The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-03-17

WEDNESDAY MORNING, MARCH IA, 1855.
Hon. H. HI. Sibley.
The st. Anthony Express, with whom Hon.
q. Sibley has always heretofore been great
Iavorite, has an article strongly .condemning
hat gentleman's legislative career during the
past session. The Express states "facts from
the record" and from these facts arrives at
conclusions the correctness of which no man
who watched Mr.. Sibley's course in the Legis-
lature from day to day, will dispute. We will,
however, leave these matters with Mr.. Sibley
and the Express, and proceed to submit few
thoughts suggested by the perusal of our St.
Anthony neighbours remarks.
There is no man in Minnesota for whom we
entertain higher personal regard than Henry
Hastings Sibley. Socially, and in all the rela-
tions Of q citizen, a gentleman, friend and a
neighbor, the man does not live within our bor-
ders whose heart is nearer "the right place
than his. His house is ever, and ever has been
the welcome home of the stranger and traveller
who visits the region of his habitation. The
Information gathered by him in regard to all
parts of Minnesota, by long years of explora-
ton, toll and investigation, is always freely i'm
parted and we believe he would not repulse
one destitute of means that he knew would
make good citizen, were that one to ask him
as gift the best quarter section of land he
holds in Dakota county-and he is said to pos
sess some ten or dozen.
Such, in brief, is Mr.. Sibley's heart as man
and citizen. As a politician, Ambition steps
fn and unfortunately strikes deep at the root OF
these finer qualities of his nature. We were
among Mr.. Sibley's strongest supporters during
his public life in Congress; and before we sat
down to pen these remarks, we made careful
review of our files to see if We had ever written
anything of him while serving us at Washing
ton that we are unwilling to stand to now. Not
a line-not word can we find that was not de-
manded as an honest award by candid and
unprejudiced constituency to faithful and in
dustrious representative. On this score, we
take back nothing
But we have said, Mr.. Sibley is ambitious
To 20 no farther back than the close of his Con-
gressional career, and the incoming of the pre-
sent national administration, we find his ambi-
ton developing itself so plainly that the man
who runs may read. He had thought it pru-
dent, up to that time, although. avowedly
d" Democrat" to act with the Wings of Mime
sofa, in order to accomplish his public and pri-
vate ends. 1t is we'll he did so for had he been
compelled, while in Congress during Mr.. Fill
more's Administration, to encounter storm
of Executive displeasure and opposition at
home--as has been the fate of Mr.. Richie
would have failed in all he attempted, and re-
turned home with as few honors as attended
him at the close of the recent Minnesota Legis-
lature. But he was backed by the influence
and personal aid and friendship of popular
home Executive, and he came out we'll and
with honors.
Did Mr.. Sibley's political ambition ever al
low him, after the advent of the present 81 Dem
ocratic" Administration. to exhibit the least
spark of gratitude to those of the opposite par
ty who had sustained him during the most per-
ilous periods of his Congressional career? No!
His Democracy" had suffered by "contamina-
ton" with Whiggery and the very Wings who
had stood by him from the start were the ones
he was the most anxious to strike down; just
to show the new rulers of the land that he was
-" no Whig," and was not only brave (?) enough
to cut loose from his old Wing friends, but also
sufficiently possessed of the genuine elements
ola Loco Foco politician to be more bitter and
decided against those old Wing friends than to-
wards any other men in Minnesota. AS an
evidence of this fact about ten or eleven
months ago, he labored hard at Washington to
induce the Government to allow Gov. German
eight dollars per day as remuneration for some
three or four months time, which Gov. German
had occupied in trying to prove his predeces-
sor thief and himself (Mr. Sibley) the recpi-
ent of large amount of stolen money. Mr..
Sibley, all the while knew that the "charges'
had place in the blacklist page of the cata-
logue of lies. He should also have known and
thought of the fact, that by paying Gov. Cor
man for his time occupied in this prosecuting
investigation, he was stultifying himself by
wishing to reward man who had been trying
to prove him guilty of high crime, without
the least shadow of foundation or evidence
But Mr.. Sibley was so ambitious to show his
devotion to Democracy" and the new Dem
ocratic" Governor, that doubtless he never
thought Of this.
Last fall he concluded to run for the lower
branch of the Legislature, in order, we sup
pose, to 'keep himself before the people" for
the next congressional heat He procured a
minority Democratic nomination in his district;
and he cams-he saw-but he did not conquer
At the first casting of the political horoscope.
Of the session, it was easy to perceive he was
a doomed and disappointed man. His congress
sional laurels, which had been mainly woven
and entwined about his brow by the Wings of
Minnesota, faded almost in a day. The cold,
freezing atmosphere of Minnesota Democrat
ic Legislature, speedily blasted the evergreens
which had been gathered on the sunny banks
of the Potomac; and Mr.. Sibley retired at the
end of the session, failing man and a used-up
politician. His fall will prove as fatal as that
Of Lacifer, unless he speedily repent of his
political misdeeds. He deserved better fate:
but that fate was in his own hands, and he
chose to work it out in his own way. 1t can
only be eventually averted by due repentance
OF his follies. and going back to where he star
ted two years ago. -..-.r. ...-.
r-.'...-
g.