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Life of Thomas Eddy

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seems not to be lessened in the esteem of his acquaint-ance, if he should endeavour to get the chiefs in astate of intoxication, in order to gain their influenceover the nation, with a view that he may make aprofitable bargain. It is, we believe, true, that theconsent, or act of the chiefs, binds the whole nation,in sales of their lands; but, generally, the whole areconsulted, yet often (mostly) the chiefs are bribed toconsent, in order to influence the others. Althoughno treaty can be held for purchasing without a Com-missioner, appointed by the President, be present, toprevent the Indians being imposed on, yet it wouldprobably not be difficult for him to get such a manappointed as would answer his purposes. Many per-sons, (high in office in this state,) who profess, and,indeed, seem to be well disposed and friendly to theIndians, have openly and decidedly given their opi-nions, that it would be better for them to sell their reservations, and remove to some remote situation tothe Westward; they say that now they are exposedto a constant intercourse with bad whites, who sup-ply them with rum, and in every way try to cheatthem, and corrupt their principles, and, if they re-main, the consequence will be, that they will be soonextinct. They add, that the Christian party, at Oneida, owing to their having more intercourse withthe whites, are more depraved than the Pagan party.It is, perhaps, not in our power to say, whether suchremoval would, eventually, be better for the Indiansor not; but it appears to us, that if they should gofar West, they will still be exposed to the same evil,and would suffer still worse, from a kind of whitepeople, who are not so much under the restraints oflaw as the same description of whites who nowsurround them. At present, the influence of manyrespectable persons, who reside near them, servesmuch to protect them from frequent injury and im-position, and the assistance they would, from time totime, receive from Friends, might, at least, preserve