GRAFT IN THE INDIAN TRADE (CHAP. VII)

 "It is the common fate of the indolent, to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition, if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."—John Philpot Curran, Speech upon the Right of Election, 1790. (Early History of North Dakota, Colonel Clement A. Lounsberry)

This chapter in Lounsberry's book is very enlightening, especially with regard to American politics. Things haven't changed. For 'grafter' substitute 'lobbyist', 'corporation', or 'dark money' in the following quotation. 

"Joseph Rolette, an early Pembina trader, was too successful in the estimation of his rivals, and too popular with the Indians to suit their purposes, and so they elected him to the Minnesota legislature, and by that means got him out of the way for a time at least."

"When Indian treaties were made for the alleged benefit of the Indians and to promote the interests of trade, the 'grafter' was on hand to claim his share from both the Indian and the traders. The Minnesota massacre was largely the result of his work."

Now I realize the precedence for the article of federal legislature called "Citizens United":

"The American Fur Company was organized under a charter granted by the State of New York, approved April 6, 1808. John Jacob Astor was the company."