National Gazette

For the NATIONAL GAZETTE.

To DAVID JONES, Minister of the Gospel;
Teacher of Love, Peace, and Good Will to all Men,

FRIEND DAVID,

HAVE read thy several publications in the National Gazette, wherein thou hast stated thy opinions on the causes of the present Indian war, and the manner in which it ought to be conducted. As to the first thou art certainly right, in my opinion; for I have often asserted, as thou hast, that the war is a just one; and as thy mode of conducting it is the most economic, humane, and effectual, there can be no doubt but the commander in chief, instructed as he now is by thy publications, will adopt it, and dictate peace on the plan thou hast proposed, until we can prosecute thy method to civilize and baptize the whole race of savages. It is true thy several attempts among them have not been perfectly successful, either as to thy acquisition of lands or communicating thy holy religion: but a good flogging may dispose the wretches to both.

Unfortunately, when I have asserted, as thou hast, that the war is just and necessary; that Indians are faithless people; that they have no reason on their side for defeating our armies; and that "the present war with them is a remnant of the British war," &c. my neighbours laugh at me, and tell me, that in its commencement, it was the war of the governor of the Western Territory; who, too hastily, and ignorant of the consequences, first declared it by virtue of the powers very imprudently vested in him; and that now it is the President's war, because he, as imprudently as unwisely, has been induced to send threatening messages to the Indian nations that he would chastise them, &c.

Let me repeat my opinions ever so often, and quote those of the Secretary at War and of the leading members in Congress (who they say make long speeches about what they seem not to understand) my neighbours ask me for reasons and proofs! Thus have I been confounded over and over again by many of our town's folks: and more especially by several of our clergy, who quote many authorities to shew that the war in question is unjust in its foundation, and foolish in practice.

Nay, some of them go so far, as to pray in their pulpits, that God may dispose the hearts of our rulers to justice and peace with our brethren, the natives of America!

When I first read thy publications, meant to encourage and excite the war, I was delighted with them, and hastened to a town-meeting, where I had often heard this subject discussed; but alas! it is always settled contrary to thy opinions and method! The town clerk read thy writings aloud, for the instruction of the company: but to my utter astonishment, Justice Trueman, and others, ridiculed thy opinions most unmercifully; and related thy land-jobbing visits, in 1772 and 1773 among the Indians; for thus he denominated thy several christian attempts to civilize them; and he related their threats against thee; thy fears; thy hair breadth 'scapes; and thy consequent hatred to them and their friends; in terms which I will not repeat. But one thing I will tell thee, because I was surprised at it beyond measure. It is this : The Justice says, that in the whole of thy publications, thou hast not quoted one single authority for any of thy assertions ; and that they rest alone upon thy opinion; which is founded in thy ignorance: Thereupon I read over thy publications again and again; and I protest to thee, friend Jones, that thou hast omitted to quote thy authorities, chapter and verse : wherefore I request of thee, to expound these matters, more at large, according to thy knowledge; for I confess to thee, I have, myself, no reasons or authorities whereby to establish the justice of the war, other than the convenience and excellent quality of the Indian lands, which thou well knowest ; except indeed it be the interest and dignity it would give to our great officers of government to be "the sole and absolute sovereigns" over all the Indian nations and their territories; as Justice Trueman says our Indian commissioners insultingly declared to them, we are. The Justice, as insultingly, asks— Who gave this sole and absolute sovereignty? and whether, after our having made this claim and declaration (for which he refers to the several treaties published with the laws of the United States) there was ever any thing more ridiculous than to impute the enmity of the brave natives against us, to any other cause than these instances of our insolence and injustice? And yet, says he, we want to make our citizens believe that we have made fair purchase of the Indian territory we are fighting for. He asks, " Is it not laughable, after this insolent declaration of our sole and absolute sovereignty over all nations, north-west and south-west of the Ohio, to say that " the present is a remnant of the late British war !" as though this insolent declaration was not sufficient cause ?" And he does not hesitate to declare it his opinion, that the promoters of the present Indian war aim at titles and other aggrandizements, not attainable but by means of a standing army! Or why, says he, do they thus squander millions which the people will soon feel the evil effects of? I have been thus particular, friend Jones, in order to explain to thee the general opinion of all I converse with ; and to shew the necessity incumbent on thee to quote thy authorities, as thou art a man of learning and a teacher in Israel, for what thou hast published—and to refute those of Justice Trueman and others, if thou canst : for, as the Justice says, it is in this Indian war business as in philosophy and in religion; A free and full examination is always favorable to truth, but fatal to error. Therefore, I beseech of thee to peruse the treaties held at Fort-Stanwix, Fort-McIntosh, Miami, &c. above referred to, and expound them if thou canst, to the confusion of all lovers of peace; and more especially, justify to the world, I beseech of thee, the following paragraphs in those treaties, which the Justice calls insolent, viz.

" The United States of America give peace to the Indian nations, and receive them into their protection" under certain conditions: one whereof is, that " The Indian nations do acknowledge the United States to be THE SOLE AND ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNS of all the territory described in the treaty of peace between the United States and Great-Britain in 1784." At this the Justice laughs intolerably ; as he says the Indians do. SOLE AND ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNS, GIVE PEACE AND PROTECTION! Ha! Ha! Ha! Further- The United States allot certain boundaries of this their territory, within which the Indian nations must live and hunt, &c. Here he laughs again, at the idea of our prescribing boundaries to the Indians in which they must live and hunt. As to Justice Trueman himself, I should regard his sentiments as unworthy notice, did not all our town-meeting unite with him in wishing justice to be done to " our brave brethren, the Aborigines of America," as Parson Goodmun calls them : for between thee and me, I have heard it whispered that the Justice is himself of the native blood of America; and that he is even proud of his pedigree; which, it seems, is from the old chief who protected William Penn and his followers in the year 1682- & that chief was of one of the tribes we are now at war with, called the Lenoppii, or Delawares. Hence no doubt his friendship for them! Fare thee well, friend David Be strong : Let us prove the Indians have not, and never had, any rights but what we please to allow them. Justice Trueman says they have offered to treat with us and to make peace, on sufficient proof that we will be honest, and not insult them as heretofore, with our claims of sovereignty over them: And this proof, it seems, is to admit solemn witnesses,of their nomination, at our treaties, in whom they have confidence, to explain to them the full force of such writings and treaties as we may ask them to sign. But in my opinion we had better continue the war to the end of time than thus put it out of our power to impose such treaties as may be most for our interest ! JONATHAN JUSTICE.

P. S. Justice Trueman having just now visited me, I read to him what is above written : He requests of me to ask the following questions, viz. 1st. Hast thou, friend David, ever conversed with any of the leading men of the present hostile tribes on the causes of their present hostilities? When? Where ? and what said they ? 2d. If, as he asserts, thou hast not, how comest thou to know they have no cause for hostilities ? 3d. What means of knowledge hast thou had of the Indian character? How wast thou qualified to obtain a knowledge of their character? He asserts that thy principal object amongst them having been a land-jobbing affair, and they having detected,detested thee and thy weak attempt to explain religious mysteries to them, by way of civilizing them! that thou knowest nothing of their language nor manners, and employed interpreters who made it their amusement to hunt thee ! That thy imprudence, in land matters, induced the Indians to drive thee out of their country, &c. &c. &c. He supposes that thou rememberest thy hiding under the peltries & deer-skins, in the loft of a log house, in very sultry weather, and thy consequent sweat. He declares thy interpreter made up the matter with the Indians to give thee that sweat, and to frighten thee off; for they desired not thy blood-they accomplished their wish, the Justice says, without it. 4th. The Justice says, thy censures of the President, of the late Commander in Chief, and of the Secretary at War, being very pointed, in charging them with silly operations, and rendering the United States contemptible; and thy having undertaken to dictate that our whole force should be collected at Presqu'Isle, there to build as many vessels as would be necessary to waft our whole army into the heart of the Indian country, and sail up the Miami of the Lake (the Justice wishes it could be called by its proper name, the Ottawa river)or land on the Straits this side of Detroit, induces him to ask thee, friend Jones, whether thou hast ever been to either of those places, Presqu'Isle? Lake Erie? Miami of the Lake ? or on the Straits of Detroit? He asserts thou hast not: but if thou hast, he recommends to thee to explain the practicability of, and the ease with which thy measures could be prosecuted; and wishes to see thy estimate of the expence of each item of the account, for twelve months only? If thou hast never been at any of those places, the Justice says thou must be as great a stranger to the rout thou propopest as the President is, or the Commander in chief was when he attempted to find out a short cut from Fort-Washington to the Miami village, when he was about to deplete the men's knapsacks, &c. in expectation of surprising the enemy at that village, in about 15 miles march, at a time he was four times the distance from it, and had wandered far out of his road, and knew not what course to steer to the village, whether E. W. N. or S. The Justice therefore asks thee to be candid, and explicit in thy answers; and requests thou wilt not be angry with him, for expressing his doubts of thy experience. He pretends to great knowledge in these matters, and says thy whole plan is a mere dream, as thy pretensions to an acquaintance with the Indian character is. Farewell-I pray of thee to silence the Justice, if thou canst. or enable me to do it. J. J.

Chester County, February 1st, 1793.