The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1856-03-06

4
hood to face Congress in iis assembled wis
dom is mystery to us.
| We now in few brief words propose to
show that Pierce was bound in all honor,
and BY the most sacred oath Of bis Office, to
dismiss Reedef, Elmore, John g. Isaacs,
two of whom were pro.slavery men. And
we insist they were not dismissed on par
y grounds for the visitation of old estab-
lished rules and laws of the Territory
They were U. S. officers, appointed by the
President, and he alone was responsible for
their conduct. These Territorial officers
owe no responsibility to the people of Kan
sas. They come here with great pomposity
and high sounding titles, and by these high
sounding titles have magic influence over
the common people, and particularly the
natives of the country. The Indians are
taught to reverence U. s. officers, and be.
lieve all they soy. The rules and Laws re-
specting the various Indian tribes in Kansas
remain..as much in fullforce as much after the
municipal organization as before, and the q.
s. officers was to aid in carrying them out.
The constitution says that Congress may
make all needfm rules and regulations for
the protection of U. s. Territory. This is
all the authority Congress has for making
civil government.
There is evidence that before Reeder
came to the Territory avarice and specula-
ton had taken the ascendency of moral re-
straint, and intended his office to be merely
a stepping stone to extravagant speculations.
Before leaving home, had sent to Col. Many
penny for maps of the Indian reserves as
Manypenny supposed for information to aid
him in his duties as Governor. On about
the first of October, 1854, Gov. Reeder
with other officers, Private Secretary, and
Attachee arrived at Fort Leavenworth. He
was received with great pageantry and pom.
posity, which fattery he received with great
dignity. The mex. day an unfortunate cir
cumstance occurred which enabled the Gov
ernor to highten his consequence. A sqat-
ter fight took place with deadly weapons, in
which the parties were severely wounded
Gov. Reeder issued his warrant as. com.
mitting magistrate, had the belligerents
brought before him, sit upon the trial, heard
council, adjudged the accused guilty and or
dered him to give bail in $4,000.
If Reeder accused such functions Of Of
flee in good faith, it showed him incapacita.
ted for Governor, If he did it pompously to
show his CONSCIENCE before an ignorant peo-
pie, it manifested his unworthiness Of of.
fee.
The city of teavehworth was laid of on
land which the Indian Department claimed
to belong to the Indians. and had been for
bidden the occupancy ofit. In this town
Reeder took'o large speculation, in contra
vention of the rules and regulations estab.
lished by Congress, and yet in force as ef-
fectually as any Territorial organic law
As U. 8. officer, this was gross violation.
Withou. attempting to organize the Terri.
tory, or appoint a single Justice Of the
Peace, in company with the U.S.Judge's Pri-
vate Secretary and man whom he brought
from Pennsylvania to run for Delegate, he
pays his court to Missouri, and then he pre-
pares to travel the country over with the
Supreme Judges in search of Indian half.
breeds and the reserves.
His calvalcade arrived at Lawrence in greal
potnp, and there his continued inquiry wa.
for half-Breed Kaw Indians He gave en-.
coufagement for the capital to be located al
Lawrence,and disseminated the idea through
his Private Secretary that he had eighty
thousand dollars to expend upon it, for they
promised him a thousand votes for his friend
Fleniken for Congress. He leaves Law
renee and goes twelve miles to Douglas,
purchases one-seventh Of the town, pronis.
es the capital, and orders certain trees moi
to be cut for its shade. Twelve miles fur.
ther at Tecumseh he takes another specula.
! tion. He had now arrived in the neighbor.
. hood OF the half.breed Indians. He imme.
diately bought section of land of To-quin
and from that timefor three weeks the Cover
nor, his Private Secretary, and the Supreme
Court Of the U. s., secured the country in
search of half.breed Indians, and succeeded
in buying six sections of minor heirs, coilat.
efal relations; and husbands of some Of these
relations distantly connected by marriage
and with the aid Of the Judges took their IT.
! ties, when in fact any county court lawyer
ought to know they could convey no title, ev.
J en- was it allowed by the Department to trade
with those Indians, which was especially for
bid by U. s. laws; at the same time telling
these people through some Of the company
as related by Mr. Ward who was present.
that the Governor alone could purchase
these lands, thus claiming privileges over
private citizens. These officers were paid
J by the u. s., and here they were waisting
their time in attempting to make an.unlaw-
ful traffic with apoor ignorantpeople, whom
] they we're sent there 70 protect TheStrea.
Ity does not give the Presiden any authority
to sanction the personal. .saleso their lands
but such was the weakness of these men
| they never purchased Of individuals legally
authorized to sells not even of the original