The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1854-04-05
NEBRASK A AND KANSAS.
SPEECH OF Mr.. DODGE,
OF IOWA.
In THE SENATE, February 25, 1854

Would you reinsae upon its surface the once
| powerful tribes who inhabited the Atlantic slope
of this Union? Would you bring back Tecum-
sch and Pontiac with their followers to the
| banks of the Wabash or Detroit rivers? Would
| you recall Black Hawk and Keokuk with their
| once powerful and contrderated iribea Of lowae
| No, sir, no; you would not do any OF these
things. and yet 10 stay the car Of progress here
are those who would fain clog its wheels with
s"mbre and imaginary Histories of Indian wrongs
and l"d'an suffrrings
But, sr, owe it t, the Government Of my
| country. To delare my settled and honest o"nvic-
| ton that 1t has been governed by high principles
of honor, humanity, and justice in all its inter
Sc vi thes- people. Unlike every other
Government which preceded ours, we have
recognized their Title 10 the lands over which they
| roam-hav- treated with them as independent
| pe"ple-paid them valuable considerations for
every foot Of soil they claimed, and have sought.
| by every means IN our power, TO ameliora'e their
conditmn, notwithstanding the dreadful provo
| cations we have had to inclte US to pursue
| opposite course. Treachery and cruelty, with
a few credltabe exceptions, have been their
leading characteristics The "Prnphet' threw
his arms around General Harrison's neck and
| kissed hlm-while pointing to the low grounds
near the Tippecan"e for his e1campmen'-n-
tending at the time to surprise and murder The
General and his men. if possible, while sleeping
in their tents, which he and his warriors attrmp
ted that very night, by rushing past the sen'in-
els and attacking the sleeping soldiers, toma.
hawk IN hand Block Hawk and his followers
invaded the sovereign ate Of Illinois in hostile
array, after having twice sold all her claim TO
lands within the limits of that State, and re
| ceiying the year before ten Thousand bushels Of
corn, and NUMEROUS presents given by the brave,
but hInd hearted, aud humane old General
Gaines, in ordrr 10 buy peace from them. Poor
St. Vrein, the agent of this tribe aud bsoiher
n-law OF my colleague, osi his lite in heroic at
tempt 10 save people ni the frontier and these
Indians ir M devastating war. They murdered
hun, and mutilated his person in the most hor.
bic m1nner. How It in The case OF tn.
Florida? Oce"la and his 5. nlinnies refused IL
execute their second treaty after the lapse OF
year from It's rat ticaton. insiead of good faith
which we had right To expect Tor long torb ar
ance and Blindness sh"wn tht III we received
>avace ,rrachery and murder. Processing great
friendship for .htir1ktnt, [General Tnomps N.
AS well as gratitude tor ms kindness and llber.
aiy, Oceola, murdered fHn In cold blood with
The very gun presented hlm by tina, agent on
The occasion Of a friendly visit few days before
This atrocious act was the 81 nal for conf1agra-
ticn and blood along The entire line of the Flor.
ida frontier. will not dwell upon the scenes
OF death and carnage of which that unhappy
peninsula was, during SO many years, the
theaer.
know some thing Of these barbar.ans: much
OF my life has been spent in their midst. The
native tribes were and are canabals indeed, they
have eaten the flesh and drunk the blood of my
near relatives, friends and naighbors. The
most ie utsble civilians uf the kepubc-ihe
most abe and gifted OF its generals, have been
the negotiators of the treaties with these peo-
pie. and have suuerin,endcd their removal from
tbr Safes To the country agreed upon by treaty
for their homes cannot, therefore, will not,
believe, that any delibra,e wrong has ever been
%-rpelIata 2poai IlIsLn Z I'd sLu- W
d"ne and are doing their work. Uni.l speed,
rxtneuon threatens them and once powerful
| tr'b are rsddc, to a m-re handful, il will be
impossible to get hats upon their heads, or
clothes up their bodies The mnant OF me
Shawnee, Delawart, and some other tribes in
Kansa>-like the last Of the Mohigaus Wis
nsIn-have given uL the chsse, cultivated the
soil and made gratifying progress in Christani
~ and the arts. am rejoiced to know it, and
will do everything in my power to project and
preserve them.
Mr.. Pres dent, the passage Of the ball be fore
US Will, in my judgment, confer great benefits
| upon the nation, the West and especially upon
the State which in part represent. The set
| tIeme at and occupation Of Nebraska will ac
conpllsh for US what the acquisition and peopl
ing of Iowa did for Illinois. Originally |
favored the Organization of one Territory; but
representations from our constituents, and a
| more critical examination OF the >ubj.ct--hay-
ing an eye to the systems Of internal improve
men, who must be adopted by the people of
Nrbrask ka and Kansas To develop their resour.
| ces-sat SIZED my colltagur, who was a member
1t that committee that ported this bill, and
myself tina, the great interests al the who'll
county, and especially of our State, demand
t"at we should support the proposition Tor the
| e Iablishmem OF tro Terri ORES; oh-rwi,e IN.
seal II government ahd leading thoroug!Iiares
must have all fallen nth of Iowa.
shall vote FIR the bill as reported by the
| com uttee and amended by the Senate because
1t recognizes the doctrine of non-Interveniion,
as established by the compromise of 1850, aud
because the people who,u / rrprrsen, have ever
| recognized and acted upon that doctrine. Iowa
is the only free State which never gave way TO
The " WiImot proviso." My colleague, who
never lodges a responsibility, or fails To per-
form duty, voted for every one of the COM
promise measures in all their phases, stages,
and conditions, cluding the fugitive slave law
the late Senator Sturgeon, OF pennsy yvania,
and ourselves being the only three Senators
from the entire non slavehold,ng section Of this
Union who voted for it, Since then, my col
league has been returned TO this body without
an objection, so far as have ever heard from
Il her Democrat or Whig, on account of his
| votes to which have referred We had sub
sequenily The qualification TO see those meas
| urrs VIII ch we thus supported, unanimously
approved by the two great political parties OF
The coun ry in C c'nvrn'ion-the fugitive slave
law being especially named in the resolutions
| of ap RIVAL in b,th the Drmocratc and the
hIn nal htId IN untlIIp pof q
their respective candidates fer Pres dent.
have ever felt proud CT the position the gal
liant young Sta'e which in part represent has
occupe upon the slavery question She left
her Stnatnrs untramneled with instructions,
durihg the m Tab!e and executing occasion to
winch have alluded, ee To act as in their
Judgment the lest inl'r $ of the country de
| ,nind4d. We performed oar part without
stopping to inquire or / Consider WHITTIER 1t
would be popular or not. excepting as We be-
lev,d hat things which righ, in and oi
themselves, will always receive, when fairly
a,scuss' q and tried, The appf ing verdict Of
hat gre Il tribunal. h. Amt n people.
Ia reviewing the tumble Il unImpor ant parts
VIII en- IT has been my lot 10 per orn III The lrgis
la,ive history ut my country, sincerely believe
tina! Ii anyth ny VIII cFs may have snd or dong
shall survive the brief hour Ia which | live, it
! Will be The part have taken, and the efforts |
| have made, to settle upon broad national prin.
| ciples t he slavery question:, aud to sustain and
| defend the Consti ulion and the Union, in The
letit and the spirit in which both were formed
But what, let ME ask, are the Senators from
Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio doing to
| mitigate the evils ot which they complain !?
| Slavery as 1t eLsts in fl teen States of this
| Union, is like every other human ms i,ulion--
IT must progress either upward or downward
/ The most de;ernnrc Abohrlonist cannot deny
| that il exists in much ntlder form now than it
dad IN Itseary history. The laws and customs
| ieguIating ih.s ms tuition, III generations long
gone by, are much more severe than the most
ultra southern man will, at this dav, approve or
| pracIc aud bat for the unv,isp and aadac :ons
III eri, e ce o or.a"iz Abolition socle lei
cn NO way cotlcrrn them, aud with rights
| ,ecu I'd III the Constitution to the South, the
condition of tie negfo would be far better than
| Il is.
lmpelled by misguided, fana,ical, bgoted
| pbilaninr 'py, the abnlilons,s have Interered
| to prevent the Ineliora, ion OF the condition Of
the negroes. Remove the outside pressure
1 upon The Christian and humane people Of the