Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 13.djvu/324

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316 FRANCES PACKARD YOUNG to conduct this part of his Administration because they did not know definitely what the money was to ATTITUDE OF be used for. One Congressman said that CONGRESS it bribed the savages not to cut the throats TOWARD INDIAN of white men. Others thought he had APPROPRIATIONS been extravagant and wasteful in In- dian affairs. 52 There were, however, enough in favor of the measure to keep it from being de- feated. 63 Mr. McCoy, a Baptist missionary among the Indians of the United States, wrote on June 23, 1822, to PLANS FOR Lewis Cass, then Governor of Michigan COLONIZATION Territory, and to two members of Con- OF INDIANS gress, concerning a plan for colonizing WEST OF THE the Indians, then living east of the Miss- MISSISSIPPI issippi, on land west of that river. 5 * The suggestions of Mr. McCoy may have had some connection with the Resolution for having the Com- mittee of Indian Affairs, of the House, inquire into the pur- chasing of land in the west, to be used for the purpose of colonization. 65 On December 30, 1823, a month before this Resolution was passed, Mr. McCoy called on the Secretary of War and again urged the plan of moving the Indians to permanent homes in the west. Mr. Calhoun was in favor of the policy, and said that it would be successful if they could convince Congress of its advisability. 66 To accomplish this, the Board of Missions presented a petition to Congress in March, 1824, praying for the removal of the Indians. 67 On January 27, 1825, Monroe sent a message to Congress, urging them to take this step and accompanying his message was a more detailed report from Calhoun. 68 He enumerated the places from which Indians ought to be removed, and located favorable 52 Annals of Congress, i7th Cong., ist Sess., I, 693-695. 53 House Journal, i?th Cong., znd Sess., 312. 54 McCoy, History of Indian Affairs, 200. 55 Annals of Congress, i8th Cong., ist Sess., I, 1164. 56 McCoy, History of Indian Affairs, 218. 57 Annals of Congress, i8th Cong., 2nd. Sess., II. 58 Niles' Register, XXVII, 363.