Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-06-21

sales, OF citizens TO purchase these lands, is
decided adversely by the constituted authorities,
il is the duty of every Government official, high
and low, TO set an example of obedience and re-
spect for the laws and regulations interpreted
by the proper department.
You say " my colleagues absent from the
Territory, and ] cheertully assume the defence
upon myself" This is certainly creditable 10
your spirit, if not to your discretion. So far,
however, this championship relates TO Judge
Johnson his contracts, protest against the
assumption on your part OF his defence. That
gentleman has lately been in this city, and du-
ring his stay here several interviews took place
between US, in which freely discussed the
facts connected with these transactions and
must say his statements and mode of defence
differ materially from yours, and he did not ad-
NIT that you had any pecuniary interest in them
/ requested him to reduce his explanations and
statements to writing, and /, in return, pledged
myself upon receiving them to make certain con-
ccssions, having no motive or desire to do injus-
tice to any man while acting in the discharge of
my public duties or otherwise. He did not, how
ever, comply with my request, and declined to
disturb the report which had made on his con-
tracts.
In respect to yourself, will frankly state that,
with the admissions of your letter before me, /
have not, SO far you are concerned any re-
fractions concessions to make. What was
merely matter of inference conjecture in my
others in the purchase of halfbreed lands, you
boldly admit in your recent letter of defence, or
rather, of attack, and throw yourself upon the
country for the vindcation of the propriety Of
your conduct So far regards the value Of
these reserves and the fairness Of the considera-
ton which yourself and associates agreed to pay
therefor, the public must Judge between your
assertions and the conflicting evidence of respon-
sible and dsinterested officers of the Indian de-
partment residing in the Territory, to which
have before adysrted as accompanying my re-
port to the Secretary of the Interior.
If, owing to their high official positions, there
was indelicacy and improperly in the executive
and judicial officers Of the Territory in partic-
pating as conveyancers and witnesses in the at
tempted purchase of these halfbreed lands, that
indelicacy is rendered more strikingly manifest
by your confession that, for convenience sake"
the deeds were made to one of the parties, whilst
the others, equally interested as grantees, acted
as witnesses. Should the contingency ever arise
when the Indian reseryee shall have no alterna-
tive left but to submit the arbitrament Of his
rights under the contracts to a tribunal thus nte
rested, and thus constituted he might find him
self in the predicament of the lamb in the fable.
In relation to the singular proposition for :" a
compact between us, by which it shall be agreed
that, in given contingency to transpre by tho
first of October next, the President shall remove
one of us, have to remark that | have no bar
gains to make and certainly none Of this char
acter The power of removal as well as of ap
pointment is vested in the President, and it seems
to me that it is neither consistent with my posi-
ton nor respectful to the President to entertain
your proposition. Were to do SO, however, with
a profert of the communication to which am
now replying, and the other testimony in the In
dian office, might safely rest the case.
As am not in the habit of publishing in the
newspapers Of the day the official correspondence
of this office, must leave to you the pleasure of
ri tiap m he liz
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
GEO. w. MANYPENNY,
Commissioner.
His Excellency A. H. REEDER,
Governor of Kansas Territory,
now at Easton, Pa