The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-06-27

son. Subsequent to that time, my hon
ored colleague obtained an additional
appropriation Of fourteen thousand dol
lars for work done and materials furnish
ed in the erection of the latter public
building.
The United States Courts Of our Ter
ritories, Mr.. President, are held in all
the organized counties therein in which
the cases arising under the laws of the
United States, .as well as those which
grow out of the Territorial laws, are
tried; these different counties Of the
Territories have TO construct their own
court-houses, clerks Offices, and jails /;
all Of which are used as much for the
benefit of the United States as for the
Territories; and yet the parent govern
ment has never. made any remuneration
to those counties for the use of those
public buildings. The criminals of the
United States are confined in those coun-
ty jaiIs, before and after conviction, UNI
til they are sent to the penitentiary, if
there be one, Us there should, in every
Territory; l, therefore, hope that these
appropriations will be made, and regret
that we are not about to give them more
for know how; difficult and how expen-
siye it is to erekt those public buildings
in our frontier settlements Oregon and
Minnesota, the! most remote of all the
Territories ever yet organized, have
been too long neglected by this Govern
mcnt. ;
Mr.. Butler , would like to inquire
what has become of these public build
ings since you becamea State. Do they
fall within the State or Federal jurisdic-
ton?
Mr.. Jones' The public buildings fall
in both Jurisdictions, as the courts of the
United States as well as those of the
States, are still held in the State-houses
of Iowa and of Wisconsin also believe.
; And the county jails, court-houses, SC,
are still used for United States purposes
in the States of Iowa and Wisconsin.
Mr.. King. believe that this is the
first occasion, so far as | know, of ar
appropriation by Congress for the cree.
ton Of a penitentiary in Territory
The case mentioned by the Senator from
: Iowa was when the Territorial Legisla
, ture divided fund appropriated for q
: specific object, .and applied part of j
to different one. But, heretofore, the
: Territories have had no appropriation
? for any object of this kind. The prisons
should be in the different counties, Sc
that criminals may be confined until con
victed, and when convicted they shoult
be confined in penitentiary, if there bt
one, according to the terms the judge
may prescribe. AS the Senator from
South Carolina remarked, many State:
are opposed to the penltentiary system
} they govern and regulate that matter t.
5 suit themselves, and | think we shoult
; not impose upon the people what woult
= not be agreeable to them when they be
? come State;'I once lived for som,
months in Territory, under Terrific
rial government. We there erected ;
house for our own Territorial Legisla
= ture, for the Governor and Council, a
5 the expense of the Territorial Govern
r ment--the United States giving nothing
! except tract G land on which to cree
, the public buildings. With regard t.
! the appropriations for the erection o
5 public buildingt of this kind, know
that of late years greater degree o
liberality has bean practised than former
ly; we make ar preparations Independent
= of giving some two or three sections o
r public land We give them public land
and of late we shave gone so far as t.
aid them in the erection of public build
B.. iDgs; but it is :only of late it has beer
S done. 1t was nbt SO formerly. ] do no
e see the propricty of making this appro
F., priation forthe e lection of a penitentiary
D | would much rather, if we make an,
t appropriation, make it for the erection
: Of prisons or jails, in the counties of thu
: Territories, so ;hat persons may be con
e fined while charged with crime an,
. awaiting a trial; AS the offences occu
e in different counties, the penitentiar!
e would not be thu proper place to coniin'
e them till after the conviction.
e Mr. Douglas; l suspect that there i
: some misrepresentation as to the Objec
P of this appropriation for penitentiary
e | do not understand that a penitentiar,
e has such Il technical meaning that
n prisoner may not as well be confine'
n there before as: after conviction. 1T i
immateral what you call it, whether
It prison, Jail, or penitentiary, if it b
e a place where you can have a perso
d charged with crime confined until he j
n tried. There are crimes against tn
j. Government committed in the Terrific
= ries; the laws of the United States ar
r in force over these Territories; you
g mails are robbed there, and the mail
e robber is arrested, and where is tn
G prisoner to be kept: A Senator say:
l. in Jail. | do not suppose there is ia
3 in either Of the Territories. You hav
J. counties there; but the people are sea
tered, and have hardly been able t
y erect their own necessary building:
y much less jails. You may convict
n mal-robbcr, and by law he should b
l. confined; but where is he to be confined
ID There are crimes committed upon tn