The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-01-09

tent myself with partial repetition Of
the views presented in this connection in
my former message.
SIT has been held as fixed legal
maxim that ignorance Of the law ex-
cuscth no man. but it is questionable,
in moral and practical sense, whether
men should be held responsible for vio-
'ations statutes, knowledge of which
can be acquired by the community in no
accessible mode, and in regard to which
even Judges, magistrates, and other Off
Gals, are for the most part unable to OBJ
tain satisfactory information. No COM
pilation of the laws Of Wisconsin has
been published since 1889, quite ten
years ago; whilst those general laws
which have since been been passed, ad-
ditional to, or modifying, altering and
repeating those contained in that collec-
ton, are so scattered through series
of volumes of pamphlet laws, published
every year thereafter, aud SO intermixed
with a mass Of purely local laws, many
of them inperfectly indexed, that they
present Il chaotic mass nearly defying
the most patient labor to disentangle,
and requiring the most acute legal ex-
perience to discriminate between those
which are actually in force and those
which are repealed. But few persons,
however. are allowed this meagre chance
Of knowledge; but are compelled to re-
ceiyc the law second handed upon the
mere dictum of others, thus reducing it
from tangible substance Of record to
the uncertainty ola shadowy tradition.
The original editions Of these pamphlet
laws, l learn, were but small; and it
would appear that for the most Of the
years, they are quite out of print; and
their extreme scarcity can be estimated
when the strongest doubts are express
ed whether at this time exceeding half a
dozen complete sets of those pamphlet
laws are to be found in the whole Terri
tory Of Minnesota
"In addition to the difficulty of dis
seminating among our people the
whole body of Wisconsin legislation,
there is doubtless much in it that is in
compatible with the character ofOur peo-
pie, and unsuited to the wants Of our So
cial and commercial condition I'm each
State in this Union, and in each Terri
tory, there seem TO be shades of differ
ence IL the people, and diyersities in
their interests, business, and slightly in
their social feelings and actions; though
viewing the extent of our common coun-
try, and the many subdivisions it con-
talns, no population so great in number
as ours, and so widely disseminated, are
so homogeneous in character, or less
provincial in their manners and pursuits
But climate, soil and business, but es-
pecially the quarter Of the world or OF
the Union from which new States are
first peopied, undoubtedly do occasion
some variety in their modes of thought,
and materially influence the institutions
that are adopted"
Gan exemption from local peculiari-
ties requiring no special Legislation, can
not be said to characterize our young
and growing Territory, any more than
other similar communities; and already
is it clear that the laws Of not any State
or Territory, as a whole, are adapted
exactly to our situation. 1t might nat
urally be inferred that those of Niscon-
sin, from proximity of territory, would
present the most points of adaptation, but
before conceding more than the partial
truth Of this proposition, we should call
to mind her location on the western Dor
der Of steam navigation on the great
lakes; enjoying thereby, a means OF
communicating cheaPly and speedily with
the sea-board, and of deriving thence,
: mainly from the constant inpouring tide
of foreign immigration, and partly from
the most northern range of States, the
great bulk of her population
'In addition to these reasons, might
dwell upon the different geological form
atoms of our lands; the dissimilar sys-
TENS by which the two are watered OF
drained; the somewhat dissimilarity OF
productions, the decided difference in
the pursuits Of the peopIe--hers engaged
chiefly in agriculture; ours finding en-
ploymeDt and wealth in numbering; in
commercial intercourse with the distan,
North; in supplying the numerous annu-
ity-receiving Indians congregated within
our borders; and in the cultivation ofthe
soil, to furnish profitable and durable
! home market. These all present, how
ever, such an aggregate of salient differ
ences, such Contras, circumstances, tc
be added to the different constitution
of population before spoken Of, that
it is impossible to resist the convic-
ton that the code Of Wisconsin, what.
ever it is, should receive material alter
alton before it is established finally as
the permanent law Of Minnesota.
Among these statute laws, which are
now operative in this Territory, is one
entitled San act to amend au act in re-
Iation to the evidences of title to lands. >
BY this law certificate of the purchase
OF public lands, signed by the receiver
is made evidence in any court in the
Territory that the title to the lands, men.
toned in the said certificate, is in the
person or persons named therein, his
her, or their heirs or assigns. AS far the
greater part ofthe lands in Minnesota
which have passed from the proprietor
shin of the u. States. have been entered