The Minnesotian. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1851-1852, 1852-04-03
NEW ADVERTISEMENT.
THE INDIAN TREATIES.

We believe there is not man in the
Territory who would avow himself OPP
posed TO these treaties. There may be
those who would dislike to see any thing
done for the Territory, for which Mr..
Sibley might receive credit; and one or
two others, that fear the ratification would
depreciate the price of their lands on this
side of the river. But such is the uni
versal desire of the great mass of our
people of all parties, that the treaties be
ratified, that no one can be found to ex-
press a contrary wish. Yet some seem to
think an expression from Minnesota is to
work wonders at Washington, as if there
could be any doubt on the subject. All
these expressions can do, is to show the
necessity, demonstrated by men here up
on the spot, of ratifying them as a meas
ure of governmental policy. In our opin-
ion, any further demonstration of public
sentiment here, will have little or no
weight with the United States Senate.
Senators will take it for granted that all
here are, as a matter of course, in favor
of ratification. They will be governed
in their action by considerations of public
policy, not by the wishes of our people,
no more than they would by petition
from the agents of person to vote for a
bill pending before them, for large ap-
preparation TO that person.
The questions with them are:
/. Should we extinguish the Indian
title to, and bring into market, the public
lands so rapidly? Senators from all the
States will decide this according to their
peculiar ideas of the propriety of the
measure.
2. The old States, many of which are
making efforts TO get share of these
lands, or the proceeds of them, will not
wish them TO be swallowed up by new
States, and their proceeds squandered in
extravagance, Gas it is alleged they are)
until they can bring their scheme of dis
tribu'ion to maturity.
3. The question of slavery will, to
some extent, influence the minds of
Southern Senators-they will think that
by ratifying the treaties, they will be
strengthening that influence at the North
which is waging war against the institu-
ton of slavery.
The first two Of these questions have
long since undergone the most thorough
discussion, by the first men of the nation.
They are questions purely of principle,
involving neither fact nor circumstance /;
and it would be the slreerest presumption
in US to attempt to throw further light
upon them than they have already re-
ceived.
The third question depends much upon
facts and circumstances incident to the
state of things here, and the Northwes-
tern States near us and as it is the only
branch of the subject, about which some
thing has not been said here, we venture
to submit some suggestions upon it,which
will, we are sure, be endorsed by all our
fellow-citizens, and deemed worthy, we
trust, of consideration by certain members
Of the United States Senate.
That the South has had just cause to
be jealous of Eastern influence in the
great sectional issue between the slave
and the non-slave States, is true; but that
she has had cause to be jealous of Western
influence. we deny. The West has al
ways been the friend of the South, and
always will be.
The jealousy of the non-slaveholding
States, existing in the South, grows out
OF the interference of the abolitionists
with the institution of slavery. There
are hot-beds Of these fanatics in some of
the Northeastern States, that infect every
thing around them, and have one nara.
mount purpose, viz:-by intermeddlinp
with an institution that does no: concern
them, and for which they are in no wise
responsible, to annoy as much as they
can people that never harmed them, and
to whom they are bound in ties of the
hottest political fraternity. That the South
should not wish to increase the area of
this pestifsrous political malady, is not
strange. But we assure our Southern