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REPORTOf His Excellency Henry Dodge, Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin, ex.officio Superintendent.SuPERINJ ENDENCY OP I'IIAW A LPAlliS FOJt THE TERRITORY OP WlSl ONSIN,Mineral Point, Oct. 18, 1337.Sik—la obedience to your leder of the 5lh‘ultimo, and in accordance with the regulations of the department, have the honor to submit ray annual 3 cporx, accompanied by reports from the sub-agents of the Winnebago and Chippewa Indians. The report of the sub agent at t rcen Bay has not yot been received, but will be forwarded ;ult; soon as it comes to hand.I shall, first, present (he condition of the several Indian tribes of this superintendence, with some genera remarks relating iheroto; and, second, suggest such charges in the existing laws regulating the Indian department, as would, in my opinion, promote the general interest, and condi ce to the benefit of tii j Indians.The report of Mr. Lowry formahc-s u full and satisfactory view of the situation and prospects of the Winnebago school and farm, icar Prairie du Chicn ; and particularly lesignatcs the present location of the sou-ral bands of Indians attached to his sub-agency.By the ■ reaty of Nov. 1,1837, the Win-nebagoes stipulated to leave the country then cede d to the government in eight months af.er its rat fication. This event, had the trc aty been strictly complied with, must have occurred at a season so inclement tha the greatest difficulty would have ensmd from any attempt to removeprovisions, annually secured to them, they would become a li, ppy and prosperous people.The report of M . Busbnell contains the census and loca ion of the different bands of Chippewas belonging to his subagency, designating those who have participated in the annuities under the treaty of 20th July. 1837. At that treaty, all the bands of the Chippewa nation west of Lake Michigan were represented, although several of the chiefs ihon present and who signed the treaty rib.claimed any interest in the cession made ; declaring that those only who immediate’y occupied the land sold were entitled t the annuities, it was, however, deemed proper that the whole of the bands s lould become parties to the treaty, leaving it to the tribe afterwards to determine their rights under ic» These Indians depend much on their annuities, and it is a m liter of vital importance to the people se tied on the St. Croix and Chippewa rivers that the governmcrt should strictly and fully comply with allthe difficulties of the last summer having been satisfactorily adjusted. The finest friendly disposition too, on the part of those Indians, has always been evinced towards the -white settlers, and no complaints of intrusions upon the lands or property of the borderers have bean heard. Indeed, no nation of Indians on the borders of our whole country have stronger claims on the friendly regard and protection of tlic government than the Menomonies.Tne Oneida, Munsee, and Stockbtidge Indians, that are located within the Green Bay sub-agency, appear more like civilized than savage people, depending on the cultivation of the soil for their support. A part of those are very desirous to exchange the lands they now occupy lor lands of the government south of the Missouri river, and another part express an anxiety to be admitted to the rights and privileges of citizens. I am induced to believe that if this exchange of land was effected, the condition of these IndianssefoVIwStwtho requisitions of thiil treaty, ftiw.ll not wodd bo eventually improved. The Mis. only allord peace m ^loty to the settler soul comtry is ad ^ (o thethem at ; hat time : and subsequently, inthe spring, danger wa3 to be apprehendedit would appear, from the removal, bvbringim; t lose Indians in collision withwar-pariics of the Sac and Fox and Siouxnation*, thenscouringtlxo confines oftheir conr try west of the Mississippi.— About two-filths of Die Winnebago nation reside within 30 miles of Tort Winnebago ; and from the manner in which several of the chiefs of this portion have expressed ihs mselvcs iu relation to the last treaty, and from the 1 refusal recently, alter being duly notified fcy the agent of theon these rivers but .vill attach those In-diuns to our goverun ent, and prevent and destroy the influence to be apprehended from agents of he Iritish government. Heretofore, the Clippewas have beei wholly dependent 01 the American Fur Company for arms, ammunition, and supplies of every kind ; and their country has been apportioned am-mg those traders as best suited their eonvlt; mence and interest. Until within the past two years, our citizens have had vcri little intercourse•rwith them. Like al other tribes of remote Indians, they aio very fond of war; and it would bo ext •cracly difficult, in their present state of feeling',to restrain them from attacks 0:1 their old enemies, the Sioux. Vou have been advised of the killing of more than -nu hundred of the Chippewas by the Sicux on the 4 th of July last: an event gre dly to be deplored, The warfare botweci those nations has continued so long, anc so deep rooted has become their animosil) to each other, that a peace effected by i le mediation of thewould biof short eontinu.governmenttime of p ivmeni, fog°downinto theancc. Although it is contrary to the lonecountry w 3st of the Mississippi to receivetheir proportion of the annuities, a determination in their part is evinced not to comph vvi h their treaty stipulations, but to continue at their present hones. In several tellers addressed to youi department duriigtho prst year, I h ive fuIJy exprcs-ed my view son the removal of these Indians, whose frequent intrusions on the lands south of the Wisconsin, depredating cn the stock and othc^ property of the settlor, must, unless a removal takes place early in the next spring, be the cause of very serious difficulty between ibcm and toe whites. Compulsory moa. bures v ill be required to effect ih s, and a mounted force, to collect them and form an escort -vill be absolutely neecssaiy. If the judicious policy of the government, in designing permanently to locate this people south of the Missouri river, could but be ran oil out, it would bo attended with the hrppiost results to the Indians ih01nselves and would give peace and se-turity to the frontier settler. The iromise, however, oi being ab,o to do this n a reasonable time, is by no moans encouraging, as w ill npplt; ar from the following extract of a letter f'om Mr, Lowry on the subject, dated IOth instant; “As was expected by me, and suggested to the department, the Indiana have refused to explore the counfn sot th west ol the Missouri this fall, declaring that they never will remove there. I am not disposed, however, to regard ihcir presen Wlucision as final upon this subject but thirk a change in the prosperity if their ci editor* would procure a favorable action on the ink d of tlio Indians rclriivo to a removal.” ]l is understood that Mr. Bcilvin intends to pro-' alor.o to the Missouri eoun.ry. andcecdwill make such cxj 1 orations ua the advanced ta lt;3 of the cecon will permit. From this mission it is not belie wcd that much good can bo effected, as, fur the purpose of controlling the annufics and : touring to hernsch t s the benefits oflliun, a mighty in flu once i* now exerted by thu trader on 110 Wisconsin to present tJic 1 migration oi the Portage bands west of the Mississippi ; and this influence of the traders of the whole nation will continue to exert, to -etain them in the country assigned them under the treaty of 1832*.Prairie d 1 Chicn and the Portage of Fox anu Wisconsin .fivers have- fur half 0 century b\ck, been places of resort for these Indians fo trade, where spirituous liquors have been freely dealt out to them. Their intercourse with the white man at these places has tended to produce and confirm in them habits of indolence, vice, and dissipation, subversive of their best interest. Unfortunately, these poor do-)uded croal ires esteem those to be their best friends who mos: freely gratify then-strong pro Densities for chunking, anfj w hose moth es are of the most morccna-established policy of the government towards those nations oi Indians with whom it is in friendly inter course, it is highly probable that the vindi ctive wars that have existed, and yet conti me, with these people, are calculated to ireserve peace with the whites, and to pr mote the safety oi’ the remote settlements of the St. Croix and Chippewa rivers, v hich would be com-pletcly in the power oi the Indians meditating an attack.The Chippewas possess a very large extent of country, extending to the sources of the Mississippi in the west, and lake Superior in the north interspersed with numerous lakes conno Jting with the waters of the Mississippi and the rivers emptying into Lake .Superior, furnishing fish and wild rice in al undance, which af ford them great facilities for travel in the canoes. This, and th fact that the conn-try, from its high nort icrn latitude, is illy adapted for agricultural purposes, render it highly probable that these people will retain their wandering and warlike habits.Not having received the report of Col. Boyd, the sub-agent for the Menomonies, I can only at this tim ,* present a general view of their condition to your department. TboMenomon os retain their wandering habits, and arc divided into several bands, some of which raise small quantities of corn on the Oconte, Menomonie and Fox rivers. The', however, pilnei-pally depend on their annuities from the government, and on fowling and fishinw for a subsistence. T ley are scattered over a large extent ol country, which I think it \\ ould be the policy of the Government to purchase, and remove them to the country southwest of the Missouri, .Such a measure woub bo greatly to the advantage of these Indiana ; and the titlegrowth of corn, and the raising of stock, than that now held by them ; and they would be removed from an intercourse with the whites—always fatal to the Indians. For this latter reason, these families found it advantageous to amigrate from the State of New York to Green Bay, many years since; and now that their settlements are about to bo surrounded by a white population, the same inducement will prompt thorn again to change their location. From the earliest period of the settlements of our country, history has shown that the Indian never prospered in the vicinity of the whiteman. Few in numbers, the Onei-des, Stockbridgcs and Munsees more especially require the fostering and protecting care of the govercment; which I trust will be extended to them.•* -i •+ =»Very respectfully, your ob’t serv’t,HENRY DODGE, Superintendent Indian AflVrs. T. Hartley Crawford,Commissioner of Indian Alfa-rs.111thecPrthglasasthalfie30t^LT1Jlvv;:oVI[tio•aIo)03010at• IkhtosIXLCihitici OlI iri cl i irI n iie Ur( Oish: lie1 Oitariff on lead.Extract from a letter from a gentlemanoftlie highest respectability Wash-iogton, addressed to a gentleman of this !town, dated-—Jaxuaby 31, 1840. jYour interesting letter of the 20th of December, with tho enclosed extract, in relation to the Tariff on Lead, is received, and shall receive clue consideration.Ihc duty on lead under the existing arrangement will cease to exists under the provisions of the “Compromise Act,” in 1842. In the meantime it will become Illinois as a State, unci those immediately interested in mining operations, to p.;e-pare the way for the renewal of this pro-(i ei 1 la 1 rlt;£ IIr 1at ir. Ire ale t T. a ri a Tc h 3r Ireg-Vllection; so important to an extensivebranch of our commerce, and no less itn. porlant to that portion of our enterprising tel low-citizens, who liave identified their private and individual interests with the lead trade. 1 Icel obliged to you for tho information communicated by your letter and will at all times feel grateful for any additional items you may see fit to furnish, on this most interesting topic.—Galena Advertiser,to a large and valuable tract of country,bordering on the Fox r vcr, and extending r . ,, .from the Wolf river to tho Portage of the I /k. !0nL. r 1 agitation during Wisconsin and Fox riv Tf, would be there-ANTI-SLAVERY MEMORIALS.The House of Representatives bv the aid of the Previous Question, put a period on Tuesday last to the discussion on this subject of the memorials from the inhabitants of different States, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District ol* Columbia. The result of the whole proceeding was the adoption of a proposition, moved by William Cost Johnson as an amendment to a previous motion by Wd-c£y Thompson, and accepted by Mr. Thompson himself as a modification of his motion, which seemed to settle thej- si c jra id 5U i ias 01 tlt; ngint oth ncit —rt ci a id she F i'oII 'Vh msi eL1v he tiki b; idif m tl e0 10130by extinguished.Sonc of these lands are in the immediate vicinity of and adjoining the contunpiat *d canal connecting the valcra of the Wisconsin with those of Fox river ; a work of immense importance to the whol 1 country, as opening a direct water communication be-i con Laicu Michigan «md the Mississippithe present Congress.It has, by the decision, become a Standing Rule and Order of the House of Reo-resentativcs that no petition, momoru.1, resolution, or other paper, praying for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, or any State or Territory, or the slave-trade between the States or Territories fof the United Slates in which itriver, and v» Inch, v. hoi* completed, must now exisl»» shall be received by the House, ‘ -1 crease greatly the giowih of that part I or enfoHained in any way whatever, f the Territory bordering on these rivers,1 ^ie vo*c uPon proposition, byinci oxy charactoi. Indeed, it has boon longapparent to .tic intelligent portion of the community, that tho Indian can only be redeemed from his present degraded state by the protecting policy'1 of the government removing him where intercourse with the white man can be prohibited, and establisl iog schools and farms among them, under the supervision of competent agents. Thus, by instructing the rising generation in a knowledge of letters, and acquainting them wilh the arts of agriculture, and the 'easy and certain subsis. tencc the tillage of t ie soil afl'oi ds, the adult Indian by their example, would be gradually withdrawn from the chase, his roving inclination would be overturned to habits of industry, and the whole na-tion ultimately converted to agriculturists and stock raisers, and brought :o appreciate the benefits of civilization. With1 hose advantages, and in the enjoyr lent of the large airount of specie, goods, andby bringing into murk ot a large and fertile district of public 1; nda. The advantages that would result to the Indians and the^ Government frlt; m the extinguishment of the Menomonie title to those lands bordering on the Fox a id Wisconsin rivers, will bo admitted ny every one ac-q tin in ted with the country and with tho situation of this people. The Meno-monics derive but Jittio advantage from that portion of their aonuitics which is paid in specie, as the traders give them sufficient credits during the year previous to absorb that fund for he most part, and these po^css influence t nough at the pay-ment to convert it fror- the hand of the Indian immediately to t leir own pockets.yeasand nays was as follows. Teas 114,Nays, 108. —AraL Int.Sudden and Extra ordinary Death. —In a lelttcr from one on whose statements a perfect reliance may be placed, the following account has been transmitted to the publishers of the Ledger : AMr. Black, residing in Ontario county, Slate of New York, had been observed tor some time to live on terms of disagreement with his wife, giving the neighbors some reason to suspect that he had* fixed his affections on another woman, viz ; a widow, who dwelt in the same village. Some time last autumn, Mrs. Black died... Mr. B. olten visited the widow's, both be-liiecxpcniMiitmadc tudor the treaty of, fore and after the death of his wife, and lorii, to establish farou, furnish fanners,1 and to teach the Mcnomomes ihc arts of agriculture, proved a foihire; yet, were these Indians remove 1 to the countrysouth west of the Missouri, afar from the influence ot their white friends, with the example of the different tribes of red men who have become agrici'lturiste and stock raisers on that frontier, t io tendency wouldbe to restrain the eldei s in their presenterratic and dissipated habits, and tho rising generation would be greatly improved. It is, at all events, worthy an experiment and tho con lition of the Indi-an cannot bo made woise thereby. The Menomonies and Winncbagoes are at thistirnf* Frirrsdlv /lisnr'ijarrl fooI’ll V/lorecently he became an inmate of tho widow’s dwelling, in the character, as we supposed, of a boarder. He had remarked to some one of his fronds, two or three months ago, that if this woman refused to wed him, he would drop dead at her feet, This prophetic assertion was literally fuk filed. On Sunday evening last, about nine o’clock, he made proporaals in due form, and was refused, when he immediately fell dead! By direction of the coroner, the body was opened by a physician, the sudden decease of Mr. Black was found to have been caused by the rupture of a largo blood vessel near the heart. Powerful emotion muv account for thisC- A rcceth s at „e:to 31 th-jtc ir nlt; w hi plt;w isni jant tsf 3 1lil eIs e, si ie: th j j net kc itpL n to g( in :1lt;Wi n th' • r ed I: gi el— Pinpo’t ce ti his n lit le tic i, atmA in rn las t t ca e an 1 ch .r^ the J tal le le} 3. lal e,dej r« to )e
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Madison Express
Madison, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Mar 07, 1840
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