Minnesota weekly times., 1857-05-02

The Indian Trosblss-oar, Position.

The TiMKs was the first paper to give publicii
to the rumors concerning the threatened wars o
our frontier, and now, when tho smoke has clear
' ed away, and the rumor found to be the offsprin
I of natural apprehension rather than of an
I general outbreak, we are charged BY our cotem
o poraries with having played 50 very silly part
: We care no whit about the jealous sneers of th
city papers, but we desire in few words to sc
our course in true light before the people.
In the first place, we conceive it to be the le
gitimate business of q newspaper to set befor
itsreaders the latest and most reliable news from
all parts of the world, without hesitation or dis
semblance. In this, it is not permitted to dis
card human testimony, but is bound to aware
due credit to evidence which seems reliable
We have not published single rumor without
giving the authors name-in several instances
we have obtained and published the afhdavits ia.
ken before justice of the peace. Having taken
this precaution We could do no more to prove
their authenticity and no less than to give it to
the world as it came to Us, without a qualifying
clause. All the Indian wars that America ha,
ever seem and they are not few--the Shawnees un-
der Tecumseh, the fierce savages of every tribe
in the massacres at Schenectady and Deer6eld
and all along the Revolutionary frontier, the
Seminoles in the woods of Florida, the ceaseless
conflicts of aggression and determination now
waging with the Backfeet in Washington Terri.
tory and on the slopes of the Rocky Mountains,
the news of these wars, each and ALL first reached
the endangered settlements of the whites in ssya-
na0rs, not half so tangible as the reported re-
cent outbreak. The most responsible citizens
Of the Upper Minnesota had written for aid /; mes
sengers had brought the information that the In
dians were exasperated, and holding their coun-
ellis of war on the Watonwan we ourselves had
been shown . letter from Commander Smith at
Fort Smelling, to Governor German, stating that
four Indians had been killed in the Big Woods,
| and expressing fears, that, unless the greatest
Cancellation was used on the part of the whites, a
general war with the savages might ensue. We
published the most authentic Of the statements !;
now we are most happy to learn that the writers
of the letters, and the authors of the afidavits
had been misinformed.
Catching at this straw, the Pioneer spots US
| Every mildly as circulating ssungrounded and
foolish rumors," and the impoten. granny of the
Minnesotian blubbers his "regrets'' that We
should persist in ''driving more than ten thousand
Emgrants away from Minnesota p Now, as
these two papers wed with eaeh other for three
days after the receipt of s'the rumors," in beg
ging from every fugitive from the upper coun-
try, little dribblings of ssnews from the seat of
war" and surpassed ,4s in details of horrors
''from reliable correspondent 'this spontaneous
outburst of sympathy for our poor selves, and of
a new-found fear that the dear Territory will
suffer, is entirely gratuitous.
The Advertiser, too, must add its abusive mite
to this mountain of editorial meanness. Hav-
ing a whole week to consider, write, expuuge,
weigh and arrange the particulars, that paper
spreads its peacock tail flaps its turkey wings and
gobbles audibly that it is gifted with the wonder
full precision to see beforehand how things would
turn up, and not get caught in the trap. So the
bibless baby from Nova Scotia sits boosted up at
the editorial table, like the drveling hero of Ger
vantes, scattering his SLAYER, without discrimns-
ton, over sensible public already sickened with
his spleen. We shall not reply to his eepic" of
Saturday-its readers will do that.
We did not commence this article, in justifca-
| tion of our course-A will vindicate itself-but
| to say word of approval and oommepdation to
those who Voluntarily answered the call, and ex-
pressed noble willingness to defend the frontier
| if they were wanted. If we must bluuder at all,
it is always better to blunder on the side of hu-
manity. Better to send ten steamboats, and a thou
sand soldiers to the frontier, than to have single
one of those hardy, Industrious families stricken
down by the hand of an infuriated and savage
foe. Better have an army of volunteers come
back without finding hostile Indian, or lifting
an avengng arm, tnan to sleep here in our securi-
ty, and have one single settler fall beneath the
scalping-knfe-the settler from the Atlantic
States, Great Britain or Germany, who has bid
adieu to the scenes of his YOUTH received for the
last time the paternal benediction, kissed the
parting tear from his kind mothers cheek, and
turned reluctantly away from the homestead he
had learned to love, to seek An Independent liveli-
hood upon the fertile prairies of our Territory.
The Pioneer man may laugh at our verdancy,
the ssSenior" of the Minnesotian may grunt out
his puerile slang, the cadaverous subordinate oi
the Advertiser sneer at courage which he dare
not emulate, and send his wooden swords to the
volunteers, who, fortunately had no occasion tc
prove their stamina, butp say all honor to any and
every one who answered so promptly at the Cour,
House to the call for aid! All honor to the Pho.
neer Guards, the Shields Guards, the ready vol.
unteers, the Committee appointed at the Cour,
House, the Common Council, Mr.. Nelson, (ths
messenger from St. Peter,) and the prompt citi
Gems of this place, of Shakopee, Farribault ani
the other towns that responded they may all res
assured that they have done no more and no les
than their duty. The country will now know wher,
to find them, s"* #
So far from "retarding emigration hither
every seperate step which has been taken to sent
immediate assistance and to repel the invasion
of the Red Man, (whethsr real or imaginary,)-
has tended to inspire the coming thousands will
a more vigorous confidence in our Territory and
our people. And this is the action we shall al
ways urge in similar emergencies, in spite Of tn
Advertisers diarrhoc verboruns, in spite of /" th
seniors" conscience, in spite of the croaking o
the money-getters who have bartered away thei,
humanity for corner-lots. We are glad to believ
that these number only dozen or score. bu
from them the grumbling newspapers take thei
cue. Some of them have suggested that the Pres
Sought to be muzzled " for speaking what woul
injure. Real Estate I've would like to see them d
itD So 1s-.A I.
III We navar havo hAer ~ rox ~o-,