The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-12-10
From the Cincinnati Gazette.
GOVERNMENT LAND SPECULATIONS
Frauds upon The Endians by The Highest officers

we have had occasion heretofore 10 place be-
fore our readers the names Of the most proini-
! nent among the government officers who were
the projectors of and proprielors in the '.4n,eri-
can Land Company Notwithstanding the
naledctions Of the agrarnn locofocos upon all
spectators, they allow themselves TO be led en-
tirely by body Of spectators, who are now
the magnates of the ocofoco party of this State
the stockholders Of The American Land Com.
pany--a company now owning as large all u
mount of territory the original patenIees of
this Continent he Id under the crown of Great
| Britain. ......
The charters of the old English propretors
| TO rac;s of land now constituting s!ntes, were
not NJ the time of the grant by the crown, equal
| in value TO the land now owned by the AMERICAN
Lond Company! CrosOeU, fright, Die, Butler,
Corning, OlcoH John Fan Buren, and host of
other Office holders under The general govern.
inent, are in effect the patentees, under the name
! Of the American Lnnd Company; and like
Penn and the Duhe Of York, we presume some
of them will yet give their names 10 new states
| TO he carved out OF their possessions, and here
after TO he admitted into the Union. l..f
From source that can be relied on I'VE have
learned some new facts in relation to these spec
ulators. I'd. -H... p.
The fist company formed was the .Mississip.
| pi Land Company in the spring of 1885. This
company originated with the Government officers
in Boston! The lands TO be speculated il, by
this company, We're the Indian lands-the Chick.
dSuto and ChocidtO Indian Reservations. To oh.
tain the tile 10 these, it was necessary obtain
the sanction of the President to The contracts
made with the Indians.
Hence it was Of importance to have some
person connected with the company who could
! influence the President to sanction oil contracts
made IN ais behalf To secure its influence an
agreement was entered INFO with .4nos Kendall
(nnd as we are informed by n s,ockhoder) un-
der hand and seal; by which Kendall was to
have all the profits arising upon FORTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS OF the stock of the
company.
| The effect of this arrangement upon the in
terest of the Indians manifest. If an EN-,
| grnnt went upon the lands, and contracted with
Indians for portion of their territory Mt a
fir price, he would fail in consummating his
title, because President aoouLd not sanction IT, The
consequence, was, that the agents of this land
company were without competitors and were en-
able, to purchase the Indian title at from 8 TO
81 so per acre, when i, was well worth SIO,and
would ha We commanded that price had it not
been for the influence of this land company and
those connected with it. Kendall was not by
name stakeholder, but held his contract for a
division OF the 'spo,ls.' The COMPANY. through
their agents, purchased up the Indian lilies and
1 Kendall procured the sanction Of the President 10
eve,y purchase. Any of these lands thus bought
a, 81 and ST. so per acre, We're Immediately dis
posed of al am average price Of $40 per acre
nal proprietor $1,000, were easily sold ut $1,000
and $500 'f
The Attorney General Butler, learning the
success of this company, and the happy man
ner in which our cabinet minister was turning
his official influence to account, conceived the
idea of a more extended md megnificen mo,
nnply and as he intended that its operations
should cover not only Indians reservations, but
to extend to Governments lands, he determined
that its name should be the :fmericGn Land
~
the consultation, and John Fan Buren, as the
representative of his father. Forwi,h articles
i of association were prepared and all the fniIh-
ful office holders incorporated themselves under
the name and title OF tho american Land Com
> pary
The attorney general stipulated with his as
sociates that the Presidency of the companv
should be conferred on his brother Charles, with
mn ample salary, while ont of the amount of
leach subscription was 10 come 10 the Buffers
\ fire per cent The company thus organized ira
agents purchased largely of the Indian reserya-
ton in Alabama, The President sanctioned all
their purchases Of the IndtanS!! The reader
will conceive at how miserable n price these
poor Indians were swindled of their land, when
he is informed that so favorable were the terms
Of purchase that shares Of 500, with but, fen
per cent paid in, sold for SIXTY DOLLARS
per share. aA. .2-9s8E
The pons part of this association, feeling
little conscience stricken at the imposition pruc.
iised upon the poor Indians, about The close of
their FIRST years operations, at an unnuat NEE iug
OF the company held at the Albion House, Bos.
ton, procured he passage of II resolution to an
proprate ST 600 for the purchase OF Bibles TO be
distributed among Ire bengjhtcd Indians Of Ala !
bnma and Mississippi !! -
Such was the repardtion Of the American
: Land Company tc the poor Indians, afer dup
ing them TO the tune of probably MILLION
OF DOLLARS in series of most uniighteous
bargains. .W
A BUSINESS MAN. The Providence OR. ~
Journal says:-- ua.1. u..Utt r
We learn that one Of our enterprising rnom,fac-
Y urersileft here Monday evening Nov Illb. for