However, if you read further, you see that the United States Congress at first postponed, and then rejected that notion. That was the last word then on the topic. How could it be otherwise 71 years later?
Thanks for the reply. It is fun to go back to the old records.
The action proposed by Washington and Knox was to send a message to the Cherokees that basically said given the present state of affairs the US couldn't do anything. (The present state of affairs being that the Cherokees were in North Carolina, and North Carolina was not a member of the Union.) The proposed message to the Cherokees continued that "as soon as the difficulties which are at present opposed to the measures shall be removed [rb: i.e., North Carolina becomes a member of the Union assuming it does in the future], the Government will then do full justice to the Cherokees."
The question posed to the Congress was: "In the present state of affairs between North Carolina and the United States, will it be proper to take any other measures for redressing the injuries than the one herein suggested?"
Congress answered in the negative, meaning that Washington's proposed message to the Cherokees that the US couldn't do anything given the present state of affairs with North Carolina was approved. By voting in the negative, Congress indicated they did not think any other measures were necessary/appropriate. If they had voted yes, they would have been saying something more than what Washington proposed was needed.
That's how I read it anyway.