St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-04-02
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
WAs1rSorox, March 10th, l8

WAsn1SoroS, March 10th, 1868.
DEAR W1LL.-After having been
around good deal talking about Minneso-
ta Indian affairs, I have come to the con-
clusiou that active sympathy with Indians
is confined to avery small class The
great mass Of the Eastern people have a
positive aversion to knowing or hearing
anything about our troubles.
This old Indian question has been such
long. standing perplexity-the people
t'ave been so bored about Indians, their
wrongs and crimes-so talked to, and
preached ut, and taxed, and blamed and
lcctured on this subject, that even in ordi-
nary times they would have been unwil-
Ing to have had their repose disturbed by
the hopeless medley Of Indian perple1i-
tics; but now that SO much thought and
action is required for the War Of the Re-
bellion' they are doubly unwilling to give
any attention to subject so very disagree.
able and about which they feel powcrless
to DO anything.
The real feeling Of the Eastern public
has been revealed to me in various ways :;
but was most conciseiy and enr hatically
expressed, short time ago, BY one Of the
very first men in this, nation, when be said
with gesture Of disgust and impotence:
''Why didn't you Kill them? My-to
think Of the crimes you say they perpe-
tratcd,aud then to think OF you coming
here towhino and ask for Justice !!
"Why didn't you kill them
"There was enough Of you to have cx-
terminated the whole tribe and relieved
tho world Of the presence Of the monsters {!
Why didn't you do it? Nobody could
have blamed the people Of Minnesota un-
der such provocation fol killing the whole
tribe: Or at worst it would have been
savage killing savage; but you take them
prisoners admit them to the rights Of
prisoners of war and then come here and
ask the Government to damn itself in the
eyes of all Christendom by wholesale
hanging Of these prisoners !!
Why didn't you take the responsibility
and not seek to involve the Government
in what would be regarded as monstrous
and disgraceful? Why don't you do 1t
nou ." > a.. 3. $50
To my explanation that Col. Sibley
wished to secure the white captivcs, he
answered -" .N
"Stuf! lie had force enough to have
conquered them and released the captives
by force, not treachery !; and when he
preferred to treat rather than fight you
have no right to complain that the Gov
ernment refuses to hang those he took as
prisoners Of war y - a. 49,
or course / do not attempt to justify
these statements Of opinions, but I am
fully convinced that this embodies the
general feeling on this question. To ar
que against tits like beating the wind
People want deeds not words. Our Min
nesota troubles are felt to be all Of piece
with tie anti-Jackson spirit which rules
the hour. Nobody to take the RESPONSE
bilityni Congress throwing it on the Pres
ideut and the. President waiting for the
people. Everybody wanting something
done, and nobody. doing il. Nineteen
twentietbs Of tho Eastern, people would
have been rejoiccda five had made wolf
feed Of every Indian on our soil, with the
exception o. Other-day and tho few who
resemble him !; but not oue:,in twenty is
willing that bis government should take
the responsibility Of hanging those whom
we took as prisoners 25s's ~ -, ,er<,r 81,
Then, there are linnesotians here plead.
Ing The cause Of the Poor Indian. George
- f#Zg. 4nns4,4 L n 2tuU"9ftE ']-}"t1@
5+rs.@sts ,.u &,r rnc.n ktssg(frt4Hl e t. -5&