The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-09-02
GRAND REORGANIZATION AroL.THE.
Address Of the Settlers on the Black Bob
Lands to the People OF Kansas.

Some time ago the settlers on the
Black Bob lands invited Sidney Clarke
to meet them at Olathe TO discuss the
charges of official corruption made
against him, and especially his particle
patton in the Black Bob swindle. Mr..
Clarke accepted, and met the settlers on
Saturday last. 1t was a big day in Ola
the. The settlers were present twelve
hundred strong. Nearly the entire
population of that district was in atten-
dance. They marched into town IN
procession with music and banners. At
the meeting in the afternoon about
three thousand people were present.
1t was a meeting of people who have a
personal interest in the result of the
pending campaign. 1t was a. manifest
alton of their sense of the injustice they
suffered at the hands of Mr.. Clarke's
agents, and they, as reasonable men,
simply asked of him that he meet them
and inform them of the truth or faisity
of the charge that he was the leading
spirit in the transaction by which the
fruits of their honest toll, their houses
and farms, were to be wrested from
them. Clarke met them, it is true, but
in order to defeat the object of the
meeting, to debar the settlers from any
expression, to prevent reiteration OF
the charges against him. to consume the
time day and night, and thwart the dis
cussion, he asked, ipsisted, and refused
to speak unless he should be allowed 20
open the discussion. They asked only
one hour and half to read their bill OF
Indictment and evidence in the case,
and offered him two hours, or as long
as he chose, to speak, thereafter, in his
defense. He would not agree 10 1t, but
determined to have meeting ofhis own
The settlers, however, read an address
to the people of Kansas, which is one
of the clearest, most convincing state
ments of Mr.. Clarke's implication in
the Black Bob fraud that has ever before
appeared. 1t is an eloquent appeal to
the people of Kansas to defeat the as
pirations of such an unprincipled man
to a seat in Congress. 1t is too long to
be published in our columns this week.
1t ought to be read by every voter be-
fore he votes for delegates to the State
Convention. The defeat of, Sidney
Clarke ought to be so overwhelming as
to hush his voice in politics forever.
Clarke's attempt to get up meeting
of his own at Olathe that day, succeed
ed so far as to draw together quite a
small crowd at night, but he was SO of
ten interrupted by Calls for "Riggs,
and ugly questions concerning Black
Bob, that his effort to be heard was any
thing but satisfactory to himself. Al
another meeting in different place Mr..
S. A. Riggs, of Lawrence, did enter
tain vast number of people by argu-
ments of the most damaging character
to Mr.. Clarke's Congressional pros
poets.
In Clarke's speech in Emporia last
week, he asserted that he had nothing
to do with the Black Bob matter, except
to carry the fraudulent patents from
Washington to Kansas in package
the contents of which he did not then
know. The settlers tell different sto-
ry. We make the following extracts
from the address prepared by their com.
| mittee:
In relation to the evils growing out Of OIL
cial abuse and corruption, the people Of
johnson county have deep and all-pcryad1ne
| interest. and it is particularly and vitality I'M
| portant TO the twelve hundred men, women
| and children living on the Black Bob reserVa
| ton that the next member of Congress from
| this State should be incorrupubly honest. anG
! fully pledged to the eXtinguishment of every
4 Indian title in the State, and more than that
/ TO the extinguishment Of each title in such
| manner only will secure every acre OF In
/ dian land within the limits Of the State to ac
/ tual settlers. This Is not alone matter OF In
terest TO the twelve hundred people living oil
| the Black Bob lands, but matter OF thu
/ the greatest Importance to every tax payei
and every citizen Of the county, and touches
| the hearts and homes of not less than hund
4 red thousand of the present population OF
| Kansas. and is destined to have an incalcula
nle influence for veal or for woe upon the fu
| lure interest and destiny of the entire State.
! standing before you, as we do. at the requeS
| II the settlers on the Black Bob reserve, anC
.peaking To you in behalf Of their special in
| terests, which, in connection with similar in
| ,erests of the many thousands Of people occu
plying Indian lands i'm the State, exert ut thi
| time so powerful an influence in the policy o
the whole people, we ind lt incumbent upol
| us TO call the special attention of the people o
this country to MIR. Clarke record on the Blacl
Bob matter.
Here follows the indictment agains
Mr.. Clarke, supported by testimony 0
the most incontrovertible character
aud corroborating the exposition of th'
matter as made by Senator Ross. We
pass over a large portion of this evi
dence to extract the appeals of the set
tiers to the people to rescue the State
from such unworthy representation:
SAt the close Of the war for the Union the
State OF Kansas attracted to her borders
large share of the emigration westward. Al
the very threshold of the state, this emigra
ton found the body of lands known as tbs
| Black Bob reservation, entirely unoccupied
and AS its location and fertility invited TO set
Element, it naturally attracted the attention o.
emtgrants. One OF these emigrAnts addressed
letter TO Hon. ID. A. Cooley, ut the time Com
| missioner Of Indian Affairs, requesting TO be
informed whether or not settlers would be pro
tected by the government in its negotiations
for the same. To this letter Mr.. Commission
er Cooley made reply I'd January, 1865: ''Tha
by u treaty recently negotiated with the Black
Bob band Of the Shawnee Indians, what Ii
deemed just provision has been made for the
protection Of the rights Of the settlers upon
| payment of u fair price for the lands occupied
by them respectively"
The above statement Of Commission, Cool
ey, forwarded to the settlers through the hand,
Of Hon. Sidney Clarke, member OF Congress
in effect assured the emigration to Kansas thai
this reservation was about passing into posses
Il sion Of the general government under treaty
stipulations that protected the right Of settlers
thereon. 1t was with this encouragement, ano
with this understanding OF our rights, from
high official source, that we settled on these
lands, made our improvements, and organized
our schools. Under this fair promise Of pro-
lection, we have opened up new country &c
| civilization; we have converted wild prairie
into cultivated fields; dotted IL over with
school houses aad dwellings; we have lavish.
| ed our labor and means in its development, In
the confident belief that We were laying the
foundation Of our future homes.
From the very beginning Of the Black Boil
lands, Mr. Clarke was made familiar with the
facts Of that settl ment, and in transmitting
the letter Of Commissioner Cooley to the set.
Itlers, he pledged them his friendship and sup.
port. How he has fulfilled that pledge let the
1 people judge from his subsequent acts.
Mr.. Clarke transmitted the letter Of Mr.
i Cooley to the settlers in the month Of Janua-
ry, 1868, yet In the fall Of that same year, ae-
cording TO the sworn evidence of Mr. j. II
Pratt, q prominent, influential and reliable
citizen of Miami county, Kansas, Mr.. Clarke
was engaged in a scheme TO place the title tC
the Black Bob lands in the hands Of specula.
tors, and to turn the hardwol king, poor men,
women and children Of that reservation over
TO the tender mercies of the Indian ring"
It would therefore seem that it was Mr.
Clarke's deliberate intention to encourage thS
settlement and Improvement Of the Black Boil
lands for the selfish and dishonest purpose Of