Minnesota weekly times., 1855-02-20
WHsE 3 Correspondence Of the Times.
The Sioux Indisns-Gev. German-A Sensible Letter.

or Sioux have returned to their old hunting
grounds, to spend the winter, and that party of
them are causing considerable alarm to the set
tiers, in the neighborhood of Shakopee, by their
presence there. 1t is highly probable, that they
have pilfered aud destroyed some property, and
may continue to plunder some but after resi-
dence of more than 20 years among the Sioux, l
should know something about their dispositions,
and would say to the settlers, that it is very i'm
probable, that the Dakotas will be the first to Of
fer personal violence to any one. When they
think they have been injured, it is their common
practice to destroy the property of the offender !;
but they rarely proceed further, unless violence
is offered, or threatened themselves. The recent
execution of one of their number, at St. Paul, is
likely to exert powerfully restraining influence
on them. Governor Germans conduct in that
case is highly commendable, in regarding the pub
lie welfare more than his own feelings, or the pc
! tition of most respectable ladies.
If the Dakotas, who from necessity have return
ed to their old hunting grounds, do injury either
to the property, or persons of any of the Settlers
and the cuprits can be identified, let them be
dealt with as men and punished according to
law, and though they and their friends may COM
plain, they will not probably resent it for their
consciences will tell them that it is just But if
men are treated like wild beasts, we have reason
to fear that they will act like them.-[True.-
Ed
In the treaties with these Indians, by which in
1851, they ccded all their good hunting grounds
to the United States, it is stipulated, that the
President and Congress of the United States, shall
make and enforce laws for the protection Of their
persons and property; and they justly complain
that this has not been attended to. 1t is often
spoken of as very strange that the Indians in the
United States do not improve as do other foreign
ers coming into the country. Many say and think
that it is because they of different nature
But there is no need of such suppostion. The
persons and property of the poorest outcasts of
Europe, and Asia, as soon as they are landed on
our shores, have the same legal protection which
is accorded to our best native born citizens. In
many of the States, without expense to him, his
children have access to the best public schools,
there is nothing to hinder them from rising to the
most honorable and lucrative Offices.
With the poor Indian the case is very different.
On his native soil his person and property are al
most or entirely destitute of legal protection
His neighbor may openly deprive him of his
property, abuse or murder his wife, child, or him
self, and he has no redress, for wise judges have
told us, that there is no law to punish one Indian
for injuring the person property of another
Thus the Indian has little or no stimulus to in
dustry, or improvement, as he sees little use of
laborng for that which he cannot keep. Many
of them would so to work industriously, if they
could have the same reason to expect, that they
will enjoy the fruits of their labors, that white
men have. They often labor much to little pur-
pose from not knowing how work should be done,
and lacking proper implements to do it with. A
few men in this neighborhood built fence, a
mile and quarter long, around .hc ground which
had been plowed for them, and finding it not suf-
fcientIy rotted to bring crop, they broke, with
their own horses, and an old worn out plow, and
hoes, upwards of 20 of new land, and brought
it under good cultivation last year.
On the promise of Mr.. Robertson, the supcrin-
dent of their civilization fund, in trust for them,
a number of them have cut logs to build them
selves log houses. Others are making rails to
fence new fields.
MIR. Robertson hopes to furnish them next
spring, with supply of implements for cultiva
ting the earth, namely, hoes for each family, and
plOws and harness to such as can use them and
also to break for them large amount of prairie.
IL he succeeds in these things, according to his
hopes, it is probable that in year or two, there
will be an end to the starvation 80 much and so
long complained of. This starvation, which has
probably existed among them some part of every
year, since they were first known to the whites,
chiefly results from circumstances beyond the con-
troll of individuals, and is much less owing to
Incidence and improvidence than is generally sup
posed. Most of the women, and some of the
men, in one way or another, work as hard as
most white people do. know families in this
neighborhood who, in the two past winters, have
for weeks at a time subsisted entirely on fish, or
musk-rats sometimes passing entire days with
out mouthful of food, in order to save thoir
sced-corn. Some families in the neighborhood,
in order to save their corn and potatoes to plant,
are now exercising degree of self-denial which
few if any white families in the territory would.
l am informed that the Mdewakantonwan preserv-
cd considerable part of the little corn, which
they made near Red Wood, last summer, notwith-
standing their severe suffering from starvation
previous to the payment last fall. Some of them
are making, or have made arrangements, to pro-
cure seed corn from their relatives here, who fur
nish the Mdewakantowan with most of their seed
from which they raised corn last year. am in
formed further, that it is the purpose of those
whose business is, to furnish those lower Sioux
the eMdewakantowan, with an ample supply of seed
this year, and as the ground which was broke for
them summer before last, will be in fine state for
cultivation the coming summer, it is not proba-
BILE that there will ever again be the same neces-
sity for their spending winter on the ceded
lands. This should encourage the settlers to bear
with them for this winter. If they are borne
with kindly for few months, it is probable all
danger of a collision with them will be past. 1t
is not known that large tribe of Indians has
been removed from so large and good country
peaceably and with so little expense and trouble
to Government.
THOS. S. WILLIAMSON.
To-DAY-the resolutions of MIR. Davis, impli-
edly accusing members of bribery, will come up
in the House for action. There will be some rare
Speochas m the occo sion