been hunted down till they were hard to find; the buffalo had long since been driven to new fields, far distant. Many of the Indians were too poor to own horses on which to hunt. They were two hundred miles from the nearest place where corn could be obtained, even if they had money to pay for it. Except for some assistance from the Government, they would have died by hundreds in the winter of this year.
In 1849 the “needs” of the white settlers on the east side of the Mississippi made it imperative that the Sioux should be again removed from their lands. “The desirable portions of Minnesota east of the Mississippi were already so occupied by a white population as to seem to render it absolutely necessary to obtain without delay a cession from the Indians on the west side of the river, for the accommodation of our citizens emigrating to that quarter, a large portion of whom would probably be compelled to precipitate themselves on that side of the Mississippi.”
Commissioners were accordingly sent to treat with the Indians owning these desired lands. In the instructions given to these commissioners there are some notable sentences: “Though the proposed purchase is estimated to contain some twenty millions of acres, and some of it no doubt of excellent quality," there are “sound reasons why it is comparatively valueless to the Indians, and a large price should not be paid for it.” Alive to the apparent absurdity of the statement that lands which are “absolutely necessary” for white farmers are “comparatively valueless” to Indians whom the Government is theoretically making every effort to train into farmers, and who have for the last ten years made appreciable progress in that direction, the commissioner adds, “With respect to its being valuable to the United States, it is more so for the purpose of making room for our emigrating citizens than for any other; and only a small part of it is now actually necessary for that object. * * * The extent of the proposed cession should be no
