The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-07-11


Assembly deem proper, any previous
law to the contrary Notwithstanding, and
an equal amount for the erection of a
penitentiav So that The mhoie question
i the time and place aehen these erpeEdi-
lures are to be made is left by The bill TO
be determined By the constituted authorities
Of the Territory; the Delegate being un-
willing TO assume the responsibility OF
fixing the location, which he would have
been permitted to do, without objection
on the part Of the Committee on Terri
tories, who reported the bill, if he had
80 desired" 90
If there was any alteration in the law
affecting this particular question of To-
cality, we have not been advised of it
through the public prints If YOU have
information, (and without it | am at a
loss to conceive how you could have
penned the article above alluded to, OF
any such modification of the bill, it is
due to the public that it should appear
If | have any right conception of the
! question, instead of being settled,
it remains just where the Legislature
supposed ii left it; say supposed, for
until the publication of the decision OF
Secretary Meredith, majority of the
members of the Legislature believed
that the appropriation by the organic
act could be appended at The temporary
seat Of government. That was my opin-
ion, though opposed the bill which
passed the house, on the grounds of in
expedlency; and the object of this Sec
ton of the law just passed, is to remove
the construction given to the organic
law by Mr.. Meredith. 1t will be re-
membered that bill providing for the
erection of public buildings at st. Paul
! was defeated on the ground that it was
rartuaify settling the question Of per-
manent location of the seat Of govern
ment, which Congress very Justly pro-
yided should be decided by vote Of
the people, inasmuch as the Territory
would suffer some Inconvenience from
locality sooner than be taxed to erect
other buildings at permanent seat.
after the appropriation by Congress has
been expended at the temporary seat of
government, aud not for the reason that
the appropriation could not not be used
at the temporary seat of government :;
so that the question is now just where it
was supposed to be then, and nothing
short of prophetic ken can inform us
what another Legislature may do 1t
would seem, however, altogether proba-
bic that the same reasons would govern
in the future that have in the past, and
before the appropriation is expended
vote of the people will decide where.
! Yours truly,
: w. r. MARSHALL.
Now the Inference of your delegate,
that the ID section of the law we printed
last week, authorizes our legislature to
make i,co temporary seats of government
in Minnesota, or that ''the whole ques-
ton of time and place, is left open,
does not weigh one straw against the
the plain language of that section,
which is this:
Sec, 2. Ind bed Gtrlhe,' enacted, That
the Governor and legislative assembly
Of Minnesota are hereby authorized to
expcnd the appropriation made in sec
ton l3, of "An act to establish the Ter
rltorial government of Minnesota" APP
proved March third, eighteen hundred
and forty-ninc, for the erection of suita-
bic public buildings, at the temporary
seat of government of said Territory,
at such time as they deem proper, any
previous law to the contrary notwith-
standing. ...
We have now said all we wish to say
on this subject; and we really hope that
the true convenience of Minnesota will
be consulted /; and that, as Congress
anticipated they would do, the next Leg
islature will at once expend the $40, 900
for State House, put the penitentiary
where it ought to be, and leave the III i
mate, permanent Location of the scat of
government to be made when the lands up
the Mississippi and st. Peter rivers, aud
the country west of us to the Missouri
shall be settled, and the true interests Of
all Minnesota be represented, and the
Capitol be put where it ought to be.
Last Tuesday, band of about six
teen chiefs and hcadmen of the Yanke-
ton tribe of Sioux, came to have an au-
dience Of Gov Ramsey, at Saint Paul
They were arrayed in very gaudv head
I dresses, of colored feathers and most
of them wore clothing of dressed buck
skin--very tall, stout fellows. Their Or
ator said to their Great Father, that
they started on the Ord day Of May, in
the snow, to come and see their father
here and to relate some of their troubles
that they had left abundance at home,
but had given away to the tribes through
which they had journeyed most of their