Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-01-23

report, and make other arrangements in relation
that mum iceat grant, now in dang of.beng fri
! tered sJay witeou. any use.ul result. e+-a
%he report aooye referred to also indirases th:
tae pes Aioipes navigation and R,ilgoad fiosaeas
" I've not only fosfritr3thes charter u iaiiars
4 comply with the requirements of tire statute, ;,
a s4as they haye e'ssged in practices calculated
decisive emu dsfrGud, upon largo scale, ianoeer
md rnsnsPoctns seTsons, both at homt and asros,
II this Be tre, it nay 5e theught matter of SUI
h'acnt rroc l!npoF .aEee 10 Justify you in dreoiin
,he attorney Gonsral to institute proceedings TO
cIte tho charter Of TIE Cn,npary, and thus preyen
1t from pefpetrating any further ,Frongs onder tn
authority OF the !aws Of taia State.
. Ihereport of the Commissioners will furnish yo
, The specific information that may bs necessary a
the basis for any action On tho subject that nav b
decI9ed desirable.
~ th9 -et of tonA resi- admitting Io1a into ia
Union, approved Mach Sd, l545 IL is declared
ave per e"aS Of the net proceeds O., saes of all pub
lie lands lying within the said State, h.hieh hsy
been or sbai be sold by Congress from and after tn
admission Of said State, after dtduetins all the ex
penses Incident 10 The same, shall be appropriate
fer hiasing public loadJ anu canals within the saic
state, az the Legislature may direct" This act Of
admission was accepted By the State on the 10Th OF
January lSiI, with the provision that .'the Genera
Assembly shall have the riSnt, N accol dance with
the proTsiens of the second section Of the 10th ar
ticie OF the Constitution >f Iowa, to appropria,
the Eve per can't of the net proceeds Of sales of all
public lends lying within the State which have been
or SHAH be sold by Congress from and after the ad
mission OF said State, after deducting all expenses
! sehools.''
At the ti0le this contract was made between the
State and the United States-for it can be regarded
in no OF her light than contract-the United States
disposed OF ths public lends in no other way than
| by bora ide sales Cor money. This obligation on
| the part of the Federal Government was based upon
I hp fil ltItr,f fIFf,
, Belonging to the United States should not be taxed
and that he lands Of non-resden,s should not be
| taxed higher than the lands Of residents.
!, The state had reason to believe that the same
T, policy would be continued. Since that time, how
ever, the pc'icy has been changed, and mnense
quantities of land haze been entered by military
land warrants ssctd to former soldiers in the Uni
ted States array. Ihe law authorizing them to be
issued provides that these warants shall be received
/ in payment for lands. The Government, therefore
receives confederation fer the lard thus entered in
the discharge Of its obligations upon the warrants
1t i. exceedingly unjust for tn, government to de-
stroy the fund which IL holds in trust from the
State, for the purpose Of rewardins hsse who have
rendered 1t service. Between private persons, the
same state Of facts would justify recovery in
court OF low. 1t seems to that the same prino-
pie should prevail between tao two government
The military land warrants located in this State up
to the seth June, 1885, covered 10 692 80 acres
The per cent. dse 20 the State thereon is S6S2930 90
have no means Of knowing the number OF acres
loca ed in the fiscal year ending seth june, 1857,
but iadge tha. the aggregate per ceutage now due
to the State approaches very near 8 600 600.
| recommend thGt Congress ae again Ineinorialsed
on this subject, ans that suit re authorized to be
instituted against the United States for the feacy-
ery ,,f the amount due, IN tao Coa-t Of Claims.
During ths pas. three yeara, Hy sttantics has
been frequently sailed to the probability Of ssols-
icn between the Indian: and the settlers in the wcst
and northwestern counties o. the State. have re-
peaelF adr ssed the Presden. Of the United States,
the Secretary of Wa., and the Commissioners Of In
dian affairs, warning thers ot the appf.headed dam
geF, anu urging ;h2t Immediate steps be taken to
remove the Indians beyond our limits. Copies of
my Letters to the Iaerlhers in Congress from the
State OF Iowa, under date OF 30th January, 1855,
and to the President OF the United Ssat ), Under
date Of ID December, 1855, I herewith tr2asIsit:
Without any military organisation in the State,
and without any power to fet, except in tbs event
of an actual hostile invasion residing remote from
the scene of anticipated difficulty, and fearful that
some cxigency might arise that would require
prompt and energetic action; in January, 1855, I
requested Maj. Vim. Williams, of Fort Dodge, to
assume general charge Of this subject, and author
lied him far had power to do SO, to act liz my
behalf, in any contingency that might arise ip con
nection with the Indians
In February last, Ink -pa-du-tah's band Of Sioux
Indians made hostle inoursion into the State. and
perpetrated moat horrible atrocities ia Dickinson
county. When intelligence oE this event reached
Fort Dodge, Aai. sTliioIas at enrolled three
companies of E.on under Capt's Richards ani Dun
comb, of Webster county, and Capt. johnson, of
Hamilton covnty, and proceeded to the OF diff
fculty. These heroic man left their homes in the
most inclement season Of the year. and endured al
most unheard OF sutrings and priVations; crossing
swollen streams flooded with ice, and trsVerEng un-
inhabited rrarirs in the most tsmpestuous weather
that they might sayo their fsllow-creatnr,a from
savage butchery; or rescue them from o captivity
worse than death.
Two Of their number, Capt. ]. G. John
son, of Hamilton county, and William Berk-
holder, Of Webster county, perished on the
march. Others returned frozen and maim-
ed. The expedition did not overtske the
Indians; but they reached the scene of their
barbarities, gave to the dead christian bu-
rial, and brought back with them, two chill
dren, the sole survivors of the slaughtered
settlement.
The men who thus gallantly and humane.
ly periled their lives, have received no COM
pensation for the time employed in the ex-
pedition, or for their outfit. The Federal
Government Is in equity bound for their
compensation. The Indian tribes are under
it's protection and control. 1t has allotted
to each tribe scope Of country for it's ex-
elusive occupation. It has sold lands to
etlers in this State with the understanding
that these tribes ahall be confined to their
respective limits, and that the possession OF
the laud purchased shall not be disturbed by
the Government, or those under its man
agement. If the savages break over their
bounds and inflict injury upon Others, the
Government should respond to the parties
injured, for the damages sustained, and for
the expenses incurred in protecting them
selves against repetition of the injury
To this end, recoamend that a memorial
be addressed to the Congress Of the United
States.
But many of the MEM ers of Maj. Will
lar1s' command are unable to await she tar
dy action of Congress, and | therefore advise
that the State assume the payment, and re-
serve the same from any appropriation that
may be may be made.
Accompanying this will be found the re-
port OF Commissary General @. B. Richards,
showing the amount expended on account
of this expedition, &c:-
! submit to the General Assembly, wheth-
er some public recognition of the nobic GAL
lantry and un,imely death Of Messrs. John
son and Burkholder, is DOT sliks due ~ their
memory, and to she gratitude Of the State.
do not anticipate any farther trouble
from the Indians The runners put aaost IN
regard to future difficulty can generally &c
tFsced TO interested persons who seek by
their circulation to accomplish some ulterior
purpose. TO be prepared for any such einsr-
eency, however, | have established depot
tor a rms and ammuniti on At Fort Dodge, and
procured cannon. muskets and aln,nunition
for another depot in Dickinson county.
Transmit herewith. the report OF the In
spectors Of the State Penitentiary, to which
solicit your particular attention.
1t will be observed that there has been e1-
pended for the general support OF the feni-
tentiary during the last fiscal year:
F,r salaries OF esecr., Sl,5z5 90
H'i 80 80 q