The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-22

dent was from Mr.. Cummins, Superintendent of
Indian Affairs, dated st. Louis, January I'd,
and up to that time there had been no change,
except for the worse. No steps had been
taken to second the efforts of the Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs
January 18th, the Secretary of the Interior
laid before the President communications from
the Commissioner, Superintendent, and Indian
Agent, specifying various fraudulent contracts,
by which the Indians had been swindled, and
containing memorial from the Delaware coun-
eillors and chiefs, protesting against the settle
ment of the whites upon the ceded lands, and
asking the President for protection, and the
fnflment of the treaty. One of the papers, a
letter from the Indian Agent in Kansas, sug
gested practicable remedy:
"The Shawnees complain that the whites
are trespassing on their reserve, making rails,
boards, and hauling off saw-logs &c. Some
are also settling on these lands. What shall
do? | can organize a volunteer force, ade
quate to the emergency, if the President will
authorize it."
The President did not seem to think himself
called upon to do or authorize anything.
The contracts alluded to stipulated for the
purchase of four of the reserves of a section
of land each. The Commissioner of Indian
Affairs writes
"Iind, oninspection OF the memorials which
accompany these agreements, that they are all
in what appears to be the handwriting of Gov
ernor A. II. Reeder, of Kansas Territory that
Sanders W. Johnson, an associate Judge of
Kansas, is the purchaser of the three frst-named
reserves, and of one-half of the other and that
Governor Reeder, the Hon. Rush Elmore,
another associate Judge, and A. j. Isaacks,
Esq, United States district attorney, appear
among the witnesses. The fact that the agree.
ments with Judge johnson were all acknowl-
edged on the same day 1.-THE 18th of December
last strengthens the impression, arising from
the internal evidence which they present, and
from information received, that the purchases
are the results of systematic plan to forestall
competition by the purchase and monopoly, at
low prices, of these reserves; and that too, by
gentlemen whose official position. gives them
rare opportunities, which few private individ-
uals possess, to Gull the best tracts.
The improperly and indelicacy of these
transactions will be still more strikingly mani
fest when it is considered that, if questions grow
ing out of the sale of one more ofthese reserves
should become the subject of litigation, the
poor Indian might be compelled to submit not
to the arbitrament of an impartial tribunal, but
of one whose members may, to a certain extent,
be considered parties in interest"
The letter from which this extract is taken,
was submitted to the President, with the fol-
lowing endorsement:
Respectfully submitted to the President,
with the recommendation that the contracts
be not confirmed, and that the conduct of the
officers engaged in their procurement and exc
cution be at least severely rebuked.'
A note informs us that the President refused
to sanction the contracts, but not hint is
dropped that he went one step fnrther
We would pursue the analysis of this docu-
ment, had we room; but we must now sum ND
the main facts.
Going beyond the record before us, we find
Mr.. Atchison declaring that he would never
vote for any bill for the formation of Terrific
rial Government in Kansas, which would pre-
vent shareholders from taking their slaves into
the Territory. Senator Douglas thereupon in
PRODUCES his bill, repeating the Missouri Com.
promise, so as to open the door TO the entrance
of shareholders. The moment it is ascertained
that it will pass, Mr.. Atchison and his friends
are on the alert to appropriate the best portions
OF the country, to be ceded by the Indians to
the Government, to be held in trust for their
benefit
Coming now within the record, the instant
the cession is accomplished, Mr.. Atchison's
friends, without awaiting the sale of the ceded
lands, at auction, as provided for by the treaty,
IN violation of the treaty, and in defiance of the
indignant remOnstrances Of the Indian Agent,
of Indian Affairs, and Commits
soner of Indian Affairs, the instruction of the
Secretary of the Interior, and the opinion of
the Attorney General of the United States, Oc-
cupy them, locate their claims, lay out town
treaty, and to compel the Government to make
new arrangements with the Indians, by which
the presumption laws may be extended over the
lands, or failing in this, to overcome competition
when the lands shall be up at public SALE In this
work they are seconded by officers in the service
at TT. Leavenworth, some ofwhom are prominent
actors. Their object, as avowed by themselves,
is, that all the country that is raluable" NAV
q be Immediately taken by Mssourians and
kentuckians, who would become residents and
owners of the soil, TO the certain protection of
the best interest Of Missouri" and not be ex-
posed to "bidding for their homes against
Northern spectators or moneyed monopolists"
These men, in a notice published in the Mis-
souri, Republican, 3lst July, and printed in that
document, announce that they have received,
" from the officer in command at Fort Leaven-
worth, the gratifying intelligence" that he does
" not feel it his duty to prevent settlements
upon the Delaware lands and they add:
"To Missourians especially we would say, do
not leave the best portion of the Territory to be
taken by thieves and paupers to be exported
from the sinks of Abolitionism by Blair and
Thayer."
sOne day, they appeal against Northern spec
uators and moneyed monopolists," the next,
against "thieves and paupers" These violent
and lawless proceedings, attributed by Mr. Ben
ton to the resentment aroused by the Northern
Emigration Societies, were commenced before
the organization of such associations, and the
bitter language in which they denounce the
emigrants from the free States, and their de-
termination to exclude them by fraud and vio-
lence from the most valuable portion of the
country, disclose foregone conclusion to make
Kansas a slave State. The record further
shows that these aggressive movements on the
Indians were chiefly confined to the Missouri
squatters and the United States officers; for
not until January 9th, 1855, did Col. Manypen-
ny allude to any participation in them by New
ENGLAND eniprants