The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-06-16
rHE MINI E'SOT N.
SATURDAY MORNING, JUNE .. 1855
The Bluff Questionable St. Paul to be a
Great Commerce. City or q Rural village?

The Bluff Question.'-Is St. Paul to be
Great Commercial City or Rural village?
Judging from the premonitory "sparring "
now going on between two Of our city contem-
poraries, the bluff Question is likely to en-
ter in as controlling element OF the COM
ing political canvass; and the national princi-
ples of the Nebraska and Republican parties
may perhaps be entirely thrown into the shade
At least SO far as st. Paul is concerned, un-
less this momentous question be definitely set
tied before the time of nominating candidates.
A man must be " right on the Bluff Question,
from present appearances, before either the
Times or the Democrat can support him for any
Office. And it is. Of course, interesting to poll
ticians to know-and something uery new
withal in political contests-that the side o.
the question which the Times considers right
10 in the eyes of the Democrat precisely wrong;
and rice versa. So it is to be hoped that those
who wish to run for Office, from Delegate down.
will get right on the Bluff Question as speedily
% possible, or they will shortly be "no
whar."
But, seriously, there is considerable degree
Of merit attached to this side ISSUE" 1t, in
Q measure, involves the point as to whether st.
Paul, at this time, chooses to clothe herself in
she is to continue preparing herself, as she has
commenced, for the high commercial destiny
which awaits her--extending her levee from
Walnut street to the mouth of Dayton's Creek
facing the whole of her river front with a
continuous steamboat landing, with room for
solid blocks of substantial stores warehouses,
grain depots, &c, running the entire length
making way along the shore of her great natu-
raj artery of trade for the hundred steamers,
the locomotives, and the long trains of freight
cars attached, which in less than twenty years
must line every part of that river front within
these limits-or, whether she is to be so re-
markedly silly as to attempt to devote this
great and only natural key to her future COM
mercial prosperity, to parks and pleasure
grounds, in order that sweet-scented, love- sick,
poetical, lackadaisical SWANS and sentimental
schoolgirls may have "shady ratreat," in
the centre of the business part of the city,
wherein to wander and make love on moon
light summer evenings. We say attempt; for
1t would only be an attempt. The idea of car
rying out and maintaining permanently the
plan conceived and brought forth by the poetic
vision of the Times, is most ridiculous alb
gurdity. The trees in our neighbours beautiful
park along the bluff would be used for head
line" spring line" and "stern line y fasten-
ings by the boatmen almost before they put
forth their first buds after being planted bis
green lawns along that river front would
speedily become the -causeway of an hundred
teams every minute of the day; and anon half
a-dozen railroad companies would be seeking
the fright of way " straight down to the wa
ter's edge in as many different places-and
what is more, they would. from the very force
Of circumstances, be compelled to carry their
point, whether the city or private individuals
owned the property.
This is our idea of the destiny of the river
front Of st. Paul; and it is destiny that cannot
be altered by all the DEGREES of poetry and love-
making by moonlight-nor by any other de-
cree, whether Of a court of love or a court of
law-that can be put upon record while the
world stands. 1t is fixed fact and cannot be
altered. A very nice place, truly, to talk of
love and eat ice cream, amid the clatter of
drays and the noise of an hundred steam wills
ties, on land and water, all the while making
night hideous"-to tender, romantic ears!-
Why didn't the Times think of the additional
project, while 1t was in the poetic mood, of
having the present levee planted with shade
trees, from the foot of Roberts street to Bass
Warehouse; having it fenced in with an iron
railing, and have fashionable ice cream sa-
loon established somewhere down that way
ct Constans' grocery stand, for instance!
But we want parks and public promenades.
Of course We do; but lot, however, in tracts
OF five or ten acres on the perpendicular side
Of limestone and sand bluff within the bust |
ness center of the city. As the Democrat sug-
gests, 60 out upon the commanding plain west
OF the city for one of these essential pleasure |
retreats; purchase those eighty acres or forty |
Of them; then 60 back from the riuer center of |
the city, beyond Judge Sherburne's residence,
(the Judges house will be about the center of
city population in that direction before st. Paul
becomes as old as Chicago now is) and procure
smother forty; then 60 out upon Dayton's Bluff, |
near Maj. MLean's, and purchase third site
for the purpose contemplated. These are aboit |
the locations that will be- most convenient and |
accessible to the great mass of our population. |
dfty or even twenty years hence. The Times, |
$500 would 60 great deal farther, and to more
essential use, donated in this manner. The |
man is fool who owns property south of St. |
Anthony street and would this day sell the ed
ttor, or the city either. a sufficient number of |
mont feet to bury person upon for $500.
There are plans of improvement already ma.
tured and commenced along the river front on |
st. Anthony, which we hope to see strictly car.
sied out. There have been attempts within the
past year to drive st. Paul to her oomme rcia,
ruin. We trust she cannot now be coaxed into
. compliance with the wishes of those who then
applied the lash to bring her to their degrading
terms. Her true destiny is a commercial COM
peer of Cincinnati, st. Louis, Buffalo and Chi
oago; not pleasant summer retreat for inva-
lids and gentlemen Of leisure and pleasure
Boon her own citizens will be compelled to |
seek elsewhere those pleasant, shady, summer
resorts which the Times would have her build |
up within her very business center. -
TIE RIvER.-The War Eagle came in about
eleven o'clock on Thursday evening. Capt
Harris informs. us that the bar at Reef Slouoh
-