The New York Herald Newspaper, October 16, 1853, Page 8

AFFAIRS IN MINNESOTA. Treaty with the Winnebago Indians. THEIR PECULIAR ELOQUENCE IN COUNCIL. SPEECHES OF GOV. GORMAN AND THE LEADING CHIEFS 4 GOOD BARGAIN FOR THE WHITES, Ke, dem de. Correspondence of the New York Herald. Waras, Bunron County, Miynesora, } | August, 1353. i) | Knowing that the Hexaup is what may properly | be called a “public newspaper,” as it contains in formation from al] parts of the world, I thought you wight like to receive a word from these parts. This ig a delightful country, aud I am sorry it is so little known to the inhabitants of the States; however, we receive visits from New Yorkers now and then, and the people are always glad to seetbem. Last June, Governcr Gorman held a council with the Caippewas sud Winvebagoes in relation to giving np some young men, who shot last spring two Chippewas, who had neatly two years ago killed two Winneragoes. On that occasion the Governor was attended by several ladie_ and gentlemen from the East, viz.:—Mr. Joseph Oakes, of the firm of W. H. Cary & Co., of New York city, and his lady; Mrs. Coe and Mrs. Hamilton, of Bufalo; Messrs. E. Flagg and M. R. | Bhipman, of Yonkers, N. Y., and mauy others from different parts of the United States, besides the celebrated Dr. Hall, physician to the Queen of Great Britain, his wife and son. Mr. and Mrs. Oakes had | been upwards of four months oa their travels, and baad | visited many places in that time, and they declared | that their trip to this far off section of Uncle Sam’s | domain, one hundred miles by water above the Fa'ls | of St. Anthony, wasthe most pleasant part of their | whole tour. Most people thuik it a great wonder if | they get as far as the Falls of St. Anthony, bat here | was 4 party that had ascended the great river one | handred miles fur-ber, and a nore gratified party you | never yet have seen I reckon. Nuabant, Newport, Saratoga, Rockaway, Cape May, | Niagara, and all the fashionable watering places of a Willipgress t accommodate you in regard to the | fore we cannot give you so mnch there as here. I the East, dwindle into niter insignificance when compared with the Upper Mississippi, for recreation, and I am glad the inhabitants of the States bave be- gun to find if ont. It isthoaghs by some that in this hyperborean reyion there is nothiug to be seen but rocks and trees, wild Indians, and now and thea a bear or a wolf, a mud turtle, or a fish hawk, but it isa great mistake. Fine farins exist an the banks of the Mississippi, hundreds of miles north of this, on which all the productions of the Western and Worthern States grow to perfection and ia great abundance. But enough of this. I will give you Bome account of it at a future time. The treaty with the Winnebagoes was what I commenced on, and that shal! be my topic now. I had intended to send you a full report of the matter 83 so0n we the business was concluded, so that the first news the Great Father at Washington might have of the negotiation should be through the co- Jomns of the Hexatp, as is often the case in such matters; but directly aiter that I commenced to break prairie, and turn up the primeval sod for cul- tivation uext spring; and owiog to the scarcity of men, it being harvest time, I was obliged to hold the plough myself, That is one reason why I am so late. Lhope, however, you will receive my commanica- tion as a matter of record, if not of news. ‘The Winnebagces now occupy a tract on the west bank of tre Mississippi, between Watab and Crow Wing rivers, contaiving about 900,000 acres of as good laud as there is in the world for all parposes, This tract they desired to exchange for one more waited to their wants and mode of living, (roaming and hurting.) and so abvat two years age they made @ proposition to the geueral government to that effect, which proposition bas been lyiag dor- mant till this time, when the workmen of the new administration took it up, and put it through. Speakiag of working men, this Go- vernor German is a thorough going one of the real Hickcry order; and you may tell the Great Father at Washington that he could not have found a@ man better fitted for the station if he nad searsbed @ yeor for que. The Tudians ail fear avd respect him, becau-e he treats them as Indians ought to be treat- ed. When be gives them his word thut he will, or will not, doa thing, they depend on itt» the letter; and when he issues an order they dare not go beyond i. Atthe same time he treats them witu miidasss and good nature, and they read in him the man they can put faita ia. They can find no week spot in him, and therefore they seek not to take the advan- a of him. ‘ : hen he came to act in the capacity of Go- vernor the Winnebagoes called on him, and told bim * -— lone they had been waiting for the action of the a “"-hingyon, aud +o he went to wor bead men” at wor _ a work for them. Hie instructions from w=. 23tn were to allow the Winnebagoes for their Jand :— j Ist. A country not exceeding five hundred thou- send acres on the bead waters of Crow river, not ap roaching nearer than twenty five miles of the Mis- sissippi. (No change in present tregties.) If that did not suit them, tuen ; 2d. A country betweea Sank and w rivers, not excecding five hundred thousand acres, vot nearer than twenty-five miles of the Mississippi. (No change, &c.) ? a 3d. Lastly, an extension of their country to Sauk | river, (about five miles down,) aud @ limitation of py the Indians, especiaily that part concerning remu | thet stoall number Justed. That's ove reason, The neration for improvements made, whi’h tuey uuder- i de remarked at Sauk Rapids that the Sacs and stood to mean an equal divis their Lervetual anne te fifty years from th a jer the treaty of 1837, date of this treaty, with the them to Gen. Fletcher avd myself. You have made | treaties enough by this time to koow how to « | yourfelves. to listen to the advice of others and not my-elf, let it me krow it, aud I will go home. I have told your } male. old meu often enougt that fam nots child, aud will not submit to any outside iv fluences. guard the Indisns against the advice of the traders, who were very plenty around, operatin what I mean’ tive.) have mage. When you council among zour-elves, | apd the opportunities C7 seiting We will now aéjourn, and to-morrow endeavor to do some business. rf arorette in front, in the centre ot which was an | enormous bear's claw; around his neck | quavtity of wampum, and with Mase exnartions was stark nakea to his ups Around his hips wus | drawn bis dlanket, woich he held in bis left hand. | Capt. Jim bad ou # large quantity of fur.and broad. | cloth aud ® most tremendous grey wolf skin fora chak. This chief was a most prominent warrior in the Black Hawk trouble and fou; ht through the whole of t. He is now erzhty years of age, is short and deavy built, and is called by the woitemen the Falst.ff of the trire. He is full of fan and jokes, | thongh he does not speak English, and is as nimble | asacat. Everybody hikes Capt. Jim. The rest of | the chiefs bad nothing on to distinguish them from other Indians. The word * bo,” which you see in- | terspersed through the speeches, is an interjection of various meaning. It iv used for applanse, for admi- rat‘on, aud as an expression of gratitude. If you give a Winnehago sowething which he wants, he will say * ho!” It bas @ sound between ‘ ho” and “how,” bot rather wore like “ how.” The tongue | they s:eak i: so barren that they are obliged to make | one word answer many purpo-es. | Governor Gouman surveyed the scene before him | for a minute or two, and then proceeded to address | them in the following words: — | “Within six days after I assumed my duties as Go- | vernor of this territory, several chiefs of the Wiave- bago tribe came to St. Paul to hold a council with we. You met me at St. Paul, at my office, and desired me to write to your Great Father to ask per | mission to exchange your present country for a | home on Crow river. I told you that I would so | write, aud receive an answer io thirty days. I did | write, and he sent me an answer. In that answer | he said he was willing to exchange for some point | to be fixea upon on Crow river. This letter, his re- ply, I showed you at Rum river, when I held a | gourcil there with you. I told you also, that when I got to St. Paul, I should, probably, get authority to | hold a treaty with you. I did find such reply at St. Paul on my return, authorizing your ageut, General Fletcher, aud myself to hold a treaty with you. [ | afurwards suggested to you that you send some of your cbie’s to make an examination of the country to which you wanted to be removed. Yon did send a delegation. Since they returned I have received another letter from your Great Father st Washington. Lalso sent the three propositions made by you at Rom river, snd this is the reply. (Reads the letter). Your first proposition was:—That you be-permitted to locate below, aud adjoining the Sioux reserva: | tion. 2d That you be permitted to locate in the Sioux reservation. 3d. it you be permitted to | have @ home ou Crow river. The country em- braced in those three propositions lies between Crow river and the lowa lines. I have received a reply to yeur propositions, which is in this letter. | (Reads loiter cated July 19th, stating that the first | and second propositions were rejected, but the third | would be agreed tu) In another letter they express | exchange. They further suggest that should you | choose, you can have the limits of your p country as farsou'h a8 Sack river. Should yo «see tit to go to Crow river, it would be asimple exchange of country; should you choose to remain where you are, | the country to Sauk rver will be given to you. Under | these jnstruCtious from government, General Pletcher | and myself are here to council with you to-day. I | buve received information algo that the Stockbridge | tri-€ ot Indians are to he located io the vicinity of | Crow river. There are only three bundred aud fifty | or four hunéred of them, and they are geuerally , faimers aod have the customs of white men. They | are drawing aunuities and wil d> so for fifty years tocome. I want you distinctly to understand shut | in the event of an exctange of country you are to | remove i ourselves with no expense to the govern- | me:t. It is no advantage to the government for you | to take the couvtry on Crow river. That country is | @ much better ove than tue couvtry you are now oc- | cupy ng. All these gouncils have beea got up at your yequest, and this is called at your request | al‘o, You bave bad 4 long time to think of this, and Lhope you will net detain us here long. Your Great Pather, usually, when be wants your land, comes and | asks yon for it, but this time yoa ask him. You say that your country does not suit you, and that you | cannot be kapvy where you are. | The head chef of the trise, Wsr-No-sHrer, then | esked the Governor how many days he would devote | to this council, and was answered:—‘The reuainder | of the week, which is fuur cays, counticg to-day. | Weeso-shirk then said :— Father, ufter we | Rum river we came up to this place, and the chiets have not wet together since; and Consequently we hare had no time to hold councii on the sunject. We would lite to have ume t) consvlt among ¢ Y We canuo’ talk understavdingly to-day. [1 ve were all belore you now #e wight give you dilfi- et We want time, father, to council amen, selves, and (hen probably we shall all be of ove opimon. one need be dexived, no one can, no one willbe They made ime very much ashamed; one of Gov Gowan n replied :—We will give you | deveived. There is no money to be asked of you,and them made me také a quill and hold it. That time bot list council must be amongst yourseives | your Great Father d xyectto gaiu auythiag lend was my own; but it is not now. This time | exclusively. 1 have nothing to give you. {| ty chug Af it will please you we will do they have Iniied ene of my horses, and I shonid | can here at your request. You oc now | it; but we canw o wore than we are instructed to like to know what you we going to do abont it, Bo and ask for our land aud wish to give yours | by your Great Patber. 1 want you to beariu mind,in | far as changing liud isco: cerned, I am of the sans | in payment. This is your treaty—net ours. | your sepirate conccils tomorrow, that we waui the | mind. I sould be glas to go. Wh on have to say, T want you to say among | right oi way t rough avy lauds you may occupy, for Carraix Jix—(Drested in cloth aod far enough yoursel J want you t» uvderstand that you must | a reilecad to the West. ‘1 want you to distinctly un- | to crush a»: man, with a tremendoas wolf skin not council wits avybocy elke than the commisivu- ers and interpreters. Whatever provositions you re- j Suuple iight of way. I need not explain to you | bis mouth)—Fatter, I want the country ceive (rom aby ove you must tell me; nor mist any | wat a saliroad is. in view of the fact that the cities k bas des 4 formy hunting ground. I am papers be signed by you without fir-t submitting | below are inciencirg eo fa-t that one acre of land accountable for all this trouble. Prophet is the dact Whenever you come to the con (This was to (Loud cries of * Ho! ho!” affirma- One word in regard to the improvements you remember that the Great Father directs attention to | the availability of disposing of your improvements, them to advantage. | Th your councils you should have some regard to the | more at the end of that time. (Mr. Lowry then ex- , intérests of such’ of your numoer as bave made im- | plaired the whcle matter to them, bat still they could provements by themrel es. At all events the im- rovements will, if disposed of, go to your benefit. | Governor Gexman again took the stand, and i te Ho. ") Some rv of you Bs Long Prairi have | said—The advantage to your Great Father have nothing to say to the other chiefs. Whatever I built houses, and itis my opinion that they should is this:—For the next ‘fifty years you re- Bbave to say, J say in a straight forward manner, aud themselves have the benefit of theirlabor. (‘Ho!”) | ceive ninety-eight thousand do!'ars per annum. talk straight. I do not claim any right to blame the This address was listened to with great attention m among all the | exongh in the orein: up the Mississippi, and the further you go down that | Way the s asion | H the annuities to fifty years, that it shall be a condi- tion to this exchange of Jands; butit you have an: objection for them- | any objections exist that will not bein the way of farm on the banks of Crow river. @elves, like ren you bave seen in Washington and | giving you that country for this. Your Great Father Albany.) You have no other agent in this territory | would prefer to limit them to fifty years, but we do than Gen. Fletcher and myseit. Do you understand | not ack it of you as a condition.’ If there is now any wreng impression—if any of the chiefs do not comprehend my meaning, I will explain to-night. | of you are destreyed—your Great Father would not b like to pay that same amount every year as long as country. If we hadall left, 1 had thought to save changed. We liked the Crow river conntry better | posed to the tre: and that they were well enoagh | shan any other, and we asked our Great Father for it. eae” v We do not wich to be excluded from its mouth We Govexxon—The department at Washi has wrote to cur Great Father that there was a country orders heretofore that no payment should be issued south of Minnescta river thot we would like to have, | made to Indians in money, goods, or provisions, un- but he answered that we could not have it, Our | less remained in their own country. You pro proposition to-day ia. that we have the Crow river | fees to be satisfied with your present location, and cour try; and we wish the Great Father to give us the | no payment will be made to you in your new coun- land between Savk and Crow rivers. We writ no | try ouless you are there to receive it. It will not reserve between us and the Mississippi, aor any | be made to’you anywhere else, depend upon it. We white rettlers, .,. | Want you to understand that your ation is to be Afver utt: ring this modest wish with a agree | final, and that it must satisty a majority of yo. of +n unadulter ted child of the forest, he ret | You asked yesterday for a home between Sauk and The next man to speak jwas Gov. Gorman, who | Crow rivers, and ycu shall have it; but in that case, eaid:—Your Great Father at Washington, in listeping | under no circumstances can the eastern boundary 1o your communivations, bas been filled with a desire | come nearer the Mis-issippi than twenty-five miles. to gratify and make you happy. “Wher I first wrote, | The council then adjourned to diuzer. The chiefs at the request of the chiefs at St. Paul, I stated that | were a little more prompt in getting together in the you wanted a home on Crow river. I did not say | afternoon and one of them was prepared to com- that you wanted to go bigh np or down tothe | mence business with a speech, of which the follow- mouth of the river. Your Great Father did not | ing is the substance:— celey # single day in answering my letter; but | Paw-sep-rox-Kaw said—Father, onr late Fathar the reply I received directed that the line should not | was removed last spring, and when I heard of our come Learer to the Mississippi than twenty-five | new Father thought of elief. I went to see our miles. He gave as @ reason for not coming vearer, | new Fatber six days after his arrival, and when I that the Stockbridges were to have seventy-two | bad seen him snd heard his words my hopes were rections, a district sx miles broad by twelve long, | confirmed. 1 kuew he would take ityon us. Since on the Mississippi or Minnesota rivers. They would | the memory of our oldest men we Tare always been be good and peaceable neighbors, and you will find | willing to listen to the words of our Great Father. them so. But we did not come here to tell you what we wasted you to do. We are willing to gratify you in any reasonable request which is not contrary tothe | instructions of yourGreat Father. Weare instructed to say that we cannot give you more than five hun- | dred thougand acres of lard. You will bear in | mind that as you go nearer to the Mississippi, and ovr large cities, the land will be much more valuable to you. You understand very well the value of land —you have made treaties enough to know it. By | Even our red brethren (the Chippewas,) who have, | in anger. taken some of our flesh and blood, we have made peace with, and have listened to them, and shall we not listen to the words of our Great Father? Father, I have always done what I thought for the ; good of my tribe. Even when a boy [ never was | guilty of foolish deeds, and I am foo old a bey now | todo anything in haste. This exchange of lands | was my idea. It was my wish to move our peonle | back a step. I am ible for all this trouble. this time next year there will be several steamboats | Before moving in this matter I spoke to Little Hill rupning by the mouth of Crow river. If you take | ard others. They objected aud said I should be up a home near white settlements, we be com- | stopped. We thank our Great Father, and think it pelled to give you double the price for your lands that we now do. If you make your home on the head of Crow river, the land would soon become valuable, on account of settlements increasing 80 fast. One acre of land within a mile of St. Saal would be worth five hundred of that you now occupy. L tell you this to show you that the more you go down that way, the more valuable will be your land when you want to sell it. You bave 800,000 acres here—if I w@re to give you the same number of acres duwn there. it would be worth double as much as this land. bo fur as this talk has goue, I desire you to Lave another talk among yourselves, and con- sider ali the particulars of the treaty. We want to reserva therightof way from the Mississippi to the | avific ocean. [tis the expectation of the Great Father The Governor, getting weary of long speeches, that the next Congress will order a railroad to the | and sishing to know how the chiefs stood affected Recky Mountains across the head waters ot Crow | concerning Crow river, asked—Who else wants to river, avd if you yo below your present ground the , exchange? railroad will give great value to that land. There.| After ashert pause, Lirrie Hini came forth, squared himself, and said :-—Father, I have afew have no doubt that the oldest man here will live long | words to ssy to you. Yousee me looking like the ry course of vature to see that | other Winnebaroes, but [ am not equal to thera. country settled and fisished. I say this to convince _ You are uvt tue first Father the chiefs have heard me you that we cannot yive you so much land thee as speak to. T bave tslked to our Great Father, at his | here. Seme day your Great Father msy wish to house in the far-off city. Whas f have tosay I say | bey of you whet Jands you bave; and there is before the chiels present. In tinea past, our Great av other thing, it is this: Jf bas beeu aud is now the herremoved andexchanged chiefs at his pleasare, poly of the Great Father to limit aunoities to fifty Father, 1 am not master of the other chiefs. If I Jeors; and after the fiiy years have expirea to stop should tell you we would all take our money on Crow theanpuities or to pay the principal at the end of river it would not be the truth. Isee some of y filty years, ard continue the annuities, as he pleases. | brethren are writing dowa our words, and I suppose Skould the Winnebagoes exist as they now are, no you want us to tell the truth. Ihave no more te doubt the Great Father would conseut to continue | say. (He though’ probably tbat they would not all | the annuities forever. You need have no fear be there in time of paymgnt to receive a that your Great Father does not intend fo take care! © WaeE-NO-SHK remarked :—Father, I have not | of you in sll after time. While you remain at peace changed my mindsince yesterday. [ want the coun. with the United States and with all around you, yoa | try sround the forks of Crow river, and the prairies need have no fear that your Great Father will not | néar it. continue the annuities as jong as any of you live. I Bic Canoe, a poor old half-breed chief, upwards Want you, when you go from here, not to forget— of ninety years of age, and neasly blind, said :— and I now repeat it to you, that this council was | Father, in the councils of the Winnebagoes I am of called at your request. I expected, from the long small account. J am not one of them. Lama white, notice | have given you, to find you all prepared and — but have lived so long among the Indians that my of one mind. It doesnot benefit your Great Father skin is as you sce it now. I have not lost my heart; to exchange lands—he does it to please you. Iwaut but some time ago lost my bat, and since then | | to show you ancther reason why we canuot give you have lived among the Indiuns. When [ got thus far so much land there as here; and itis this: {1 will not . into this country, I did not want to go furthg, We cust you so much to get up your govds, provisions eft suany people on the road when we went to Long and money es it does now. Ri f80 much more asit Prvirie. am sorry there has been any division costs you how to get them, s0 much more money among ourselves on’ this snbject. The Crow river will you get. I want to make a correction. Tne country is the land I want to huntin. I will go. policy was once acopted, but is now changed. The Livtie Hini—Fa‘her Rogue and Little Thunder government pays the transportation, I make the have requested me to tell you their minds. They are correction because | do not want you to be deceived. two of tre chiefs seldom beard in council—one a land ‘There is another advautage—all your goods come chief, the other not. Our Great Father has taken nity on us, and we are glad to accept the offer you 7 have ade. We will go to the forks of Crow river. Givision on the- subject of your avnuities OLD Frexcumax—Vatier, my voice is seldom being contioued tor fitty years. In my judgment it besrdin council. My mind is different. [have a does not weigh a feather whether they are coutinued read of my own. You shall hear what I am going to ornot. This treaty is of such a character that no do. Yvur land chieis below gave me a piece of land. | a mark of especial kindness in him to allow us to take a step backwards. I suppose our Great Father has never allowed the Indian tribes to move a step | backwards (:. e. towards the white settlements). He is willing, however, to move us one hundred miles to Crow river, where I am going to live. Iam going to ‘bat country if I can get it—to that Crow River country, with all the Indians that will go with me. Ido not mean that I will go beyond the bofmdary prescribed; but’{ want to go if I should go alone. I ope, father, you will not think it on account of trouble with my had neighbors (the Chippewas). We thought to go some time since. I never tried ties country much, but I like it well, and want to go ee ner Will you get them. You may have en hat it will be one mile ov each side—the ever the whole as @ cloak, and a very short mee in Weeno- ow re is worth a great many here, I want to } res your minds that we cannot give you so , ub (here es here. ‘This is according to the instrne- ors of yor Great Father. Ihave another remark to We do not intend, by saying we would liait, mav who set it on foot, and if he goes to Crow river ard takes all Lis daughters, 1 shal have to go too, (Great !auybter.) Goop 'Truxpr r—Father, the Crow river country sballbe my hontiag ground. I want to go to the land Wee-vo-shick has descr.bed to you. Littrir Dec (An old fchief)—Father, Iam almcest done running. 1 want a chance to make a staie them at the proper time, so thet Big Bran—Father, I will tell you what I mean to do. I asked a favor of the chiefs, and they denied it tome. I shall go by myself. I will live on Sauk river. I will sign no treaty! Cono-na-ra-KAW—Father, when I came down WrENOSMEK remarked—Father, we would like | here, I did not expect to agree to a treaty. 1 amnot to have you exprain Why our Great Father wishes to | going to leave this country, Father. Ido not wish to limit the annuities.) eave it now. I wishto make some disposition of Govrrxon—Yeu would—the whole of you—get my land, (be isa farmer,) that is all. will not Hee any ay. yurrime THcxper—Father, I am in favor of it.) going to the Crow river country, and will go. Barviste Lasserien—(A_half-breed)—I'ather, I bot understan Suppose you get into a war and all but one hundred chiefs for giving away our lands. 1 will tel! you my pind. 1 knew our Great Father would want this this country for him, or to sellit. The chiefs who own this land, offer to give it. awsy. I[ am very sorry that instead of selling it they are Poses were warsed that if they continuedjtheirwars right of way for a railroad ‘o the Pacific ocean,oray members of the tribe Tere was, however, a large they would be blown away like the aches of a pipe. throw ing it away. Thear @littie more thau the | pe al railroad that the government of tue United party un the farther end of the council hone engaged ore that shoul ih Te to the Winnebagoes, or chiefs, (be speaks English). The railri | Btaies may authorize to be tructed. plying cards on the grass, whore attention goth; he Gress it should send the cholera | will make the Jand valuable. Our ¢ | | The propositions of che Indians will -be found io the Govern r's opening speech tothem. This tribe numbers sbout fiitcen buidred in all, and they re ceive from government nety-six thousand dollars, to wit: $45 0 009in goods; $10,060 in provisions, and 315,000 in improvements, such ss farming, black-mithing, schools, physicians, &e., &e.; | the interest of $55,000 at five per cent, ($4,250,) which is to be paid w them annuully according to a treaty made with them in 143. They lave two physicians, two blacksmiths, wo head farmers, schoolmasters, &c., all white men, and there are broken aud uyder cultivation f rtaem about four bundred acres of land. If they were dis nosed to work they mizht make a paradise of the wtiful prairie they ocoupy; but no, Mr Wianeba- go chooses rather to joaf about up aad down the ri- ver, bunting some, and spending mouey a great desl, than to “put his nand to the plough” or to the axe, or any other useful implewent, except bis gun, knite, fish «pear, or fox trap; and so aothing is Gone on the farms ¢: wt by the white men appvinted for that pUrpore. There are two exceptions, however, vig: | uptiste Lasselier, a half-breed chief, lives ia @ house | like a white man. and cultivates the earth, and has | avery fine place. Co-no-ha-ta-xaw, another chief,also | tills the ground and feels proud of his occapation. ‘The 3dof Angust was the day appointed for the | treaty, ond on their ground, opposite the village of Watub, eighty miles by land above St. Paul, was built 4 shed forthe purpose. On the part of the Uni- ted States, there were Hon. W. A. Gorman, Governor of the Teiritory, and J. B. Fletcher, agent of the tribe, Commistioners; J. T. Rosser, Secretary of the Territory; J.C. Dow, Secretary to the Commission: era; 5S. B. , Interpreter to the Commissioners, and Peter Monaig, Interpreter to the Agent. Onthe rt of the Winnebagoes, there were present—I give ir names in English too—the following chiefs: — Waw kon-chaw-koo kaw.... {Thunder Come; (Wee no. hick, #0 called.) Bho-go-nick-kaw vee Little Hill, Wateh-ha-ta-kaw. Big Canoe, (90 years old.) Prophet His father’s name, Big bear. Little Decovrt. The Big First Son. Captain Jim, (80 years.) Good Thunder. Yellow Thunder. 1 goule attract, except a cry of “ whiskey” or “by: | time is valuable. THE SECOND DAY. The chiefs, head men, and braves, were on the ground about two hours after the commissioners got there, and took their seats on the grass io front of | and facing them, all lookiag very wise, and e sch ove bearing the appesrance of being fallof words which he was anxious to “let off’ as soon as possible, that their young father the Governor, might see bow elo quent they were. There was a movement in their midst, and then ame forward their head chief. Wreso-Saie® said—Father, I suppose you ex- | ect to hear from us fbis afternoou. The Great Spirit, who is now locking down upon us, and who | made the whit? man aud the red main, made the white man to be our masters. He placed us bere « this earth where we could not speak to him. He made us inferior to the white man. Iu making us acd placing us here, so far from him, the Great Spirit knew aud foresaw what we were to undervo, and what we are now undergoing on eaiti. He! foresaw our troubles and provided forthem. He hits en us a father to take care of us. The eyes ot one ole Great Father at Washington extends over this land, and his arms reach all around it He has lected you as his representative, has sent you here to talk to us in his place. In talking to you we think we are talking to him, and that our words will | not fail lightly on your edz; but that our request will be granted. When you first came here to be our father, our chiefs went to see you about a matter in which we were all interested. On their way home they received their annuity. You made the chiefs and young men glad by granting their first request. You told the chiefs yoa would | be a father who would grant all their reasonable re- | quests. J mention this merely to let you know that | we are thankfal for it. (Ho! ag) Father, you | have heard the chiefs say that the land we live on | now is good for nothiog to us—the animals we eat and subsist on are not here. We are glad our Great Father is willing to exchange with us. We should | be more pleasea if he placed ro barrier between us | and the re We know, Father, that your | e are not the only children! you have to tuke care of. There are the Chippe as above, and the Sioux below. The chiefs wish you | to place no lines between us and the great river. Whirling Thunder. Rogue, Little Thunder. | The Big Second Son, | Waw-kon-chaw-kee-we-kaw. Waw-maw-noo-ks -kaw.....+ Waw kon-chaw ho-no-kaw.. Ha-naw-ha-ta-kaw, . | Shaw. waw hop-in-a-kaw.... Old Frenchman. | Ka-ho-rank kaw. . . Red Legs. | Of head men and braves there were many, and of | white men a grea'er number. You will perveive that there ie a gre st fancy for thanders amoug thee Indians. I am not sequainted with the names of ‘he “ common people” of the tribe, but I dare say there are some among them whose names are Loud Than- der, Big Thunder, Dietent Thander, Homemade Thunder, Rolling Thouder, and Thunder and Mare; which would make nearly a full assortment. Each rame, as you see, terminutes with kaw, which means nothing, Apt is used merely to finish off the word; 4s a shoemaker, for instance. gives hia work a few raps with his hammer after it is completed. | Wee-noshiek, the head chief the tribe, had on a bead dress consisting of eagle plumes and fur with To-morrow you sha!l hear from us om your three pro- | positions. After shaking hands with the Commissioners, he sat down. The floor, or rather the turf, was next taken by Sno-co-nick, (Little Hill,) who spoke as followa:— | My father, you heard my mind on this saxject, as far as I om concerned, six days after you came to take care of us. I have not changed it. We had hoped that our Great Father would consider that the Winnevagoes had been more obedient than his other children. We tld yon that we did not zo to the | Crow river country ‘of our own accord. We told | you the cause of our troubles. We wrote the facts to | oor late Great Father, that the land we now occupy | had not the animals we were accustomed to eat, nor the vegetables. We wrote these things two years After our late agent left us we stated the mat- ter to our Great Father, but did not hear from him until you came tous. Father, our miads are not ame part them ard kill them all off but two or three | eyes will soon he upon it, if not elready. Yesterday | men, or your numbers # il be growing lesa, and lesa, | me good bye. chiefs and thei families? Don’t you see that, | you argued that this land was not worth 30 mach 48 | if the present annuities were paid to those tbat below. Does notour Patier know that the land very few persous, they would receive a great deal we row live on will in two or three years be worth mote than they have need of, and as much as fifteen mere then that? Pather, yon said yesterday we hundred of you receive now? Do yon toink that if should secure cach other. [had hoped to keep this ooly one Indiap were lett, your great Father oughtto land until our Great Father wanted it, and Lam sorry give him os much every year as sou ail receive now? the chiefs want to throw it away. You have seen You do not kvow what is to happen under the orders some of our timber. 1 speak of itasa white man, of the Great Spirit in fifty years. Such athing might not as a brave ora hunter, The chiefs have decided be—some tribes have been veduced from thousands to to make a road. Perhaps after they have made it I hur dreds in a very suort time by war acd disease. sbali go in 4 road by myrelf. ( 3aptiste is a farmer, You must adopt some of the customs of the white and did not wisn to leave his house and lands.) This ended the speechraaking for this day, and as a large mojority had decided in favor of going to Crow river, uly four cut of sixteen objecting to & treaty, the Governor announced that he would draw up the cocument and submit it to tuem ia the mora- ing. ‘the Council then adjourned until and less every year. (Toese remark cansed a won- derfu) deal of vacent stares ainongst the red republi- cans, a8 thongh each was trying to see which of the others would die first. Lhe Governor seeing this, dropped the subject, and sarned their attention from things spiritual to things temporal, by saying):—{ | want you to meet me in the morning, soon after I h ill gi fat beef t THB FOURTH Day. breakfast, when we vill give you a good fat ef to a Kil (Loud eries of ¢ hot ho! from all the red uns; _ This was. heavy day, as the principal part of i even the gambling party forget their cards, and join | Was consumed by the chiefs in making speeches on “in fall ery.”) | subjects foreign to the matter ‘before the house.” Livri® Hint arswered :—Father, w* are glad ‘to | Governor Goasan opened the business by saying hesr you speak of the beef; bat you spoke of your a 5 . A prealvest, and I hope you do ak iniend 4o eat it | We tola you last night thatin the morning we alone. (Ibis was a pretty broad hint for the Governor | would have a treaty to read to you. We will now to invite the chiefs to bieak their fast with him, bat | explain. as be could not make thers comprebend ‘Gorman on | The treaty was then read to them, when, for fear Anz uities,” be was determined not to understand | be would not bave another opportunity to make a “Sho go-nisk on fast-breaking,” and 80 no invitation | speech, up rose old 5 was oxtended ) | Wre-no-suikk— Father, you have shown us ae The council then adjourned until next day. per—let us now show you ove. Above us, we under- THIRD DAY. stand, there are ten beings naked like ourselves. After the Commissioners had waited something | Qt" Maker placed us vireatee tive bg A ie more than three hours for the chiefs to assemble, the per, 80 that when we held a talk among ourselves Governor, thinking they were holding a morning con, | bat mane not ae He vitae te vat Ne i which, when spread ont, cove! whole earth, an sultation during all that time, asked them if they had | as tounees 1a by the ocean iteelt, Ho gave vs held council among themselves since yesterday, and | snother paper whiter than the one you have. We the answer was ‘No. Each one, it was supposed, | seeit at night. The Winnebagoes were first placed had been preparing himself for a speech, and asto | on the Yellow Banks, (in Ri a Our fore- consulting or thinking on the matter, all that was | B done while the treaty was being holden. fathers marched round the Yeilow Banks, with tomehawks in their bands, aud the Great Spirit The firstone to epeak this day was Governor Gor: MAN, Who observed:—I thought yon had ail gone to toade the ground sacred to us. When they left there Crow river, you were so late in getting here; but I | they came toa big lake, and lit their council fires there. One portion of them came farther wastward thought it strange you should leave without bidding | Tam going home if you bave no busi- and lit their fires. Then, all the red men around them ness for me to attend to. Tlike to get along plea- were their cuemies. The old men, after a while, got weary of their wars, and came to another great lake. A band of them kept on still further west to the santly, but I will not be detained here another week. Have you held a consultation since we adjourned last evening? Missouri river, where they were attacked by a dis- ease, and many of them sweptaway. The survivors A.—No! and great laughter among the chiefs and braves. returned to the cone! fires of their fathers. The tribe then collected in the neighborhood of Fort Goverxorn—We will give you the forks of Crow river, without regard to the annnities; but the annn- Winnebago, where they lived and flourished. Thea ities will only be paid to those who live there. You a smal band went and located on Rock river, and after that another band camped upon the Missis- will bave a home on Crow river and receive your an- nui:ies, but no Indian shall receive anything unless sippiriver. Onr lines then extended from the Mis- be lives there. Or youshall have the country be- sissippi to Rock river. Soon after this they got into troubl e by killing one of your rg The chiefs of tween Sauk and Crow rivers, but none lying within twenty-five miles of the Sg Here ia tho our tribe then went to where our Great Father sat to map for you to see. (He then called Wee-no shiek settle the effair. They heard his words, and thought they were sacred. Our Great Father told the chicfs that he would give them back yess oan men who and explained ) had committed the murder, and told them they had Bio Bear then occupied some time in addressing something shining in their land which be wanted. bis brethren on the subject, stating that he wasop- [Tbis was the lead mines in Ilinois—Raronren.) Our chiefs told the Great Father that their land was eacred, and that must not part with it. Our Great then said he would send them out a sacrifice. He sald he would send us something use- ful—guns, ammunition, money, blankets, provision’. ‘The next spring be sent them some goods, and in the fall he sent them some money. The Great Father | key, Tian, 00 opened a paper before them like this, but in a house | is ‘n jail forthat. When 1 , Father, different trom the one we are now talking in. When | Chippewas bad not rulfilied their promise, you still now the son of one of our chiefs is cur young men, whose heart was covered with whis- truck wito s weapon an old white that peper was opened, Father, we think a little bird | inust bave lit upon it, because after it was closed we | found that some of the money--some sual! eoty— was fuissing. Scme apical, alto, must have Crawled under the sack and gnawed a hole in it, as some of the money bas since leaked oat of it? (Tais chief epesks figuratively. They were entitled to ao much money by the terms of the treaty ; but the agents, by whom it was paid, cubbaged some of it. Wee-no- shiek is a regular New Testament orator, and deals more in figures than in facte.—Rer.) Father, we may often wake a feast to some spirit above. We do vot see them eat, but we presume they do. We | make a feast to the Great Spirit, and hang up deer skios in the trees, but we never see him come and take them. Father, the second time this bird few over, he took more than be did the first; the third time he took more than he did the second; and the fourth time still more thau the third. We could not complain, as it was merely a sacrifice to the Great Spint; but we thought it strange that our Great Fa- ther should allow them to take the offering which was intended for him. The fifth time we made a treaty, I kept watch and saw from behind a hand come for- ward and take three millions of money. At one pay- ment I saw with my own eyes some boxes taken off to Prairie da Chien. Now we will take a trip down the river. we went down towards Prairie du Chien, and met @ tall man, who said the Great Father was proud of the Winnebagoes, and thanked them and gave them land; that the Great Father was going to give them another piece of land on the Missiesippi, opposite Rock river, towards the Mis:ouri. On the north it should be touched by the Iowa river, and on the other side by the Missouri. For half a day’s travel to the Yellow Bavks and ten days travel north the Winnebagoes have received nothing, but have often | without one; we do not know where the money tor | expected to get something. All they have ever ob- tained of land on the west side was a narrow strip on Turkey river. The country on the west side be- lovged to the Saca and Foxes—our Great Father said it should belong us. In 1837 he marked out a new country tor us, and said his white children should live on the east side and we on the west. We found, when we came back, that we had to move twenty mi'es further, and that twenty miles we got. no pay for. | Gen. Atkinson removed us, and we thought the Great Fatber would some day pay us. Lhe Winnebazoes have always been liberal to the Great Father. When be wanted land they gave him freely. As time after time we have given him laud, we have been follo ved by white men—pcor roving men in wooden shoes, who tettled on the land we parted with. In a tev years we have seen the rame men rich—their pock ets full of money. We have given our Great Father much lard we gave him the lead mines on the east side of the great river. We hive been very liveral. The lend we gave him in 1837 was valuable for its pine timber. Father, I was once told a story by a white man, and I will tell it to you. He satd there were sixteen thousand dollars due to us on old trea ties, aud that if we went to see our Great Father we Might getit. You forget nothing; you have ears and eyes, and hands to put things down on paper. ‘The chiefs went to get the money. They heard our Great Pather suy they should receive it when they got home, aud that we should have it with our annuities. About this time the birds began to come very thi: and other little avimals from below came in flocks, and they not only carried off much money, but gouds and provisions also, They have kept on, grosmg worse and worse, till they have left 1s scarcely any- thing. Yousesthe prophet’s blanket. (Ve have bad two agen’ One gave us pieces of cards for money, whica he said were srarit ten dollars each. The money was all gone, and he gave uscards. I do not nncerstand books, bat I taink I know some- thing about them. 1 will not make auy misstate ments, 1] do not wish to tell long stories. [f I should tell you all, 1t would take a long time. [Tue forego- ing 18 concerning the smouchbing that was carried on during the late whig administration. What follows about beavers applies to Jambermen, who trespavsed on their timber lands.] Whbea Governor Ramsay came up to see us, there was a beaver who built a Louse ut the crossiag of Swan river. This beaver gnawed down the piue trees, and threw them into the water. I donotlie. Ihave not, seen any beav- ers in (his part of the country, but on Long Praine a large family of beavers settled, und took the pine trees,and threw them into Long, Prairie river. Below that there was another aver lodgs, Cumvermen’s camp.) Those beavers have all re- moved down to the big beaver dam atthe Falls, {St. Anthony Falls, where the saw-miils are —Rerovrex,j and T think they cau be found there, Is Lot the timber on this land}valuabie, and atter we leave it, will not many beavers come and seal it? You told us that when you found anything belonging to the Wisnebagees you would give ittous. We expeet the Great Father will get the money the timber we have lost, and give it tous in irnewcovnty. Father, we heard you say that y wished to retain a strip of land for a road. Wien iwes inthe ety where the Great Fatter ivcs, ! seweuch a road as you spoke of. As we re- tuned from the wigwam of our Great Father we came over that rovd, and the car ran on a big rock and killed aman. Father, we hope (you never will make such a read in our couatry. We thought you already found a place for @ road. The white men marked ore out, and we thouglt it a good one fora railroad. I do not think the couatry sround jrow river is a good one for a railroad. It should be on hard ground. You will be obliged to build bridges, and do much hard work to make your road good, if you make it there. We would rather you sheuld find some other place for your road. We want our young men, when they go hunting, to scatter all around. We thank you tor your generous offer of the land; but we do not want that trightful road to pess over it. We are afraid our young men will cut trees across it, and keep us coptinually in trouble. We are vers fond of game; but where white men go, game disappears. Even as far down ax the lower Missouri, game and butfulo were plenty; but white men came there, and the | game weut away, Youare bere in charge vot only of us, but of the Sioux and Chippewas, and all. You mark out their lands and tell tvem where to live, The Winnebagoes hearing you say you would not | deceive them, thought there were bopes of them and their childien, You stated, yesterday, that direase might come and tuke all of us away but Weeno- | thick and bis family. Immediately after the coun- cil, as though your words were those of a prophet, one of our biggest warriors fainted away, and ve thought he wos dead. I was very mach frightened; for | thought disease had already come, and that we never should see the new country to which we are roing. We had the cholera among us once, which took off macy of our women and children, You, | father, are never sick; your people never die, exce st | one at a time, Jam afraia that when we get to Crow river something terrible will happen to ua. T | am only telling you in my talk whut we fear. Thave made a long story. Little Hill will spaalk to you about ‘he iruprovements at Long Prairie. Then, ehaking bands with the commissioners, he sat dowa on the grass. Litiie Hiti—Father, [have a few words to sa: to yon now, and if you think they are right, I hope you will grant our request. I am not going tomake a long speech, 1 can task like a white man, and | tell short stories. I shull commence my tatk no far- | ther back than our Jast home on Turkey river. When | we agreed to-leave that home, we were promised a | good country in the north, Our roxd to that new | country lay through a land occupied by very dud Indians. ibe Wionebagoes take pity on all persons they find in want. When we started for that fine Lew country, we were rich in everything; our young mes owned two horses each. When we reached the Mississippi we bad to buy a road, aod it cost us nearly elt we had, horses, money and wampum, to pay tor it and come up here; and when we reached here we were obliged to give the balance-to keep peace with the Chippewas. Now that we have given them everything, they have turned an‘ are eating | us. Whe: J walked out into this country, I found nothing but the trees which the beavers eat; I foand it not fo god a land as we Kft. it is, however, uwse- Jess for meto talk aboutthis. You told us, Father, that you would refund to us the worth of the im- provements on our land. We have no borsea—they are stolen from us, and we have none as we once bad. [A lie~for nearly every man of them has a hore, avd some of them two, three, or four. ‘his is a beggivg+peech.—Rur.] What I have to ask of you | is the $1,100,000 our Great Father promised usin 1837. We are going to move to a new country, and as we have no farms there we shall be very poor. The animals Wee-no-shiek told you about are very plenty. We have no money nor provisions, except the beef you gave us “forierin G [Only a warehouse fall of flour, pork, tobacco, &c.—Rer.] We know you are a brave man, Father, and a kind one, and will grant us our request. (Ho, ho!” from the red ‘uns, by way of echo tothe blarney) It is one which you can grant if you will; and if you will we know youare bi enough to take the responsibitity of doing it. (Cries of “ho! ho!’ among the red republicans, ond expressive smiles in the faces of the white ones.) Some of cur fathers and agente have had forked hearts ard mary pockets; but we kuow that you are | not one of them. (‘Ilo,ho.’) The request T have to make is not for the chiefs, but for the women and | children, We ask you to add $50,000 to our annui- ties, that we may buy horses, for we shall be very pocr. We ¢esire that you put an article in the treaty giving us the money for our women and chil- dren. I have a wore or two miore to say in behalf of our young men. You know what allude to. When you come up we were in trouble. Two sears ago one of our young men was killed by a Chi pe wa. We waited for our Great Father to move in the matter for some time, atd then our young men took evenge on the Chippewas. We knew the Chippe- was were brave, andthat if you did not settle it there After the close of the Black Hawk war _ | man. held Us to ofr word. and I want to While our yougg men are confined in | tired of sitting there, the Chippewa who was once | ghere, is now walking abontin the air, Our | young men went to ree their brother. is a favorite with them, and ¢id cothing but amane the death of | one of our people, who was killed two years ago. | He was brave, generons, and atobitious, and whem | he } ad got his people ia trouble he surrendered him- sclt for the rest of the party. The Chippewas, I / think, must love their son much or they would give him Up. We will forgive him, Father, you will our young man yeturn, (‘ Ho! bo!’ loud and long.) Tssiute you gertlemen, I have no more to say. Thea eeatiia vanite with the commissioners he sat down. | Little Hill is the ablest of ail the chieft. He is » smali Indian—about. the size of Isaac Hill, of New. | Hampebire, in bis lifetime, and like Isaac, mighty 4 | smart, though “not seemingly so to look at, |. The nex’ orator was that celebrated old humbug, the Prorner, who began thus:—Father, I have something to say to you f. ) in regard to our matters and some things we have lost. A long time ago, when I was a yousg mao, we had three blacksmiths, and we wished to have a guue | smith bes'‘des. We have but twe blacksmiths now, and they are not very good onea, and it is seldom we con get ‘anything done; I wanted a 8: this morn- ing, but could not get ie made. smiths was present when this was said, and me Sbathe made ‘ first eary that morniog. General Fletcher, the G aseures me that two better blacksmiths sannot be found in the United States, nor has he more faithfal | or industrious mnen than those two in his » T | Mention wbis wo sbow you how these rec-skias can | Walk sound the truth—Rsp.] We are as well off | blacksmithy-4 gces ta, but we suppose it is aceordi | tothe old fashion of doing things. Oar blackainit | here (at Watab) isa good one, [having jnst discover- | edhmemong the white men.) He makes apears | distont,) is not; I am not speuk:ng of the oue here, Some of the pbysiciaas the Great Father has sent us are good men, aud have done good to vur tribe, but acme are bad. We suppored that, in comug here, ther «bject was to take care of our sick, aud some have done so, One of them «pent bis tine ia riding about, drinking, gambling, ranuing among cur young women and the Chippewa wowen. We got tired of him and drove him away. Tne next ove our Great Father ‘sent was worse than he was, He did nothing for us at all except to sleep with our women aad girls, He is a father to some of us, brotherin-law to some of us, father- in-law % some of us, aud is, in one way or another, a relative of the whele tribe. He spent his cays inidliug about, snd his nig.ts, yoo kuow how. Our milla: Long Praine was of no use to us. We wans1o mill on Crow xiver. Our late agent built tha! miil for bis own use, sad not for as. He took every :bing from us, snd left us very poor, We had agritaul and a sawwiil, which that agent used for bis own end We near be has new houses down below. He spent 2 great deal of our money; and ovr goods, we do not know what he did witu them. He went among cur girls, and spent money with them. it was a serious joke that Wee no-shiek made when be sliuded to wy blanket. It is threadbare, and alll have [A triek of the old rogue to make the movey come.— Rx Some few of my peopia got a portion of their goods. The women got no skirts, but some of them got blankets. The children of the other b-nds got two blankets each, the men got no breech-cloths nor blankets either. Two and a nests of kettiee were lost, besides other things. Iam merely teiling you what my band (abont one hun- Gred,) lostin part. They lost more than half of their goods. Mr. Culver told me they might be at the ayeney byxed up. Perbaps they are. Another toing the Great Pather urged them to have was echoots, Schools were made, and the agent put me and Lite Hill at the head of the school band. Ever since we were chiefs of the school bands we —— The Gov vinon getting tired of a story sv long and so foreign to the subject, interrupted him by say- ing:—1 want to do one thing ata time. I want to get through with this treaty. I shall stay here until gate all those affairs. Your Great Father haa ed ime todo se. When we meet again I will tell you all apout it. I will reply to Wee-no-shiek abou the railroad. It isthe best tuing for you in the treaty, and you onght to know it. I donot know that a reilroud will ever be built there, but if ore ever ix bust, 1t will be many years hence, and if it goes through the Crow river country it will be through the upper corner, That Tailroad would mabe cach acre of-yoar land worth double, and you wuld be teize as rich if the road is built; and every bedy will teli yonso. If your young men shoula scl! the land wfter yo old ones are dead, they would get twice as much for it as it ix worth now. In ten Jcars time. it the road is built, you will shake my band, ard say I told tie truth. ~ It will touch only the upper corner, but it ia doubtful if it ever will be nade. Let Wee co shiek, however, remember my words; it will Qoubie the value of his land. He will, doubtless, Kill ali the deer in that region be- (ore the railread will be fiuisved. In regard to the reserve for the Stockbridzes, it must be left for your Great Father to decide. We yield to your request to come down to the Mississippi. You wished us to do it and we did it, trusting to the Great Father to sanc« tion it. For this you are indebted to your agent, Gen. Fletcher. e is your friend, and I consented to it on his request. Your Great Father must decide the matter about the land for the Stockbridges; the: tmoust have itif hesaysso. We have segn Baptiste an Conoha-ta-kaw, and they consent to the idea of bri ing the line down to the Mississippi. So I snppose your chiefs and head men will agree. We do not in- tend that any tnrd or animal shall light on this pa- per, aud if you see one flying about of crawling un- Ger it tell me of it and I will send the soldiers after him. When you. coe to talk about the affairs of ia late agent, you must tell the trath, and if an; ittle birds bave been around we will find them out, and if any cards bave been given you we must se@ them. | suspect the cards came out of the same hole the birds did. We will im hunting for your blankets, Rone flour, and your por Now about the treaty.. ‘i ilroad carnot, omit the clause concerning the rai n certain it is fur your good. All the talk you bave given me about your blacksmiths, and other mat your agent will attend to. Your Great Fether has rent out a new agent to attend to the beaver at Loog Prairie, It is not the business of this ageot to attend tw it but that of another—a stout Your agent will show him to you, and if we can catch the beaver we wll punish him. [donot know that your Great Father would be disposed to pay you » :. We want, when we muke this treaty, all the chk fs to be perfectly satisfied. We want you wo be pleaed. If your Great Puther wanted to rua a railroad throvgh this country he would doit. All your white imends will tell you so. Your Great Father serves nis white children in the same way, apd if he want: a railroad to carry his soldiers from east to west he will hove it, if it rans through In- dan or «tite men’s land. A 1 treaties made here- after will have euch a clause inthem You have said there is more of this country from here to Long: Prairie than there is ou Crow river. Jt is too late for youtomake that compleint now. You have been two years tryiwg to ovtain this change, and you knew more about both these countries than we do. I have repeated mavy times that ve came here to please you, and we are not certain that your Great Father will be pleasea with oar efforts to please you. While 1 stay in thus territory, which will perhaps be all my life, 1 want to hearno complstuts. Your agent avd I have no interest at all in any way in making this treaty, and your Great Father has not asked you to make it. You are the ooly tribe your Great Father has ever allowed to take a steo back- wards, andin that he has dove for you what be his never done for any tribe before. Little Hill made a preposition which I will reply to. He asked us to give yon $60,000 for the first year. if we were dis- posed to grant it, and puta clause in the treaty to That effect, your Great Father would 1ejeet the waole of it. You'have made treaties enough to kuow that this one must be sanctioned by your Great Father be- fore it goes into force, and we think it would be wrong to put it into the treaty unless you exeet it to be rejected. We have s clause in it for the pur- pore benefiting you. (Colonel Lowry read the clause.) There are several thousand dollars at St Louis which can be used for your benefit the first year. General Fietorer aroce and satd:—Brothers, I have a word or two to say to you which will not de- tain you long. When you met the Governor at Ram river you stated that you wanted the details of the treaty explained to you by the Governor. Ido not complain of this—i. is all right and proper. For {bis reason you haye not heard my voice in this | council. I Rave not spoken for fear my motives | mightbe salseoaecued. Che hone eee se sioner was not of my seeking. iry to do duty in the presnines, You have been pffured fand on Crow and Bavk rivers, and I told some of your friends when they naked me that it was a splendid ofier, and that they ought to tell their children to re- member it as an act of especial kindness on the pars ef your Great Father. I told them to accept it, a3 they would have a country twice ag ee Itold Wee-no-hiek that the Commissioners had offered them that country, and advised him to take it, The | advice | gave you then, if you accept it, will make | yon $700,600 richer than you are now. If you go t> | Crow river you will be troubled by white men, and Will have to go south of the Missouri river, and tak3 A majority of you have decided to mak anythin, lvnd there. el d take the Jand’ on Crow river, and wher | & trenty are they act. I bope yen will Ve satisfied. h this exehange is made at your request, jor ite brethron do not wish to defraud or de- ceive you. After all you have said about the valus of these two eountries, you must not think it strang» would be great trouble for a long time. You did set- tle it, and now there is peace. The man who wag ! most to blame in that matter was a young chief, who that your Great Fatuer will give you no boot. I spel | for myself when Tiny tans view of the improve: let © or the chiefs and young mem | [One of the Dlack- j rate apear for the ‘old curse” _ and hoes; but. the one at Lovg Prairie, (forty miles |