The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-11-17

The motion ~ take up tie bill was lad upOI
the table, by a vote OF twenty-three to seven
teen-sll the slave State Senators voting in thu
affirmative, except the two from Missouri
Il was understood that the measure would bt
brought up at the next Congress, and that Mr.
Benton would be in his place in the House
prepared to push it through with his charac
teristc energy. But the opponents Of the bill
determined to do all in their power to obstruc
the organization of this Free Territory. The
Commissioner Of Indian Affairs, empowered Il
treat for the extinction Of the Indian title, pro
ceeded to the frontier and the first thing heard
from him was an announcement duly heraldeC
in the Washington papers, that owing to th'
hot haste Of the whites who were DESTROYS o
settling in the country, the Indians were aroused
TO opposition and would refuse to sell their title
on any reasonable terms. An opinion wa
volunteered against the right of the whites t
settle in the country and that the only way t
facilitate the organization Of Territorial Gov
eminent was TO stop agitating the question
and wait patiently. This was precisely thu
policy of the foes of the bill in Congress, AND
we apprehcnd Mr.. Manypenny was so admon
ished by Mr.. Atchison and his friends; for, Is
it turned cut, the announcement Of the Com
missioner was rather premature-there was nc
great opposition among the Indians to a relin'
quishment of their titles. Some of the wild In
dams dreaded the approach Of the "squatters,"
but the great majority of the civilized tribes
were anxious for the formation Of Territorial
Government.
The Industrial Lumm0ry Published at
Parkeville, in sight Of the Indians, says
"We are looking every day for Mr.. Many
penny. chief of the Indian Bureau. He was to
have started from Washington some days ago.
We learn from intelligent men from the Shaw
nee nation, that they are willing to sell the
southern portion Of their territory at a reason
able price, and let the white man. as they say,
eehaw with the plough in their praires.'
"The Delawares are willing to sell a large
portion of their territory. Some of the Della
wares have selected fine tract Of country
west of the mountains on the Colorado, on
which they wish to settle, and perhaps the
balance would become cit zens. Indians like
to emigrate as well as Americans
The Wyand0ts wish to become citizens
indeed, we learn that most Of the tribes would
sell portion of their territory Some wish to
emigrate TO better hunting grounds while the
religious and more civilized portion who have
fine farms and churches. might wish to remain
and become citizens. The question of Slavery
presents the great obstacle 10 most minds"
1t seems, then, that the agitation of the ques-
ton had not prejudiced the minds of the In
dams to any considerable extent-that the
great majority of them were anxious to sell
such of their lands as they did not need-and
hat they were anxious for the organization of
he Territory. How happened it that Mr..
was so egregiously deceived, and
hat he made no treaty with tribes so favorabIy
disposed Mr. Guthrie, the delegate from the
ettlers in Nebraska to the last Congress, in a
etter to the Missouri Democrat, makes certain
tatements, rejecting very severely On Mr..
Manypenny. He states that the Commissioner
visited many of the tribes, but did not make,
lor attempt to make, single treaty"-that
he made it his particular business to exert his
'ficial influence against my (Guthrie's) cleo
ion that he told the Indians that (Guth- |
ie) was endeavoring to force laws over them,
md that my opponent was opposed to me on
his account" He proceeds:
He ordered a barbecue to be prepared for
hem on the day of the election. This was of |
ourse, to insure a full attendance Now, all |
his was done for the purpose of manufacturing
otes for these people have no right whatever
o vote. They have declared they would not
become citizens and, of course, can have no
dice in the establishment of IA Government I'M
Ter which they refuse to live"
Mr.. Guthrie evidently writes under great
and some of his charges against
|lr. Manypenny appear 30 incredible that We
orbear to repeat them; but it would certainly
appear that the Commissioner sympathized
With Mr. AtchisOn and his friends, and threw
ais influence against Mr.. Guthrie and those
who favored the immediate organization of the
Territory. What Mr.. Manypcnny, citizen
Of Ohio, could find among the opponents of free
Territory to enlist his sympatbies in their be-
half we cannot understand If we are to
Judge from the statements of leading journals
in Missouri, they are real emissaries of Slavery,
for its interests. The Missouri Demo-
Graf is very full and explicit on this point, and
we commend to the attention of the public
the following article from that paper
The article from the Luminary puts its fin
ger in the right place when it says "the ques-
ton of Slauery presents The great obstacle 10
most minds Certainly it does and that is
known to everybody that has heard Atchisop,
Phelps, and the notification agents, on the SUBJ
ject. They all oppose the territory on account
of the Compromise of 1920. They all deny the
power of Congress to legislate upon slavery in
territories; they oil declare there shall be no
territory organized until the Compromise of
1920 is repealed which they know will be
never done, nor even any attempt made to do
it and that comes to Manypennys conclusion
of indefnitely" We gave some time ago some
extracts from speech of one of these nullify.
ing agents, his name Whitfield to which he
has prefixcd "Generai' since he crossed the
Mississippi He declared himself slavery
agitator-said he would agtate till the Com.
promise was abolished and said Col Benton's
name would damn anything with which it was
connected and we now repubsh the same. AZ
q specimen of notification Indian agents
On the question of the passage of all the
resolutions together, General WhHfeH Agen
of the Potfdwdtomies spoke ut some length
He thought this convention premature; trea
ties ought to be made first with the Indian
that the settler would ntrudc On the Indian,
land. lie gave an instance in Minnesota
where the settler, when the military came t
remove him, would stand in the door and say
there is my little field here is my cabin, here
are my wife and children; you can take my
dead body away but you cannot drive me
away The arm of the military was powerless
lie did not think settlers had a right to come
into the territory only on small patches her,
and there. lie WAS favorable to a central rout.
from the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean IRA
opposed 10 inserting BentonS name, for ii uoui,
damn anu MEASURE m fonyrs<x la ua, o,,