The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-08-30
The Removal Of Reeder.

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friendship which are rendered HIM by those
who have heretofore admired the man; and
we wish we could think these were all iusli-
! fled by his case as il actually stands. The
charge OF land speculations is not an afler
thought, and by the administration as pre-
text for his removal for il was charge which
during the schols gear has been receiving the
attention of the government. The Beaver
Star thus explains the case /:
In his report TO the President. dated Jan'y
18th, G. w. Mannypenny, Esq, Commits
soner OF Indian Affairs, referred TO certain
contracts made for The sale of four tracts of
land in the territory of Kansas, reserved 10
half-breed Kansas Indians, and recommend
ed that these contracts be not confirmed. In
tha; report, those contracts are alluded 10 as
"disrepulable attempts OF certain official func-
lionaries TO speculate on these lands - and
at the close of the report, the following Ian.
guage occurs -
"Ihey disclose condition Of things among
the federal officers which, if not soon rebuk-
ed, must produce stale of Decentralization
in the territory, the effects of which will be
as lamentabe as the acts themselves are dis.
graceful"
With this information before him, what
was the duty. of The President ?-to see that
the character OF his administration be not dis
graced !-lo see that the rights ofihose half
breeds be protected ITO inquire into the ac.
tons of those who hold office under his ap-
pointment ?-or 10 have a system of fraud
and decentralization go unpunished, and have
The character of his administration abused.
and The rights Of the half-breeds unproec-
led Had he chosen 10 pass the matter
over in silence, il would have given his op-
ponenis an opportunity of ofmaking great cap.
ital out Of The fact that. President Plerc per-
mitted such punder without rebuking it,
And now that he has chosen 10 remove the
man against whom the charges were preferr-
ed, those who are ever ready to condemn his
acts are proclaiming that he did wrong.
As II is not our intention to undertake for
ming any mans opinion for him-we leave
every reader now 10 answer for himself the
1uSShOhp VINO ~ 'iS tut} VI itceiuCut tSfCo
10 eramine the charges against Gov .Reeder ?-
Seule that matter as you will and we will
now put The questions Did Gov. Reeder en-.
gage IN those halcbreed purchases and if SO,
did his conduct in the matter merit a removal
To the mind of every sensible man, satis-
| factory affirmative answer 10 those Two ques
tions will justify the President in his act, and
Justify US as an ant-savery ,man, in eudor-
| sing the removal of Reeder.
To answer the first question, we have but
10 quote from Gov. Reeder's letter to Com
missioner Manypeuny, dated Mach SOlh,
1885, in which he says -
"These contracts were, for convenience
sake, made in the name of Judge johnson,
alb ough il was well understood that Judge
Fillmore, Colonel Isaacs and myself were
equally Interested"
Then, the first question is answered Gov
Reeder admits lha; he was equally interest.
ed with Messrs. Johnson, Gilmore and Isaacs
| in The purchase of those lands. We come
now TO inquire into The character oi that pur
chase.
Under the 9Th Article of the Kansas treaty
of 1885, certain lands were set apart for the
use Of the Indians in that Territory, and
'usufruclury' interest in those lands was Civ
en- 10 the lndlans--hat is they bad-as The
word sienifes--,he Temporary use of those
lands, but had no right 10 sell them. Nor
can they be seille1 by white men Or sold a.
public lands until the Indian title is exlin-
guished by an act Of Congress.
But, Gov. Reeder undertakes in his letter
10 the Commissioner, 10 justify the transac-
tion on the ground that, of the four graclors,
Lonis Papin, Francois Aubery and Moses
Bemard, are white men, and entirely capa-
Bile of managing their own business. Admit
ting this 10 be the case, still the fact that Jo.
seph James, the fourth granior is the son of
an Indian Mother, from whom he inherited
his interest in the lands in question, would
make the Transaction illegal. But, we ask,
who are Papin, Aubery and Belmard a-they
are but Frenchmen, who have married daugh-
ters of Louis Gonvil and his Indian wife,
Now, it is easily perceived that in this Kan
sas purchase while the Governor was deal
ing with shrewd Frenchmen, he was but pur-
chasing the lands that belonged to their In
dian wives. And any one, who is at all ac.
quainted with the manner Of Indian convey
ancing, knows that white men who marry
among them have no right 10 dispose of their
lands. Three years ago, application was
made on behalf Of ]. R, Chenault, Esq, for
the approval of deed for the very section
OF land now proposed 10 be conveyed to Gov.
Reeder, and the deed was refused. So that
h&lfbreeds was acting Illegally
THE EVIL OF DIVIDED COMMAND in the Cri-
| mean army has become SO manifest that The