The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-29
VOL. XII.

olnauon against the Government eYclude al
competition, and bring loss on the Goverumsp+S
This brings the inquiry back to the point os
the argument of the distinguished gentIenar
from Virginia, Mr.. FAULKNER,l that the net;
tons OF three hundred and sixty-six peopIe or
Mlnnesota-the uncorrupted people, as he pleas,
antly calls them-were here, in addition m d.
report OF the military commission modestIv am,
costing to US now the confirmation of this me-.
remarkable sale, whereby, by reason of an indnI,
gent credit, Mather, Schell, Graham, and Steel
on an investment of $4,000, can now 90 into
market and realize 100000 on their bargain
1t can well be conceived, that after the profonn5
judgment of Mr.. Heiskell on the military impor,
ance of retaining Fort Smelling, the Secretary og
War might feel it of consequence to detacb the
public heroes now on their march 10 Utah Ge,
Harvey at the head, for the sake of putting q,
rest question of no great consequence excent
to the reputation of the Secretary, year after
the Fort Smelling reservation had been sold
But it is not so plain how these extraordnary
petitions to confirm this extraordinary sale were
inspired, without looking at the papers them
selves. The gentleman from Virginia brought
them here, and asked them to be printed. he
knows the reason for it., and at whose instance
it was done
The petitions are all in the same language
Most OF them are in the same handwriting The
leading and imposing signatures are register,
and receivers of land Offices, United States mar
shals for the Territory and district of Minnesota
Territorial justices, surveyors, postmasters. &c
VI course, they are in favor of the confirmation
of the sale. The most imposing one is headed
by II. h. Sibley, who subscrbes himself g. Gov
ernor elect of the State of Minnesota" and who
by the evidence, has an interest in thirty acres
of the most valuable part of the reservation
which may be fairly quoted at a thousand dol.
lars per acre Of course, he is in favor Of con-
frmation OF the sale, and "protests against any
action of Congress to the contrary, and submits
his statement expressive of his views thereon
The gentleman from Virginia may well feel proud
of such auxiliaries in his gallant defence
The rest of the transaction, and that upon
which the committee has felt confident in de-
claring the nyaldity of this sale, is made plaip
by the proofs Mather was foremost in the in
vention of the means by which this outrage TO
the public was done. He was present al the
outset SchelPs notion of morals rose only TO
the "pro6t of the thing" Mr. Mather thus oh
tanned an endorser. With an appetite for profit
the reward of the virtues of political life. both
were at Washington, waiting for something 10
turn up. In an inscrutable manner, they gained
from the Department of War the mysterious
knowledge that the Fort Smelling reservation WAS
to be sold. 1t is singular that their attention
was turned in that direction. Then followed
DR.. Graham, bent on making investments with
out money, and with the same hearty appetite
for Fort Smelling. These three gentlemen NAV
be supposed to have been drawn together by
moral afhnities, for the conference, and subse-
quent combination to buy Fort Smelling is only
applicable on this reason. Then, the importance
of embracing Steele becomes apparent to them.
| because the instructions of the War Depart
| neutrality-suspicious. knowledge-were to embrace
Mr.. Steele. Then, Graham is dispatched to Min
nesota, afterwards returns, reports his to
Mather at New York, and reaches Washington
in time to accompany the unsuspecting Heiskell
blushing with the fresh honor of his commission,
to Minnesota. In this way Heiskell is rewarded
for past political services, but short of his expect
atoms In the same time, Mather's appointment
to Fort Ripley sends him necessarily past the
gates of Fort Smelling Heiskell and Eastman
are present, devising modes of opposing and de-
feating combinations. Two or three short days
of public service there, and Heiskell and East
man caught in the trap of Mather, Schell
Graham, and Steele, and the public is at once
plundered of hundreds of thousands of its wealth
The gentleman from Virginia, Mr.. FAULKNER
on yesterday In recounting the story Of this
transaction, was pleased TO speak of it, if ! un-
derstood him right as an official blunder If
am correct in that the conclusion of the major
ity, as expressed in its report, AYERS no more;
and he, in turn, has been faithless to the inquiry
committed to him, in not having said Sc much
in his report.
Mr.. FAULKNER. The gentleman will remem-
Der that said this that the very worst aspect
that the worst enemy of the Secretary of War
gave to the transaction, was to characterize it as
an official blunder
Mr.. PETIT. | stand corrected having had
no opportunity of examining full report Of his
remarks, and not catching his words with entire
distinctness. Then, sir, it was an official blum
der. The facts themselves are singular. There
IL lQuy hat inHio hat IN ind
cate that Fort Smelling was to be sold in the
summer of 1857. The act of 1857 no more meant
Fort Smelling, than it meant the defences Of the
entry of the port of New York, or Charleston or
Boston, or New Orleans. 1t meant Just what it
saba large discretion in the Secretary of War;
to be applied on proper occasions
1t is singular, in this connection, that soon
after Mather and Schell were attracted here, by
reasons they can best explain, they were aware
of this fact that could only have been commu-
nicated by some person in connection with the
Department Of War; that Graham should have
been combined with them that they should have
been aware of the unusual instructions soon TO
come from that Department to embrace Frank
lin Steele, and nobody else, and that he should
have been brought into the combination that
Graham should go out for the purpose that
Graham should return at the moment the COM
mission was to go into the hands of Heiskel,
empowering him, with Major Eastman, silently
and secretly to dispose of one of the most i'm
portant defences of the Government, unknown to
everybody, and without consultation with supe-
riOr army officers, on whom the Secretary Of War
must principally rely to advise him in the eGecu-
ton of duties connected with the field 1t is
singular that such person as Heiskell was ap-
pointed TO so important trust. II is singular
that Mather should obtain a kindred appoint
ment, in the same section, on the succeeding
day, 1t is singular that of our whole people,
Mather should, of the Secretary's own choice,
receive that kindred appointment. General Jes-
up, in order to secure the Government against
loss, had recommended the adoption Of a mini
mum, which should not be less than the full
value Of the reservations; and it is no less sin
gular that, with an offer on the files of the De-
partment Of War for the Fort Smelling reserya-
ton at $l5 per acre, the Secretary should have
adopted a minimum Of $3.50 per acre; and 1t IS
no less So that while, at one time, Mather quick
in gaining the knowledge that the sale of the
reservation had been confirmed to Steele, was
telegraphing to him that fact, the Hon. ROBERT
SMITH, soon after, at the War Office, protested
against the fairness of such a sale, and that, on
the next day, it was confirmed by Secretary
Floyd but that, under such circumstances, the
disastrous and shameless result followed, is in
no manner singular.
However these facts may affect the Secretary
of War, it is conclusive, from these facts, that
Mather, Schell, Graham, and Steele, conspred IN
a transaction against the known policy OF the
Government disposing, as they well knew, OF
one of its most important defences, violating law
and usage in regard to the sale of public lands,
and celebrating and executing an enormous
fraud on the Government
From such considerations as these, the COM
mittee, in the discharge of its duty, has had no
alternative left but to characterize it in this
manner, If, on the part of the Secretary OF war
it is a blunder, it has, in its consequences, the