St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-22
THE sEEDERs' SIDE. OF IT.
The Winnebago and Grow Greek People
Issue Spirited Address,
Which They Send to all the Settlers
on the Reservation.
Are They Classed as American Citi-
Zens or Russian Serfs.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe
PIERRE, OAK, April 21.-The following
address has been formulated and sent out to
all settlers on the Winnebago and Crow
Creek reservations:
The settlers of the Winnebago and Crow
Creek reservations, in view of the recent
proclamation OF. the president of the United
States revolling the prior prOclamations of
President Arthur, under which we in good
faith have made our homes Oh the public
lands formerly comprised in the Winnie
bago and the Crow Greek reservations. by
which recent proclamation of the president
we are ordered to leave our homes and
abandon our houses, lands, and growing
crops to handful of savages at Fort
Thompson; we the settlers of the reserva-
ton contiguous to Pierre hold a mass meet
ing, and by our executive committee send
this address: First, we admonish you to
remain on your claims, as we have firmly
determined to stand for and
DEFEND OUR LAWFUL RIGHTS
as citizens OF the United States with all the
means in our power and to maintain the
possession of our lands by every legal
method. We have formed ourselves into an
association to be called the Winnebago and
Crow Creek Settler Rights association and
have adopted constitution and bylaws
and appointed officers. Our organization
contemplates auxiliary associations all
over the reservation; therefore we ask YOU
to hold meetings on Saturday, April 26. at
Canning, Blunt, Harold, Highman, Cham
berlain; Kimball, Plankinton, Mitchell and
other interested places. Hold these meet
ingS at 2 p. m. and
ORGANIZE YOUR SETTLERS
into auxiliary societies, elect officers and
one member of the executive committee for
| each society, A meeting of the executive
committee chosen is hereby called to meet
at Pierre on the I'd day of May at 10
o'clock a. m. We believe we have rights
that can be defended, both before the courts
and the public opinion of the nation, and
shall not submit to the barbarous order of
the president without struggle, and we
! call on all friends and all settlers on these
lands to cooperate with us to this end
We need funds, and ask contributions
and each society formed should collect and
forward to E. B. Palmer, treasurer of
Hughes county, who has been chosen treas
urer of the association, 81 for each
member or settler. Let us stand together
for our rights, for our homes. We went
upon these lands under the most solemn
sanction of the law and by virtue of the
express invitation of the chief executive of
this great nation. We have dug and delved,
we have plowed and planted, and built; we
have fully complied with every requirement
of the law on our part and now the chief
officer of the nation,
MAKING US NO RECOMPENsE,
commands us like band of felOns to aban-
don our homes, to forsake the growing crops
that we have planted against the need of
another winter. If this is Ireland and the
down-trodden tenantry let us know it; if it
is Russia, and we are serfs and Israelites,
let us know that. If we are Americans,
and there is law to forbid this outrage, let
us invoke it and wage the conflict to the end
Remain on your lands and we will report to
you any progress that we may make, and
should it unhappily appear that there is no
redress for the great wrong contemplated
we will let you know that fact as soon as it
appears. By order of the executive COM
mittee.
JOHN SUTHERLAND, Pr
III. e. DEWEY, Secretary.