Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-07-24

S'NiH., iof WiS Aoi ''iN
cordial welcome and warm reception with
which Lave been greeted ly all since my ar
rival in your midst Ii rc-k.ndlcs old assocla-
tons, revyos old friendships and fills my heart
with emotions which these alone feel who, like
us, were pioneers together on tie Upper Mis-
sisspp, and who Ike us too, Lave tccn earn
cs,ly engaged in laying TIE foundations OF a
State that Will one day, if we are wise and
rruacnt, stand among Il e foremost in Tie Tn
ion, for all that can make Il PEOPLE happy, in
tclligen! and independent. e.. o71
Tie cicments OF public prosperity, of tie
glory and greatness OF Il State, are few and
simple y coed climate, good soil, an INTEL
hgcnt people, ample provision for education,
agriculture and Il judicious and impartial sys-
tenn OF public roads or tEoroughalcs, are TIE
principal ONES, il not all
The inllucncc OF climate upon the character,
laliis and pursuits Of mankind, are most con-
trolling. 1t makes people industrious or in
dolcnt, Hardy on runy, loidiy clterrlsing or
tndv qu:cs.cnt. by It's influence one nation
is, undcg Gei, exalted 10 tie highest pitch Of
human power, and another IS degraded 10 TIE
lowest depths Of lar. aric stupidity. In some
! regions End scars aiott w;rds tie more
/ genial al oLos OF Ike sky,--in offers it dwars
and dwindlcs to Tie low and lazy instincts OF
nere animal icing. In ,yorit@l countries Tie
nations are all asleep in tie darkes, ignorance,
neither free nor ,arab.c OF freedom, witLou,
commerce, without courage, without science OF
patriotism. 1t is tie land where disease dwclls
ana death riots, where it is as d ilicllt 70 teach
tie Tcoplc cl.g:ol or morals as t!cir nlo.:keys.
In the other cx,ro,nc, tie frozen sons Of ST.
hcria tie Lar!andcrs and EsqucmauX, seem as
useless and as low in tie scale OF Icing. 1t is
only in TIE temperate Parts, found only between
Tie two extremes just mentioned, that man
seems capable of attaining TIE high position
in tie scale of being which his benevolent
Creator las assigned him during his career in
Time. Here hc is Il progressive, moral and
intellectual being, full Of high hopes beyond
to-day, aud animated ly tie Goullc sentiment
Of being remembered among men for his noble
deeds, and rewarded in Heaven for his good
ones Here have lived Washington and Well
ingon, Marshall and Mansfield, Franklin and
Bacon, Clay and Webster. Here are TO be
found The most lasting monuments Of human
Liberty, Tie greatest achievements in literature
and Tie nollo4t examples OF courage, patriot
ism and religion On record. Eerc commerce
las Iuilt hcr nayics, piled Ecr cities, ard link
cd the nations together i'll claims Of gold.
Here, too, man has learned to ',cncratc the
pow." Ii tie tenn crate regions are thus
favored, and il Tie climate OF Mimi, sofa, as is
now generally conceded, is as good as tie best,
ii rot tie very Lest letwoen TIE temperate
zones on tbs continent, then Las she one last
ing element of State prosperity Il at 10 Human
power or revolution can rob Eer OF.
The soil Of Minnesota is good, iar better
than the soils Of New England and TIE Middle
States,-and, as | have often lad occasion 10
remark, Admiralty distributed throughout tie
Territory. THUS the st. Croix, tie Upper
Mississippi, TIE St. Peters and tie Elue Earth
Valleys will soon lccome great farming dis
tricts. SO that tits prolific source of public
prosperity, Tie true fountain of State OF national
wealth, is among tEc blessings we enjoy.
Some Old philosopher has said that the orna-
ments of State were its people, just as the stars
were the ornaments Of the heavens. They are al
so the substance Of the State. They are the head
that rules and directs its dest;n;es-lha arms that
fight in battles, and the hanl that tls its soil
In short, TIE country is the body, bat the citizens
arc the soul Of the State.
Tie diffusion Of intelligence, The moral and re-
l's;ous training Of people by providing common
schools and colleges, constitute tie only basis and
give the only guaranty of security to life, liberty
and prov crtv. Minnesota has already prince
ly endowment FOR this purposc, to wit: every lCtl
and every 3jth section of her entire Territory
having Lc,n set apart BY Congress and forever
c0nsecratod TO this cause. The lands so granted
can never be withdrawn or lawfully withheld from
the common school fund--no, not even bv suisse
quent act of Congress, since by previous law they
have rested in the Territory for school purposes.
Let the SPECTATOR and others, therefore, beware
how they settle on school lands ana vany dream
that Congress Will or ought to appropriate to
their use what has been previously Granted to their
children AMI ro>tcrity. TO my establishment
have heard that towns have been laid out on such
lands, and that the proprietors feel confident that
by some special legislation in their behalf they
will be enabled to hold on. Let the people take
care that their children be not robbed of this rich
inheritance, and let the Courts call the attention
of the Grand Jurors of their Districts to this bold
and INSCRIPTIONS violation of our penal laws.
1griculturc, which is tic cultivation OF the So
as education is Of tie mind, must ever continue
o'be leading interest in every prosperous State.
Your Association, gcntlcmcn, which is the earliest
OF the kind in Minnesota. is conclusive evidence
that you justly regard it Of the first Importance
But there is al other sub Jet intimately connected
with all those just enumerated. and in an special
manner with Agriculture. Iailude to system Of
State thorough! ares Of public roads.
Iy these inean not merely turnp kc- roa,ls. but
all other means Of Transport ana carriage. also
as LAX, :, Rivers. Canals AMI Railways. Without
these or some Of these, neither our climate nor
soil would bc accessible or available TO any con
siderable portion Of I'll, immigrating public Meth