The Indian Wars, 1784-1787 263 



the attitude of the Holston backwoodsmen toward 

 the Indians. He remarked that he supposed the 

 Governor would be astonished to learn that there 

 were many settlers on the land which North Caro 

 lina had by treaty guaranteed to the Cherokees ; and 

 brushed aside all remonstrances by simply saying 

 that it was vain to talk of keeping the frontiersrrten 

 from encroaching on Indian territory. All that 

 could be done, he said, was to extend the laws over 

 each locality as rapidly as it was settled by the in 

 truding pioneers; otherwise they would become ut 

 terly lawless, and dangerous to their neighbors. As 

 for laws and proclamations to restrain the white 

 advance, he asked if all the settlements in America 

 had not been extended in defiance of such. And 

 now that the Indians were cowed, the advance was 

 certain to be faster, and the savages were certain to 

 be pushed back more rapidly, and the limits of 

 tribal territory more narrowly circumscribed. 14 



This letter possessed at least the merit of express 

 ing with blunt truthfulness the real attitude of the 

 Franklin people, and of the backwoodsmen general 

 ly, toward the Indians. They never swerved from 

 their intention of seizing the Indian lands. They 

 preferred to gain their ends by treaty, and with the 

 consent of the Indians ; but if this proved impossible, 

 then they intended to gain them by force. 



In its essence, and viewed from the standpoint 

 of abstract morality, their attitude was that of the 

 freebooter. The backwoodsmen lusted for the pos- 



14 Ramsey, 350. 



