Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-06
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Manypenny, Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
the allegation being speculation in lands of
the Indians. Gov Reeder, in replying to the
President, claims for the Indians (the Kaw half
breeds) a right to sell their lands, and that he
and his associates gave fair price for them,
and that there was nothing wrong on their part
as public officers, in buying lands as others out
there buy property. Such is the substance of
his explanation, which is fortified by the aft
davits ofsundry individuals; and is questioned
with great force in various documents on the
other side embraced in the Un,on's lengthy
publication.
The following letter from the Acting Secre-
tary of State to Governor Reeder winds up the
drama, showing the Presidents Judgment with
reference to r. IS defence, &C.:
DEPARTMENT OF STATE,
Washington, July %, 1855.
SIR: Your communication of the 18th of
June has been received and submitted To the
President.
In reply, he directs me to say. that after due
consideration of the explanations which you
oner In regard to your purchase Of Kansas half
breed lands, and the facts in the case as re-
ported to him, and communicated to you by
the department of the Interior, he finds moth
ing In those explanations to remove the i'm
pressions which he had previously entertained
OF the character of these transactions.
lie directs me further to say that your COM
munlcation is not less satisfactory in what it
altogether omits to explain. The letter ad-
dressed to you by this Department, on the IItb
ult-, distinctly mentioned other grave matters
OF accusation of the same class You assume
that when circumstances exist in the conduct
OF public officer, which require the question
OF his dismissal from office to be considered
1t Is the duty of the Executive to make formal
specifications of charge; and upon this erro-
ne0us presumption you withhold exclamation
In regard to the matters alluded to, although
they were peculiarly within your own knowl-
edge and you could not but be we'll aware
that some OF them, more especially the under
taxing OF sundry persons, yourself included
Ia lay out new cities on military or other res
ervations, In the Territory of Kansas, were
undergoing official Investigation within that
Territory. The incOmpleteness of that inves-
uSatlon, at that time, prevented its being
spoken of explicitly by this Department: but
1t was taken for granted that you would have
cheerfully volunteered explanations upon this
subject, so far as you were concerned. more
particularly as you had summoned the Lesis-
lafive Assembly of the Territory to meet at
one OF the places referred to, denominated in
your official proclamation Z" Pawnee City,
L have, therefore, by the direction of the
PRESIDENT, to notify you that your functions
and authority as Governor of the Territory of
Kansas arc hereby terminated.
L am. sir, respectfully, your obedient SER
want, HIIII,y UnyTrn
Acting Secretary of State
ANDREW ii. REEDER, ESQ.
dovernor of the Territory of Kansas.
The Pawnee city" case is represented in
these publications as an ugly one. In COM
pany with number of individuals, Governor
Reeder became interested in a town site spec-
ulation on the Fort Riley military reserve.
which they designate Pawuse City. Here the
Governor called the legislature together, and
they met and at once adjourned to the Shaw.
nee mission. The majority gave two reasons
for going to the mission. First, that there
were no suitable accommodations at Pawnee
City; and next, that calling them there was de.
signed to benefit the Governor and his specu.
lating confrercs especially. The special cor
respondent of the Liberty MO- Tribune give,
this account OF the condition in which they
found Pawnee:
- As to the preparations which he had made
for the assembling of the Legislature, we found
Il two story rock warehouse, one room above
ana one below, good substantial building of
dimensions, but without roof or foor
Although it was Sunday, Gov. Reeder. with
wicked and obstinate persistency in his deter
that the Legislature should hold its
session 10 bis OWN town, employed workmen To
prosecute the work on that day Even the
men who were charged with having been elect
cd by = Missouri Rufians, could not refrain
from expressing their pious indignation at such
ii dissertation of the holy Sabbath.
. As to the preparations which he had made
Tor the accommodation and entertainment of
members and visitors, there were three II five
cent drinking establishments; one double log
house, containing four rooms, one of which
was supplied with windows and a door for the
Governors department. There is one other
house III the tar-famed town of Pawnee at
which the boarding was tolerable and the
lodging less SO; but from the fact that the
landlord had beautiful and amiabIe lady
Tor IA wife, no one who stopped there com.
lHaihed OF either. Both If these houses are
kept oy Free Sellers, and as both were unfit
anu incapable OF accommodating even a small
of the members, to saw nothing of
tue numerous visitors who were present, thew
were compelled 20 bivouac On the open prairie.
wheie the sun beamed down with insupporta-
bic ehulgence, and the earth teemed with
elegant quarters at Fort Riley; but the large
miaJorty had to SIT around their camp fires AID
dlscuss the grave affairs of State while thew
coohed tnclr own suppers, occasionally ex-
posed to a copious shower of rain The incon-
venience and utter impossibility of remaining
at this place was obvious, and no man whose
heart,wds not callOus to every noble and gen.
erous impulse, and in whose breast sclf-inter-
est was not the predominant consideration,
would have desired to detain a legislative
body In such town rs Pawnee."
1t seems that the President is as emphatic
against the "Pawnee city, operation. as
against the purchase OF the Kaw half breeds
lands. The parties assuming a right to take
the site of . Pawnee city for town site, Of
course had no authority so to do, as it is Gov
eminent property Of the kind most strictly
guarded. Six or eight months ago we called
the attention of the country to the specula-
tons OF individual public employees around
Fort Riley and in Government property
rns a,,l :.