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24 Friends & Brothers We are sorry to hear that some bad men have told you that we have come to take your land from you. Brothers, listen. We wish the whole nation to hear & understand. We have not come to take your land from you, nor to ask you for land. Brothers, Listen. Eighteen years ago you sent your chiefs on to see your father, the President - to ask him to permit a part of your nation to settle west of the Mississippi & to give them as much land there, as they were entitled to here, in exchange for the lands they had here. Listen. The upper towns then told your father that they wanted to remain here & wanted a line drawn, to include all the waters of the Hiwassee River, for the upper towns & all who wished to stay. Brothers, Listen! Your father, the President, heard your talks & consented to them, & promised to give those who chose to go to the Arkansas, White? River, lands there for lands here. Listen! A number of your chiefs & warriors, with the consent of your nation, and relying on the promise made them from your father the President, went & settled down there, & now seeing that the white people are going there, have applied to your father, to have their Boundary laid off & marked, to contain so much land there as they are entitled to here. Brothers, Listen! To comply with this promise, made to the nation, we have been sent here by your father the President, and unless the chiefs & warriors of that part of the nation who have removed to the Arkansas, tells us in open Council that they do not hold your father the President to his promise, we are bound in good faith to carry the exchange agreed on into complete effect. If they will, in open council, give up the promise & remove back, and again settle in the bounds of this nation, your father the President will be well pleased; but we wish you to hear. Listen & understand well. If they hold on to the promise & remain there, we must, on behalf of the President of the United States, make the exchange, take their proportion of the land here & give them so much land where they now are; and lay off for those who wish to remain here, Reservations, which will be secured to the heads of families as long as he or she lives & to the heirs in fee, securing to the widow her right of dower as long as she lives. Friends & Brothers, Listen! Let the whole nation hear! Is there one that can say this is not justice to all! Has not every man amongst you a free choice to go or to stay & has not the poor Indian as well as the rich, a right freely to make choice. Is not the poor Indian as free as the rich, and his welfare as much concerned. Listen!