The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-09-05
The Minnesota Land Fraud Agafn-Sen.
atOr Jones' Connection with 1t, &c.

by every press in the Territory, for its unprn-
thors of the wrong inflicted upon Minnesota,
now seeks for miserable consolation and
companionship by quoting and adopting por-
ton of the article on which VIC commented
yesterday, from the Dubuque Express, which
is known to be the especial paid organ of that
paragon of United States Senators, GEORGE
w. JONES.
1t was to be expected that Gen. JONES
would cndeavor to escape the odium which has
attached itself indelibly to his name, by his
connection with, and his aiding and abetting
BILLINGS, RICE, and Company, in their infa-
nous attempt clandestinely to change a law of
Congress to suit their own private purposes,
by prompting his creatures to make an as
sault on honorable men, and to charge them
with an interference by which munificent
grant of land to the Territory was withdrawn.
We repeat, it might be anticipated, after the
developments which implicated Gen. JONES in
conniving, in defiance of all justice and right
to say nothing of his oath as Senatorial
change of phraseology in solemn act of Con-
gress, which effected an entire alteration in its
meaning and intent, that he and his friends
crushing responsibility of so doing, by any
means, however desperate and unjuSti6able.-
Bat that Senator must first clear his own
skirts, before he attempts to cast mirc upon
others, and he will find difficulty in so doing
before he has escaped from the dilemma in
which his own indiscretion, with that of his
friends, has placed him. We knew long since
that GEORGE w. JONES and HENRY Nj. RICE,
were bosom friends, particularly since the
WinnebagO Contract swindlo wac brought
about by the former for the especial benefit of
the latter and we knew, also, that no men
were more active in the endeavor to deliver
over this Territory to the tender mcrcics of
the Schuyler Railroad Clique, than were both
these redoubtable gentlemen. We were thus pre-
pared to learn, that Gen. JONES was hand and
glove with RICE, BILLINGS and Company, in
the outrageous attempt to set aside the will of
Congress by mutilat ton of its records and
that we were not disappointed, let the testimo-
ny before the Committee of the House of Rep
resentatives show
DANIEL Buck, one of the clerks of the House,
testified that
After the bill passed the House. and went to the SEN
ate General Patton, clerk of the Senate to
to change the word or'' for the word and" saying
the intention of Mr. Stevens and Sir. Jones have it
'and' instead of ''or"
WILLIAM PATTON testified
am the first engrossng clerk Of the Senate. While
this bill was pending before the Committee Public
Lands in the Senate Gen Jones, of Iowa. OF the Senate,
called on and said that he informed there
mistake clerical it, he had understood the
Committee on Public Lands of the House OF Representa-
tvcs who reported the bill, had reported il with the
word 'and'' instead of the word 'or' and wanted to
know 1t would not be proper for me to make the
Committee Public Lands of the Senate would repor. an
amendment correcting it, and then it would have to 60
back to the House for concurrence, which might
considerable delay in its passage which the friends Of the
bill wanted to avoid For his part he said he did not
how it could affect the meaning of the BILL
bat as its friends wished 1t to it reported by
the committee, he disposed to crafty them. told
him. the bill had originated in the Represent
atves, could not make the correction and that if made
II must be done by the engrossng clerk of the House
and as it seemed to be verbal error proba
ble that on representation of the Commit
te on Public Lands OF the House to Mr. Sproule the
crossing clerk of the House. he would
lie minated to me, that it could be done properly he
would like to have it done.
MIR. PATTON then proceeds to give the modus
operandi by which the change so much desired
by Gen. JONES was brought about, and then
he tcstifes-
I went back to the Senate chamber and informed Gen.
Jones that the correction had been made to which hc
piled every we'll"
GEORGE w. JONES, of Iowa, being sworn,
testiies-
Question Has any alteration been made in it he billy
eincp yOuf first saw