; and as far as our acquaint
ance extends, we are prepared, and would
not hesitate, to express our belief, that they
liave cpnformed to the rules of their Socie
ties. They have our hearty approbation
for what they have done amongst us, and
we hope those at a distance will rewaru
them by Uieir iinu wishes and sympathies,
instead ol alnxing to them the term of
"mercenary Missionaries." They certain
ly ueserve better treatment. Perhaps this
fciioit article will be considered an imposi
tion by such persons as are wont to judge
at a distance and without evidence, and
as nothing more than a Missionary's own
defence.
Oui object, when we commenced to pen
this aiticle, was to correct the mistake, un
der which some may labour, and to declare
once lor all, that no white man has had any
thing to do in training our constitution, and
all the public acts 01 the Nation. The
Cherokees only are accountable tor them,
and they certainly do not wish to have ain
innocent person implicated wrongfully.—
We hope this practice of imputing the acts
ol Indians to white men will be done away.
The Rev. Thos. Springfield, the late
editor of the " Knoxville Eijquirer," is to
be succeeded by J. J. Meredith, who in
his address to the public, proposes to sup
port the cause of the Administration.
MONEY AND PRINCIPLES.
Mr. Editor, —Over the signature
of " A Friend" appears a short expo
sition, but apparently an elaborate de
tail ot the actual state of the several
points, in which I had rather accused
the Council and their Treasurer of
indifference to principles, which they
had recommended for the future go
vernment of the Cherokee Nation
than maintained that every article and
clause of the new Constitution should
be carried into effect immediately al
KCJJ SO, 182 R.
FOR THE CHEROKEE PHOENIX.
ter the rise of the Council of 1827.
J Witt here again recur io, antl tjuoie
more particularly the last clause of
tiie law which created the Conven
tion. it is as follows:
'"■ Be it also further Resolved, That
the Principles which shall ije estab
lished in the constitution to be adopt
ed by tne convention, shall not in any
degree go to destroy ihe rights and li
berties of the free citizens of this na
tion, not to aii'ect or 1 lpair the force
of the fundamental ana
Laws, by which thfe A.riion is now go
verned; and that the General Council
to be convened in the fall of
shall be held under the now existing
authorities; Provided neverthe
less, nothing shall be construed in
this last clause so as to invalidate nor
prevent the constitution adopted by
the Convention from going into effect
after the aforesaid nest General Coun
cil"
The Convention then met on the
4th July, Ibii7, which fiamed the
new Constitution; and the subsequent
Council convened on the second Mon
day in October, 1827. This Council
embraced ten influential members,
who composed the most conspicuous
members of the Convention. They
again had to deliberate on the final a
doption of the Constitution, which
was accordingly done. This Council,
then, being composed in part of mem
bers of the Convention, were as much
bound, on the principle of consistency,
to conform in every actjip the spirit
cl the newly advised Government, as
they will be in October loiri. When
the same members of ilie Convention
which formed the Constitution, adopt
ed it again in Council, aud then acted
upon principles contrary to it, it would
fairly mark out the fact, that the ira
mers themselves could not relish the
new Constitution; inasmuch as they
had set to work and conferred nearly
all the offices on one individual. The
circumstance cannot be denied to ex
hibit their attachment to the former
practices of the Government. When
the exercise ol long established prin
ciples had been decided by members
of the Convention to be wrong in Ju
ly, and they had proclaimed in lieu
certain dissimilar principles, which
should direct the government of the
Cherokees, then in October followin. l
the same members acting upon the
principles decided tp be unfit, a
mounts to an abandonment of prin
ciple by the party "giving, as well
as by the party receiving. When
the hunter, after traversing the wilus,
finds the game of which he has been
laboriously in pursuit, he does not run
off immediately from it, but, with the
greatest caution, adopts measures in
order to secure his object. The mem
bers of the Convention should, from
the time the new Constitution was a
dipted, have maintained strictly eve
ry principle that they had discovered
to be so important and essential for
the Cherokees. Again, when the
planter sows his grain, it becomes his
duty to cultivate and cherish the
growth; for it would be an unwise
employment to be engaged in retard
ing and depressing the gj-owth. Hence
it may be permitted to state, that the
guide of the Council and of the Treas
urer has not been principle, but their
ever dear attachment to the aristoc
racy in the National Committee, that
has so long wielded the affairs of the
Cherokee Council.
If there may be a fallacy in the ob
jections alledged against the Council
and Treasurer for keeping the Trea
sury away from Echota, the fact can
not be denied, that it has been done
to the inconvenience of the greatest
portion of the people, The institu
tions of Government are for the secu
rity and convenience of its subjects,
to command what is right, and inhibit
what is wrong. For this purpose the
late Principal Chief, Charles Hicks,
had called his cabinet council, in or
der to remove the Treasury to Echo
ta; but, in the mean time, the Path
Killer s death, and his own, prevent
ed the accomplishment of the necessa
ry arrangement.
A seat of Government without a
treasury may be called a coat without
a pocket; and all sincere advocates
for a well organized government would
endeavor to adorn a naked metropolis
with its Treasury. The relation in
which the Treasury stands to the seat
of Government is so essential, that a
nation will always stand below its me
rited elevation, so long as the public
offices are conferred elsewhere; and
this will be the case, while the go
vernment is held and directed by men
poli'ral'y wanting, aud politically
wandering,
y\
But " A Friend" argues, " if a per
so>i residing at u remote instance re
ceives the appointment of Treasure,
and can give sufficient security for a
faithful discharge of his duty, let him
■nave it. 'if.is poll y, if persisted
m, will not fail to eonhrni the Geor
gia position, that the Cherokees are
an erratic people, and for that reason
they ought to be removed. If the
Chorokees consider themselves per
manently located, they should cease
io keep away from the seat of- Go
vernmeui tiieir public offices. Sup
posing kt A Friend" were to remove
nis crib twenty miles from his resi
dence; what would be his conven
ience in such a situation. 11 . I presume
tnat, after a few days experience, he
would rind it convenient to concentrate
ins stores. Who, that has a fan. y
for the common forms of Government
now in America, could learn the fol
lowing circumstance, but would con
demn the present poiicy. The Se
cond Principal Chief, a short time be
fore nis election, had occasion to
se.iri.ii, a.id ascertain where tne -Na
tional Treasury was kept. He h<l
heard of it at Ooosawattee; and, fropi
tile singularity of the country, there
place. He came to a small stream
alter dark. Although, being a Char
okee, lie was a stranger io pei'sdffit
lear, he apprehended it m ght be dan
gerous to cross the stream. After
some uelay, a search for a log succeed
ed* Here again the spirit of fear re
pelled the venture; but necessity, be
ing stronger than fear, impelle his
excellency to coon the log. One more
circumstance wili suili<_e. A siu.rt
time since the Editor of the Phoprax
despatched a young man to the Trea
sury, who, on his return, v\as crossnig
Salloquoe river, when only his faith
ful norse saved him 1 rom drowning.
Entirely wet he encamped in a waste
house, together with his bleaky, night
ly companion. Tiiese are a few a
mong the numerous difficulties whit h
the I reasury is producing by its move
ment towards Georgia. The friends
oi this policy have never disclosed to
the public the utility of sending the
Treasury (lie circuit it lias gone. If
they have any to disclose, which car
ries a wholesome countenance, they
would do well not to remain in si
lence.
As to that portion of the communi
cation of "■ A Friend,''in whi-.h his
lynx-sighted eyes have discovered
more persons than I had accused, who
have ,not adhered to principles, I have,
alter several days' reflection, come to
a conclusion to whom he must have
alluded. But one person, I believe,
the Marshal of Chattooga district,
holds a responsible office under the
Unued States Government, who, we
are told, is a contractor for the pest
route through this place, and who, nc
doubt, may have unintentionally tres
passed against popular principles.—
But il "• A Friend 1 has deluded r.im
self into notion that the Postmaster al
New Echota, who was President oi
the Committee at the time of the jasi
General Council, holds two offices
Ins firm confidence may be easily era'
Ji ated. The President of the Na
tional Committee was chosen durinj
lis absence; for what term he was
lot informed; but, on his acceptance
iistinctly informed the Council, tha
le accepted the office for no longei
ime than during the then present ses
lion. If the National Committee i:
iow in existence, it is without a Pre
ident. A CHEROKEE.
Y
ecice oencten Russia , Persia.—
j e ters have J>een . eceived fron
St. Petersburgh, dated the 10th in
>tant, whit li si ate that the late \ ictorj
In consequence of propositions to thai
effect on the part of the S, hah, plen
belligerents met early in November,
at a small village near to Tauris.
Count Obreskoff was named on the
part Russia, and the Governor of
Tauris acted as Negotiator for his
Government. The preliminary sof
peace were agreed to and signed
conditions were to the following effect:
—That the Russians are to retain in
full territorial possession, all the coun
try to the north of the Araxes. and a
small portion of that lying to the south
ward; that all the expenses of the
war are to be borne ! y the Persians,
part of whi< h was to be paid down on
the signature of the treaty, and the
reminder by instalments; and that
the Russ'pns were to hold certain
fortresses and additional territory as
•ruarantee for the fulfilment of tbi*
ait of ilio treaty. This preliminary
treaty had been sent for ratification
<o the Pei shin capital. The execu
tion of (his treaty is extremely difii-t
cult 111 point oi time, as it leaves Rus
sia at libei ly to direct its undivided
attention against Tuakcy, and may,
ihereloie, piobably influence the de
cision oi the Divan in favor of submis
sion.
•A aval Engagement-—? The Ship
Russel, which arrived here on Tluus
auy from New-Orleans, oft' the Tor
guges, saw a Spanish Frigate, ard a
Mexican lirig oi war. An enga.'x&r
ment took place, which lasted an
hour and a half, and resulted in the
capture oi' the Brig.—F. Ob.
Loner Canada—.The affairs of this
province truly wear a threatening as
pect. Meetings are beginning to he
held in Various parts of the country,
to take inlo consideration the grievi
ances of which they complain, and tp
adopt such measures as may have af
fect to obtain redress. A mcpttyk
was held at Ste Marie op thp Sth ult."
at which upwards of six hundred per*
sons of distinction were present, whcii
a general committee consisting of thir
ty-three members, was appointed to
. ommunicate with other committees.
Afier their grievances had been fd!y
stated to the meeting, sundry spirHed
resolutions wpre passed, condemning
the conduct of tte administration. ; d
approving of the course by
the asscmi.ly.
The Quebec Gazette states that a
petition to the king, for redress,
from the district of Montreal, was
signed by about eighty thousand, a
great majority of whom are indepen
dent freeholders. This shows thai
the disaffection is felt by a large pro
portion of the inhabitants, and that un
less the parent country interposes,
there wili ere long be serious work a
niong them.—Fennont Patriot.
Temperance.—A large number ef
the citizens of Lyme, N. 11., abstain
ed entirely from the use of ardent
spirits during the whole of the,year
1827, and many others used but little.
In consequence of pursuing this course
the quantity of spirits consumed in the
towns was reduced to one half, and
upwards of 1500 dollars were saved
to the inhabitants. The quantify cci}-
sumed in 1826 was 6000 gallons; m
1827 less than 3000 gallons. "It it,
believed," says the society in Lyme*
for the promotion of Temperance,
"that no person has suffered in his
bodily or mental health by thi? refor
mation. Those who have absiair.ejd
wholly have exposed themsolves to the
cold, heat and wet as much as the
rest, without (he least barm - No
manTias been sick, or taken cold, or
fainted, or tired out in labor, in corvr
sequence of his temperanc."—llamm
Gas.
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