The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-04-12

Tuesday evening, aud Mayor RAMSEY, and
the newly chosen members of the Council,
were duly sworn into Office by Alderman
Becker, who holds over All the members
were present.
Mayor RAMSEY. after taking the oath of
Office, and having been conducted to his
seat, delivered the following pertinent and
approp.i t, inaugural adde's:
Gentlemen of the City Cornell:
Unsolicited and unwished for, as was the
position ! nov find myself placed in, yet
recognize the obligations Of public duly res
ting upon every member Of society in free
community, to serve the public in whatever
capac t, the people may require his aid, and !
there O e ;c:ept the office imposed upon m
by tie Partially OF my fellow citizens, AID
shall be in' s. happy, gentlemen, within the
limited sphere OF my legal powers, to cooper
ate with you in IaboriDg diligently for the
growth, prosperity, and reputation of st
Paula city III which l might be expec:el to
feel some peculiar interest, if from 10 other
cause than having zen i $ grow b dry by day,
and year by year, from settlement Of doz-
On or two houses, to be the capital Of enter.
prise, wealth AMI refinement-the happy home
Of the six thousand people that We see around
US.
And, Gentlemen, when I consider the cir
cumstances uDder which it has grown up so
suddenly, in few years. frontier place, the
resort OF disproportionatcIy large number oi
strangers, and men fora season out OF regular
employment and business - many of them
without the restraints OF fani ie3-l think We
ought to congratulate ourselves on the gtn raj
quet and order which are certainly the char
acteristics of st. Paul, and Which to persons
coming from abroad to sojourn or settle among
us, has been principal Recommendation and i'll
ducement. Not that we are quite perfect; not
that irregularities do not exist, requiring prob
ably the and of authority to correct and reg
ulaie, and in 50 far as this may be found to be
the case, shall gladly cooperate with you.
Gentlemen and the other officials Of tue city,
in p, ompty enforcing the law for the protec-
ton of public morals, and the encouragement
of vice in every shape.
And in taking this stand, gentlemen, it is
not so much because it is more especially il
the power Of the Mayor to regulate these mat
tiers, than that of any other officer, or eveh
citizen for in truth, according to cur City
Charter, the Mayer Of St. Paul is an tffitcr 0.
very limited poWers-belng without IT gu!ai
police or matt sterial auth, r.ty-but because
know st. Paul already to be city of some
moral repute before the world, and it should be
the ambition of us all, whether in Office or out
Of it, to contribute our mite to keep that re
tHltation uninlpaircd, and rather increase it
from day to day, than suffer il to be one iota
diminished.
T-,,J, Of ~ 7 fr,,- fbof
every citizen, when he observes infractiOns OF
the laws, violations OF the public order and OF
public morals, will remember that while COM
planning without efficient action is the re-
verse of his duty; that there is il Police jus
tice for the City, whose Office is always open
to hear legitimate complaints, and who viii
promptly summon any offender to answer to
the laws, for any Oft nee against them; that
there is a City Marshal who will not shrink
from performing the duties of his Office When
ever opportunity is presented; and that the
Mayor of the City, besides presiding at the
meetings of the Council, has 10 power to in
terftre except to see that the Charter Officers
perform their respective duties, or in the I'M
usual case of riot or resistance to the laws, to
employ special police, levied from the mass
of the citizens for the occasion.
| make these remarks because there seems
to be misunderstanding OF what is the real
position of Mayor of st. Paul, and a disposit-
ion is shown to run a false parallel between his
duties and those of Mayor of larger cities, anC.
mere extended powers, and consequently
to expect from him the exercise OF more au-
thorty than thc laws have conferred upt
him.
1t is with pleasure, gentlemen, that / OBJ
serve by the statements Of the City Comp
troler and Treasurer, that the finances ct ST.
Paul are in fiOurshing condition.
The large debt that we labored under a year
ago when the old town government was sup
planted by the present organization, has bevn
nearly liqudated; the City Survey has beer
completed; while at the same time vari 'us
works Of public improvement have been car
ried on and paid for as they were executed.
Tie anon t Of revenue for city purposes
alone, raised in st Paul the past year for tax
Is and other sources, aln)ln.s to $4,000, anc
when we add to this SCI 600, the total amour,
levied upon the city for county and sch0o
purposes, We have an aggregate OF Sil ,OCO,
no small revenue to bc raised IN city Of ST.
thousand inhabitants, and Of barely SIX years
growth.
Of the amount have mentioned as levied
for county, territorial and school purposes, the
large SUN of-has gone excl, s.vely to the
county. 1t is to I've regretted, tina. in L.
cality, requiring at this time SO many improve
menis, it should be necessary for the county to
take frt m our citizens, already heavily bur,
thened, sum of such magnitude. Could this
exaction be reduced, say one half, it would in
cr use to that extent our ability to improv,
and beautify our city. and it is trusted, ths
county authorities, under new ard stringent
administration of its affairs, will find it unneceS-
sary,to draw the coming year SO heavy an am
cunt from our citizens Ill the shape OF taxes
for county purposes"
III tho subject of and G