St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-05-14
executing one for every massacre com
nitted BY their tribe. { Y ] !
They stated Gliat,nctly that thew did

They stated distinctly that they did
hot.. This would be taking Tho life Of an
innocent person. 70 NY representation
that such proceeding was in accordance
with the rules Of war-that it had always
been ptactised and that Gen. Hunter de-
tered the rebels from numbering colored
soldiers, when taken prisoners, by threat
ching to hang two shareholders for every
negro soldier executed. They argued
that such practice would not deter the
Sioux-that there was no assurance that
they would kill one the less if they knew
we would hang every prisoner we have.
trust there will be no more Indian
prisoners to feed, educate, and wrangle
over. Let the people who have an in
terest in the settlement of the State and
cultivation of the soil resolve that the Of
icer who fails Of success on Indian expe-
ditions- or who brings back any prison.
ers, is politically and socially doomed and
damned. There are so many men inter-
csted in keeping up the old Indian sys-
tem-so many citizens of Minnesota who
are personally safe and are making mon
ey by the siDley-M Mcclellan mode of war
fare, i. 6. getting up armies and dress pa
rades that the settlers who ask protection
for their homes have the spectators as
we'll as the Indians to meet and overcome.
Government expcnds vast sums Of mon
ey in Minnesota in sibley campaigns and
those who get fat contracts Worship Sib
ley. His do-nothing, get-ready style Of
warfare suits them to T; and as long
as they make more by army contracts
than they would by the settlement and cul-
tivation of our lands they will use all their
influence against any measures likely to
end the Indian war.
Perhaps it would be barbarous to take
the life of a squaw or papoose prisoner in
atonement for the murder eff white wo-
man or cLild by rowing bands of Sioux !;
but if we have the squaws and papooses
Of warriors now with Little Grow and du-
ly notify him Of our purpose it is highly
probable that one or two examples would
give security to our frontiers. The poll
cy is certainly worth trying, if the lives Of
ssE sons5 Ss sst5lsss i Hss59 psSssStiSn
portion of the people Of Minnesota send a
runner to Little Grow stating that they
themselves will see to it, that for every
white person killed three red skins shall
die, and then rg,4nize hunting parties Of
from two to ten, kill the number and send
Little Grow the scalps in evidence that
the threat has been executed.
There will be no danger of the General
Government Furnishing men for thus tax
ing the law in their own hands. "Presi-
dent Lincoln will hang nobody| and
barbarous or cruel as the plan may appear
to sentimental people, there can be no Sc
curity of life in Minnesota until these saw
ages are taught to fear the whites, and
neither the General or State Government
appears likely to teach them that whole
some lesson. What is called mercy to
them is cruelty to the white settlers. The
condemned Sioux murderers have been
stolen out of the State-carried by stealth
beyond the reach of the people and laws
to whom and which they had forfeited
their miserable lives. In due time they
will be released and sent some place either
to return, at their convenience, to the
scenes Of their former exploits or to re-
enact them in some other place, and for
this the missionaries more than any one
else are responsible. They have had
such "a season of prayer" with their red
brethren, have given them so many prim-
ers and testaments and have published
such touching accounts Of their piety and
progress in pursuit Of knowledge that the
President, if less than savage, could scarce
be expected to break up this academic
grove by hanging all the pupils So they
are transplanted to another scene, and at
ter they have finished their education
they will be able to make their next mas:
sacre as much more horrible than the last
as 1t exceeded, in horror, all that had ev-
er been done by savages unblessed by
years Of teaching and training under the
care Of the very men who ale now finish
ing them off.
/ intend to see the President and talk
this matter over with him. He should at
least hear the views of that portion Of the