The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1852-07-31

loie ie 10 ciaOie t 10 come 10 any ueAhite
upon the matter. This treaty upon which the clam Is
based provides that The Menomonees should cede all Their
lands 10 The United States and the United States then
agreed 10 give them another country containing some
600 600 acres Now do know precisely where that
country is. but suppose it is somewhere north and west
OF Wisconsin. Does Il extend up TO the Wet mafshy
country OF Lake Superior
Mir WALKER Ii is over beyond the Mississippi
river, upon The Glow Wing river.
Mr.. CASS. Aud then il is said that there is not good
land enough that portion oil territory 10 support the
Menomonees. Now, about that fact we know nothing
Mr.. HUNTER. think it Is probable can furnish me
honorable senator with some information he desires lie
wishes to know. understand what ~ proposed 10 DC
done with this Tribe this appropriation is stricken OUT
Mr. CASS The treaty supuations are clear enough
II provides that within Two years oil The fathcauon OF me
treaty they shall 10 this territory In The mean
time, they remain where they or they may re-
main longer if the President does not give them any no
tce otherwise. They have right 10 refuse 10 lake
this country coded 10 them and therefore we should
know something about the nature OF this countrywheth
IT is really sufficient for the support OF these Indians
whether shall be called upon provide another for
them. would ask the chairman OF the Committee on
Finance Mr.. HuKTERl il he knows that this country is
incapable oil supporting these Indians
Mr.. HUNTER. The country rs not suited to the tastes
OF these Indians Probably IL is capable of supporting
them but it throws them into collision with hostile
tribes, The Commissioner of Indian Affairs told me that
he thought il likely that he should be able next
winter make arrangement with the government
OF Wisconsin by which they would be permitted to be
located upon the Wolf and Oconio rivers have an
amendment which he recommended providing $23,OOo
for the purpose OF removing them to that place and
porting them there temporarily. The cause OF their
moval from their present home that the lands that they
occupy about to be put in market for entry
Mr.. CASS. Then, the difficulty about the country
signed TO them does not arise from the nature OF the
| country itself, but from the character OF the Indians
themselves with whom they would be brought IN con-
tact Now, there Is something little curious IN the his
tory of these Menomonee Indians They have never
been state OF hostility with surrounding tribes
They have been living in con,iguity with the Winneba
goes, the Cbippewas The Sacs and Foxes, before their
emigration ever since the French into that country
| md h4v Gaut haU hay Meyer tak "a n is
their boast that they killed white man Now,
have the rcmotest idea that if you transfer these In
dams that portion of the country of the Mssis
sisspp to which the Sioux contiguous, there will be
any difficulty that account. Why. sir, thirty years
ago descended the Mississippi with party OF the Chip
pewa Indians and The Senate may understand some
thing of the condition Of the OF the Indians from
what learned then. There state of war between
them and the Sioux at that time. They became little
alarmed approached the Sioux territory, and care
fully looked around them to obtain what information
they could They found piece oil birch bark hung upon
tree covered with marks and herosyphics which had
beer put there by a party OF Chppewas From these
Indian characters and marks which they read easily
read print, they learned that the Sioux had
been there description OF the party their number what
they had done, &c But the flag OF the United States
noaed there, and party OF United States soldiers
there. Itod them that there danger. and
we went down the Mississippi as easily and safely
as we could have gone down the Ohio. There
there who dared to touch u.s. and my opinion is
that small force of United States soldiers sent TO that
country would prevent there being the sighes, difficulty
in the world between them and the other tribes of In
dams Even without that force do not think there
would be any boodshed But would not compel them
10 go there il the country is not fitted Tor them.
As have said before, they the best behaved tribe
of Indians with whom have had any dealings. They
subsst principally upon wild rice. and sometimes
called false rice people. from The French term for wild
rice They gather immense quantities OF 1t from the Wild
fields, where ii remains all winter Ii is henehcent
provision made for them by their Creator it sows il,
self and Thus they saved all trouble OF sowing it
That well for them for the Indians half the time eat
up their seed grain. and they would eat up all their wild
rice, TOO were IL OF the same nature.
Now, there is thing beg the Senate 10 observe
in this transaction with these Indians. We the par
ties interested the Judges and the executoners OF the de-
also this matter and therefore becomes US, in
the position occupy before the country and before the
world 10 deal with them not merely with that strict
justice that would be melted out between white man
and white man, hut literally aad with generosity. And
lei me tell you that there is not Indian from one con-
fine Of the country TO the other that knows the difference
between million and i've millions OF acres OF land
they have not The slightest idea OF IT. You may under
take 10 bound a country by miles and they will know
nothing about II at ALL ALI the idea that can be distinct
y conveyed to them TO the extent OF any country by
bounding Itby giving 10 them some places and points
with which they acquainted. Now then, when the
commssione-and, by The by allow 10 say here that
have The highest respect Tor Cot Mediii-when me
commissioner came 10 treat with them II s very Proba.
ble Judging by The papers the that he obtained
from them more land than was estimated lie probably
said to them, There much land and the government,
oil the United States will give you much per Tor IT
Now, the Indians had more TO do with settling what
the quantity OF land was than the Chinese bad You
Tue COulU not Wake auyibthE dpOut
that matter at all Our commissioner had II all his
own way, and the signatures OF those Indians TO
the treaty can no more preclude them from receiving
more compensation for their land than If they had been
blind and deaf We paid them nineteen cents per acre,
according 10 estimate that this tract OF country con-
tanned three millions oil acres whereas IN fact II contained
Tour millions; and bound to make up 10 them
by every principle OF justice and equity in the world and
not behind the treaty. ADD say, You have ceded all
your lands for much, and we will give you nothing
more, though there more than estimated. !
peat again, that these Indians party such
arrangement they had not the slightest knowledge in
the world OF the matter And say again, that in THE
in other the parties interested, the judges
and the execuuoners 10 this matter, and are bound
to do what is right in justice and equity towards these
Indians.
But will say that have great doubts about paying
them this 100000 in hand do not believe il win
do them any good think it would be great deal better
to provide country for them where they can live.
They do not hunt much--it is not much OF a hunting
country where they live They live principally upon The
few vegetables that they obian-malnly upon the
wild rice OF the country. They are not so constituted as
10 pursue the beasts of the chase north and south, and
hang upon them until they hunted down. the Sioux
and other tribes do. | should like to send them TO
county where they could few agricultural pro-
ductsenough 10 supply their wants; country iha, they
could improve a little. Such country could easily be
found Tor them by the United States, where they could
be located; and when the time comes 10 give them the
difference compensation that they should receive,
could give Il 10 them in proper way-in such
that they could use IT IN way that would be the most
adj vantageous 10 Them agree with the honorable
ator from Virginia Mr.. HUsTER1 that, if you give the
whole sum TO them al now, as far any good 1t
will do them might as well N he putn