Letter-1854, July 14

Thomas Johnson answered an anonymous document headed, “Reasons why the treaty recently concluded with the Shawnee Indians should not be ratified by the senate.”

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Washington City, July 14, 1854,

Sir: An anonymous document has been put into my hands this morning, headed “Reasons why the treaty recently concluded with the Shawnee Indians should not be ratified by the Senate;” and I presume a copy has been furnished to every Senator.

   Now, as I am frequently alluded to in that document, I beg the privilege of correcting some of the statements which it contains:

   1st. With regard to the $100,000 for educational purposes. You will see, by turning to ·the treaty itself, that the educational funds are left in the hands of the Executive, and can be appropriated just as well to the Baptist or the Quakers as they can to the Methodist, and I have informed the Secretary of the Interior that we shall not be dissatisfied if he should choose to do so, for our neighbors are very anxious that we should get clear of the Indian school as soon as possible, and open our institution for the reception of white children. But even should those who have charge of these funds employ them at our school, that would not show any favoritism, for I suppose they will employ the school funds for the Delawares and Miamies with the Baptist mission, and also a part of the Pottawatomie school fund; while the Catholics have half the Pottawatomie and all the Osage and Quapaw school funds, and then the Presbyterians have the use of the funds of the Iowas, Omahas, etc. It has been the wise policy of the government heretofore to employ its educational funds among all the benevolent societies operating in the Indian country, but not to encourage rival institutions in any of the smaller tribes of Indians. I will further add, that I understand the Friend Quakers do not want any of the funds of the government, they having scruples about using them.

   2d. With regard to my being present at the negotiation of the treaty, I have only to say that both the Delaware and Shawnee delegations requested the Commissioner to permit me to be present, as I had lived a long time among them, and understood the Shawnee language, and could aid them in a proper understanding of the business on hand. But there was no partiality in this, for a few days afterwards other tribes came on, and a Baptist missionary came with them and was present, and aided them all the time in making their treaties.

   3d. And. now, with regard to partiality in securing mission property I will state, that the Methodist society have a mission station among the Shawnees, that is worth as much as the Baptist mission, and I did not ask to have it secured in the treaty at all, while the Baptist mission was provided for: the fact is, they are both nothing but log-houses, and I did not think it of sufficient value to Cumber the treaty with it. But as we have valuable improvements at our manual labor school, which had cost us more than twenty-five thousand dollars, which was built at the request of the government, for other tribes as well as the Shawnees, I thought it was right that we should secure a clear title, so that when it was not needed for an Indian school, it could be used as a boarding-school for the whites. I accordingly asked the Shawnees to grant us the reservation, and they did so, and I told them we did not want it gratis, so we agreed on such a consideration to be paid as we thought was fair and right. But if the Senate should think proper place this reservation on the same terms as that of the Baptist and Quaker missions, we have no objections; or should they think it best to have the land valued at each of the stations, and let the respective societies take them at valuation, we shall not object, or any other plan the Senate may think proper to adopt, provided either the improvements or their value be secured to the several benevolent societies.

   4th. As for my getting rich suddenly, I have only to say that I commenced 1ife very poor, and have been successful in gathering some property, though not very much, and if it were necessary should have no objection to make out a schedule, showing how I came possessed of what I have. But I very much doubt whether the gentleman who put forth the document in question would be willing to do the same, if I am not mistaken in the source from whence it originated.

   In conclusion, I feel that I owe an apology for having troubled you, or for having noticed a document to which the author was even ashamed to affix his signature, and especially after having examined it, and finding that every section in it contained a most outrageous falsehood.

I have the honor to be yours,
With great respect,
Thomas Johnson

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[Indian Pamphlets, v. 4, K.S.H.S.]