The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1885-07-04
RIEL'S True CHARACTER.
Inside History of the Rebellion and of
Riel's Efforts to Get Money From the
Government.


Government.
From Winnipeg Dispatch.J
Rlel Is becoming an object OF con
tempt among Roman Catholics, from
whom it was expected he would re-
ceive aid in his trial. The Rev Father
Andre OF Prince Albert states he was
!. visited by Riel before the uprising,
who offered if he would lend his infiu-
ence to the half-breeds in the rebellion
and get other Catholic priests to do
likewise, the church should receive half
OF all the half-breeds obtained by the
rebellion. The reverend father indig-
nantly refused to hear of such a prop
osition, when Riel flew into violent
rage, and, shaking his fist in the
/ priests face, said he could triumph in
+ spite of the Catholic church, and would
trample the priests under his feet when
he became ruler of the Northwest
/ Riel, week or so afterward, cooled
! down, and saw he made a mistake by
defying the church, and he asked
Father Andres pardon and that OF
/ the church, but was refused.
Riel, finding it was no good, then
/ offered to leave the country il the GOV
/ eminent would give him 81 600. He
4 said he could tell the half-breeds he
! was going down to further their inter
I ests at Ottawa, and they would be
Iieve him, and Father Andre asked
him did he think the half-breeds would
+ believe what he said and remain quiet,
and Riel told him the half-breeds
would believe anything he said to
them. His name. he said, was a pow
/ er among them, and whatever he did
appeared right to them He then
commenced to complain bitterly cf
the manner in which the government
+ treated him since 1870. Sir John
Macdonald having promised him
/ So 600, which he did not receive, to
leave the country; Sir John Macdon-
aid, he said, stated in the House that
i he had only given him lRiel), 81 900,
+ but as a matter OF fact, he had re
I ceiyed through NJ. Prue over 1000.
I These are facts never before made
public, and their publication will ere
4 ate a great sensation all over Canada
i Riel told Father Andre he considered
I the government owed him the money
I he had not received, and the least they
could do for him was to give him
+ enough to carry himself and family to
! Lower Canada, where he would be
among friends and always under the
/ eye of the government, In case the
/ government refused to accede to his
I demands, he would raise, he said,
/ such astorm that it would cost them
4 $50, 900, 600 and much blood before
4 they could subdue it.
Father Andre, who previous to this
4 had treated Riel's yaporings with con
/ tempt, now began to see he was max
i ing serious mischief among the half
/ breeds and fomenting rebellion. He
therefore promised to use his influence
with the government officials known
to him to procure Riel the money de
/ manded, and for this purpose waited
upOn Mr.. D. H. Mcdowell, member OF
the Northwestern council for Prince
Albert, and begged him to take the
matter in hand. Mr.. Mcdowell at
first refused, bnt eventually agreed to
see Riel, and for that purpose went to
him in company with Father Andre,
and after a conference lasting over
three hours, in which Riel laid his
/ grievances against the government be
fore him, and reiterated his offer of
leaving the Northwest on receipt OF
.
DOweI promised to do his best to IN
duce the government to comply with
Riel's demand. On receipt of this as
/ surance Riel's promised to wait forty
days before taking further steps. Mr..
/ Mcdowell then wrote to Gov. Dewd-
ney, placing Riel's demands before
him, also his views on the subject,
and received an answer to
the effect that the matter
would be laid before Sir John
Macdonald. The stipulated forty days
flew by, but no answer came from
either Sir John Macdonald or Gov.
Dewdney. At the expiration OF forty
days another letter was addressed to
Gov. Dewdney inquiring what action
had been taken on Riefs proposals,
and a reply came to the effect that the
! government did not wish to hear any
thing more about Riel and that they
would do nothing. This precipitated
the rebellion. Riel at once sought re
| venge. He melted the half breeds to
rebellion but with poor success until
an event occurred which set them all
in blaze This was the passage of
the Hon Lawrence Clark through the
/ French half-breeds' settlements. In
answer to their repeated inquiries as
to the result Of their petitions, no less
/ than three OF which had been sent
4 down at various times without the
/ Dominion government vOuchsating
any notice, his reply was: There are
500 police coming up behind me with
an answer In the shape OF bullets. +"
Nothing further was needed. Half
terrified, wholly infuriated, the half
breeds, exasperated beyond endurance,
flew to arms, and the disastrous re
suit which followed ali know. This Is
the inside history OF the half-breed re
beIlion in the Northwest.
The rebellion has demonstrated how
| utterly useless is the mounted police
force which the government has had
stationed in the disaffected region
for many years at p cost OF
/ many hundreds of thousands OF
| dollars annually. Commanders of the
force have proved themselves crimi-
nally cowardly, and when ordered to
assist the troops in engagements have
/ always managed never to receive the
order until too late While soldiers
were on the field of Batoche these
mounted police knowing that the fight
was going on, held their annual sports
thirty-five miles away. Gen. Middle
ton has advised the government to
/ lose no time in abolishing the force
and in its place to put some OF the
troops who have done so nobly. He
has reported to the government that
the mounted police have become OBJ
4 jects OF deIision and scorn among the
Indians, instead OF objects OF respect
and fear
/ THE most serious drawback to the
biennial system IS the lack OF expe
rienced legislators. As arule members
are not reelected, and only few are
found at the opening OF legislative
! session who know anything about
methods OF procedure. This com
plant has been loudly raised in Yer
mont, and it now comes from New
Hampshire. The people can very cas-
iIy remedy the evil. however Lowell