The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1854-01-26
MINNESOTA PION FER,
SIR. PAUL. MINNESOTA.
Thursday, January Is, 1854.

Minuesotian has heretofore been hostile to the
treaty concluded last August with the Winneba-
goes, VIC confess we are u, loss 10 account for
the holy horror with which the senior Editor was
seized upon becoming aware That we had cop
ied," and a. he says, ''endcrsed" an extract
from the Dubuque Herald, in which it is asserted
that Gov Germans ''course has made hun enc
mics among those who act rs If Indians lived on
iY for their special benefit" This appears from
his remarks to be the Objectionable portion of the
head the full measure Of his wrath. because, as
he proceeds to show. satisfactorily to himself, no
doubt, thar we have traduced our ''o|d friends,
the traders. merely for tho pi,,ful privilege Of en-
joyiug mess Of po,,ugs o, Territorial Executive
Head Quarters"
If the senior had ever been GRADER" 1--WE
mean Indian. not politically We might quote that
"the guilty fly when none pursue" but under The
the article 10 the Mnnesotisn, and endeavor to
answer the charge Of having sb2ndoned our sold
friends, the traders;'' in the first place we
would ask in all candor, wha, there is in the ex-
tract from, The Dubuque Herald that reflects upon
our "old friends, the tradcrs!" Is the word ".ra-
ders' introduced into the article referred to?-
Is there any construction by which, under the cir
cumstances, the article can be made to refer to
tho GRADERS or any person connected particu-
larry with the trade, even by the Authoritarian
construction claimed by the party to which the
editor processes to belong We answer. no; and
defy such construction 10 be made apparent from
the reading of the article.
Let Us glance at the circumstances connected
with which the article in the Herald was doubt
less written.
Ga the 9Th Of August last, Gov. German as
commissioner on the part Of the United States,
signed treaty with the Winnebsgo Indians by
whish those Indians were permitted 10 locate on
the Mississippi above Crow Rivera location de-
cdedIy injurious to the prosperity Of the Terrific
~, and destructive TO the interests Of many indi-
viduals and communities Of our citizens We
from any press in the Territory, previous TO the
signing of that treaty condemnatory Of the course
pursued by Gov. German. Subsequently almost
the united voice Of The press and the people Of
The Territory was raised against him--,he treaty
was denounced in no measured terms and its in
fuences upon the future prospects Of the Terrific
ry, as we II as the evil which would result TO the
Indians themselves were commented upon III some
cases even with bitterness. In fact tho treaty
was opposed by indvd uais, by settlements, by
counties. by The Territory, uith the exception OF
a fer individuals who coll Themselves Indian ira
ders, whose interests would be promoted by the
disbursement of annuity money in their neishbor-
hood
This. then. being the grea, question Of the day
and the only subject on which The press Of the
Territory had denounced the official acts Of Gov.
German up to the time the article in the Herald
was penned, is it probable that the Editor of that
paper could have referred to any class within our
Territory! Was it not wholesale denunca,on
of the peopie' Did not the article evidently mean
the inhabitants Of Minnesota, "act as if the In
dams lived only for their especial benefit" sub
lect to be driven from the locations they have Sc
lec,ed under treaty s,ipuiatons with the govern
ment, whenever said locations become desirable
to the whites This is the natural construction
TO put upon the article, and no careful reader
would in our opinion, construe i, differently. We
gave II Tins construction and published it In connec
ton with a notice Of the objectionable faIsehoods
promulgated by the correspondent, Of the New
York Herald. TO exhibit the false position in which
those reports have placed the people Of the Ter
ritory in the minds of community abroad.
That the correctness Of our construction may
be made more apparent, we quote farther from
the article in the Dubuque Herald. 1.-The Gov
and rs such, have rights which should be re-
spected."
Now, we ask, what question has been before
the public Of Minnesota, in which the ''r,ghts''
Of the Indians were involved, excep, those con-
ferred on the Winnebagoes by the treaty of 1876,
TO ''loca,ion west of The Mississippi and north
of the Minnesota river, suitable 10 their habits,
wants and wishes 80 We say none.
True, m investigation has been had in which
certain rights" Of the Sioux Indians under late
treaties are claimed to have been dsres rded, but
do we know The result Of that investigation Do
we know, or does the public know that Governor |
German, as one Of the commissioners on that ill., |,
veslsalion will report that from the facts laid be-
fore the neutrality-suspicious. ers. the "righs'
OF the Indians were violated! Not at all; and
consequently the Editor Of the Dubuque Herald |
knew nothing in relation to any violation Of Ind |
ian rights" excep, these claimed for The Win
nebasos, to which the people and not the traders
of the Territory were opposed.
Had the article which has shocked the delicate !
nerves Of the Minnesotian, re fec,sd in any man
ner uniustly on ''our old friends, the traders"
we admit that the structures Of the Minnesolian
might have been to some degree excusablc, had |
We neglected to have defended those odd friends
from unmerited censure; but an unwarranted at
tack On Minnesota N 1nosss reouirad M