Cherokee Phoenix and Indians' Advocate
Wednesday, August 19, 1829
Vol. II, No. 20
Page 2, col. 3c

 By the express provisions of an act of Congress, it is made a criminal offence to convey spirituous liquors into the Indian country, and several of the Indian nations have themselves prohibited, by their own laws, the introduction of spirits among their people.  It is the duty of our government to countenance this policy.  The laws regulating our intercourse with the Indians will never be properly executed, unless enforced by their aid.  Instead of pursuing this course, we have punished them for enforcing our own laws, and have rewarded unprincipled individuals for carrying spirits into the Indian country in violation of these laws.

 In December 1825, several persons without any license to trade with the Indians, took eighty two barrels of whiskey and two barrels of brandy into the Cherokee Country, which they were selling to these poor people.  The whiskey and brandy, were sized by the proper officers of the Cherokee nation and destroyed.  For this proceeding, so honorable to the Indians, and marking in strong characters their progress in civilization, they should have received the applause and support of our Government; but instead of this, more than one thousand dollars has been taken from the Cherokees and paid over to those who had thus wantonly violated our laws and disregarded the rights and happiness of Indians.  Let us hear no more of our efforts to civilize these people of our humanity, or even justice to them.  Hamilton (O.) Int.

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