Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-12-05
{ cortsspondence of the Times. - <ssss@
y PAlUrrzzE, NJ. t., Novv9, 1854.
'On Mitchell & Co.,

Your paper of Oct. "a, has come to hand, in
which find, under date of Oct. 10, an article
which wrote you respecting the Sioux Indians
On reading it 6nd several typographical errors,
probably occas oned by my imperfect chirography.
should not mention these, but that one of them
makes his Excellency Gov. German say certain
sums of money were not paid, when he says, they
were not so paid; that is they were not paid us
promised in the treaty. <1t urTO
Since my last, business unexpectedly called me
down to St. Paul; and have found that there is
considerable bitterness of feeling towards the
Sioux; among the settlers on the lands coded by
the treaties of 1851. One man living between
lie Seur and Shakopee told me repeatedly with
an oath that nothing but the want of ball in his
gun prevented him from shooting an Indian whom
he saw few days before taking some potatoes
from his field. We hope that there very few
who would take tho life of a human being, for so
small an offence. But it is reported that our Gov
ernor has told some who complained to him of
their losses from the Indians, to shoot them if
they found them stealing and that he would do So
himself, if he saw them stealing his property
Now it ought not to be believed that his excel.en-
cy any other pes son whose business it is to ex-
ecute the laws, would encourage such lawless
conduct; but it is probable some do and will be-
lieve this rersrt. If any should act on this prn-
cirle, and kill single Indian, whose life they
may think of no more value than that of dog,
the injury done to society would be greater, than
if they had killed one of their white neighbours
The Dacotas, though they may be no more blood
thirsty than ourselves, h,ving civil officers a
mong them to punish criminals, feel it to be an
imperious duty, to avengc the death of a brother,
that is Of any near relative. Many of them sup
pose that the spirit of the slain cannot 80 to the
spirit land, have any rest, till his blood is a.
venged; but haunts them, calling for vengeance.
They do not however think it necessary to kill the
individual who committed the marder-thc blood
of any of his relatives, of one of his country
men, may be equally eff ,acious toquet the injur-
ed ghost, ami enable it to proceed to the land of
rest.
Such being the views of the Dacotas, it is
madness to think of shooting one Of them for pet
ty theft. Wronged and oppressed as they alrca-
dy feel themselves to be, such an act would not
improbably lead to Il war, in which though they
would doubtless be the greatest sufferers, VIC would
loose many valuable lives and property to the a
mount of millions of dollars. If but single
family were murdered by the Sioux, many
of our citizens would call for vengeance and not
hesitate to kill every Sioux they would find, with
out waiting to inquire whether they had any con-
Germ in the murder not; and if even il dozen
Sioux reused to vengeance by such conduct, should
attack some of the dcfenceiess frontier settle
mcnts, the amount of suffering which they might
cause in few hours is incalculablc. Those who
disregard humanity and justice should think of
this. Most of your readers, when made acquain-
ted with the wrongs Of the Dacota's and their
consequent suferngs, will feel disposed to pity
and aid them, rather than add to their injuries
| will therefore proceed to mention few more of
their injuries. ta
BY the treaties of 1851, in which about thirty
millions Of of the best lands in this territory
were coded, the U. S. Commissioners promised to
expeni sixty thousand dollars, (S6O,O0O,) in
opening farms, erecting mills, smith-shops,
school-houses, &c. Also, $4,000 year as
civilization, or agricultural fund, and $4,000
year for so years for education. 1t was supposed
by the Sioux, and some of the whites present at
the time, that this 10000, would be chiefly ex-
pended within year, and that before the close
of the year 1852, mills, smith-shops, and school
houses, would be erected for the Indians, on their
reservations, n large amount of prairie broken
for them, and they furnished with all the neces-
sary tools, and implements for its cultivation
Had these several funds been ju1iciousIy cxpcnd-
cd for the Sioux, as they had right to expect
would be done, they might all now be living on
their reservations, in comfort, ms cad of perish
ing with cold and hunger, as they now are. IN
der these several provisions of the treaty, moth
ing was done for the D.:cotas, till My 1853,
about 81 months after the treaties. In that year
about 400 acres of prairie was broken for them,
instead of 1000; all in three or four lots, in
instead of twenty times that numb r, as the In
dams would have wished. Up to this hour, gov
ernment has erected for them, neither mill. nor
school-house, and if the first step has been taken
for the erection of either, or one dollar of their
education fund expended for their benefit, they
know it not. OF the above stated sums, one half
was to be expended for the Sissctonwan and
Wahpetonwan Sioux, and the other half for the
Observation-Disclosures and Wahpeku- Something
was, and still is du, the latter, under former
treaty, and much more has been done cor them
than for the others. About n;nc-tcnths of the
land broken in 1853, was on their reservation,
and two blacksmith shops were erected, and
smiths are Mt work for them. Still even these
cannot be blamed for not staying on their rcser-
walton, rs there not last year. and is not now,
food enough on it to sustain them through the
winter, and this lack is not caused so much by
their faults, as that of others. The physician
paid out of their money, for attending on them,
till within the last three months, h,s resided in
st. Paul, except that he came up to the payment
last year, and their agent has never brought his
family on to their reservation, and when nc comes
up on business, only remains few weeks at
time.
The Sissetonwan and Wahpe;onwan have Jared
still worse. Their physician, receiving at the
rate of one thousand dollars year, from their
civilization fund, has never been on their rescrva-
ton, nor even resided within 90 miles of it. On
ly forty acres of land were p!owed for them in
1858, that all in one piece AMI so late (about the
lst of September) that they could not raise corn
on it this year, as the sod was not rotten. A
year ago they asked for plows, hoes, axes, and
other tools, to enable them to cultivate the earth.