New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-04-28
FORT SMELLING.
The Congressional Investigation.
INTERESTING TESTIMONY.

The House of Representatives (Jan. 4th last)
ordered an investigation by Special Committee Of
the sale of the United States Military Reservation
at Fort Smelling, Minnesota, lying between and st
the junction Of the Mississippi and Minnesota
Rivers, few miles above st. Paul and below the
Falls of St. Anthony. Mr. Speaker Orr de.iguated
Messrs. Burnett of Ky, l. n. Morris of H., Nor
rill of VI, Faulkner Of Va and Petit OF Indians,
10 make the investigation. They accordingly sum-
morsd and from time to time examined such per
sons IS they supposed capable OF throwing light on
the transaction, and their testimony Is embodied.
with some Illustrative letters andpapers in an ofical
document of Sos pages, now before us. We give as
specimens of this testimony, the statements Of the
Hon. ROBERT SMITH (M. C. from Illinois, and the
Hon. RICHARD SCHELL Senator of our State, aud
brother of Collector Sche of this port; the latter
ore of the (,uJ rosa purchasers and present
owners of the Reservations the former one who
msan' to have purchased the whole or part Nit,
but didn't get chance. Let us frat hear the
HON. ROBERT SMITH
The Hon. ROBERT smith, beiuS duly sworn, de-
sIed to file, preparatory to his statement, scopy oil
letter of the Secretary OF War TO him. and his reply
thereto. ard make them part of his testimony.
The Committee assented to the request, and the
witness tbereupon presented the following papers
w,R Drp,RrNYsr. Washington, July p. 1871.
that In OF the con
slant my official dres an answer 10 your, o. to - w.
% ten long delayed The .esrs. !. enes9ced eeGaas" 81
ply alton which sidres'ei 20 ue "a April A.
Minnesota thus giving you aPpalet caae to suppose That
courtesy due TO your position as gentleman sod iGdeed
all who think ProPer'o apply Tor inofm'oA III regard "
beg to assure you that no such has Influenced
conduct In the premises and that in this transition there n'
been neglect, II purely unintenil and accidenta
Is LETTER which y.v WITH three otheTs from different in
cydsls upon the subject That did not receive was
had sppin ssen,. sell the military At Fort Sne
ing under certain instructions and that pat OF Their ns
ircuded any tact to which an atu, settler may nave Jus.
claim e1s, public ss' 81 sy ~ private fuS % tract.
or lots Of forty acres each 90 70 enable yo1 o. Sa
judgment may be deemed best but in neither case at less THAI
Under those Instructions The sails was made previous to the r.
cep of letter Of the ID inst and the report Of the
William Ming ei.Le ESQ and Major Sc n E,1n
th sale effected by them was approved BY nun ,0,,, .,
become bidder for the property aud again eSP-, my a
iected regret at tie delay in making ms reply nave Tie "'u
| he, YER ctiuly your obecient serN art,
| JOHN B. FLOYD, Secretary OF Wat
| The Hon ROBERT SMITH Alton Illinois
Cory. ,as.tance, q Lst'cS ',.t ,.,,
DEAR had the honor to receive your letter Of the 2s
utno . As leaving for this Territory Since my srr' Al
,eys At Fort Smelling who were desou,o purchasing portions
Of he land III, ded in the reserve but did not know that any
or agents appointed 10 sell did they know
That the reserve had sold until weeks after the sale mad been
made learn that AMY pr sSou V the The
ieeps here t. think very general that MesTs Hei'k. and
and did sea injustice to hundred. wanting
portion; the by IT. s s,n aa s% b..
be sold at public auction or BY bids ~ Wiling m 'y
all information haNe
for Many these lands worth 100 per acre ana no con
,s looked upon here as sta Gphin ait under f
standardization, and will no doubt be py avess.es Dy
will he broug light that will place Messrs esse aud East
in no visible position and WILL ssT w1is
hope be too late 10 correct the great wrong winch
| Las be- "a done to the people and the Government
| Ihaye the honor 70 be your otedent ,eIysn ,,,,,,,
Hon. john B FLOYD, Secretary OF War.
Examination By Mr. Petit.
Question 500. At what tiule cid you frs. adires'
| the Secretary of War
| Answer. | think it was in April. | could not give
the precise date. wrote hastily, and did not keep
copy of my letter. had thought Of addressing tue
Department and asking them to furnish copy but II
was so hasy and dirjoined affair that hardly sup
posed it had been preserved. could state, ii desired,
ny impressions ofthe purpot OF the letter. and II the
letter is in existence, should be very glad to learn
whether my recollection serves ne correctly by nav
rg il produced. If the Committee will permit me TO
give little history of the causes which induced me to
write the letter. they will better understand it, would
state that was in Congress at the time the Territory
| Of Minnesots organized. / had good many
m nds and some relatives in that region OF country,
end matter of course iel, good deal OF interest
in the TeiroIy. While in Congress, took an hum
bic part in fixing the lines Of the Territory In 1878
frat visited that region Of country, and having friends
| 1T FoIt Srcrg-tbe Indian Agent, Major Murphy,
| beirg an old constituent of mine examined the
country hastily During my visits there II was IRE.
queptly remarked that when the property al Fott
SneliI came into the market it would be very desi.
rable. During my whole intercourse there, hes.d
the subject frequently spoken of. l. was SEA- to me
sharp mar, having en- eye TO his own interest would
buy the property. hy reply was, that presumed
not tLa Wpen !ns property was sold every ono vV@c
4 save an Opportunity Of becoming purchaser as well
Mr.. Steele. So much was said to me, and 50 often
importuned in relation 10 it, and being in Wash
Igton at the time the act rather the provision in
roCuced into of the Appropriation bills auhoriz.
ing the Secretary of War to sell such military
| IioIs as were no longer required for Government
purposes ard knowing nothing Of that provision being
Incorporated in the BILL though here II created some
little surprise Ill my mind when learned the act had
| parsed. Wien l arrived in Minnesota very many Of
my friends advised me Of the passage Of the provision
IL the Appropriation BILL and asked how the property
| was TO be sold. | told them did net know but 20
much was said, that sat down and addressed letter
TO the Secretary Of War. Toe puIport OF my letter
was something like bs: that had seen, oy pr2yls-
ION ore Of the Appropriation bills, that the Fort
Smelling reservation VA TO be sold and wished 10
know Of him the manner If sale, whether IL would be
sold at auctCI in forty tracts by the legal Land
Office Subdivisions, or whether it would be sold by
bids in writing as whole; that the property was very
valuable and that there were many persOns there aux
Ous to buy portions OF IT, that fIr myself, wouid
Ike to buy portion or | would make BID ter the
whoe. l am frank to say that did not believe thar
was able 10 buy the whole OF that property, nor did
expect tc but ! wanted 10 provide for any con,ln-
geLcy that might arise; that might know the mooe
snd manner OF selling, and that migh' advse very
=. - ho had ma de