The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1855-04-14
Proceedings Of the Councii.

The President called the Council to order
and then proceeded to administer the oath Of
Office to Alex. Ramsey, Mayor elect.
The following Aldermen elect, viz: VIM. Fl
Mobiles and G. II. Schurmeir, from the FRS,
Ward,C. S. Cave and A. l.. Larpenteur from the
Second Ward, J. r. Irvine and A. G. Fuller
from the Third Ward. presented themselves al
the Presidents desk and duly,received the oath
of Office. and were admitted to their seats.
The President having vacated the chair
Mayor Ramsey then took his place as presiding
officer of the Council After which he deliy.
cred the following address:
Gentlemen ofMe City Council: Unsolicited
aud unwshed for as was the position Inow fnd
myself placed in l yet recognize the obliga
ton of public duty resting upon every mem
Der of society in a free community. to serve thu
public in whatever capacity the people may
REQUIRE his aid and therefore accept the of
fee imposed upon me by the partially of my
fellow citizens; and shall be most happy, gen
tlemen within the limited space of my lega
powers, to cooperate with you in labOring dill
igently for the growth, prosperity aud reputa
ton Of st. Paula city in which | might be ex
pected to feel some peculiar interest, If from NJ
other cause. than having seen its growth day
by day, and year by year, from dozen or two
houses to be a capital of enterprise, wealth an(
refinement the happy hope Of the six thousand
people we see around US.
And gentlemen, when consider the circum
stances under which it has grown up: suddenly
in few years; frontier place: the resort of 8
disproportiOnately large number of strangers
and men for season out of regular employ
ment and business. many of them without the
restraints of families: think we ought to con
graduate ourselves on the general quiet and
order which are certainly the leading charac
terstics of St. Paul, and which to persons com
ing from abroad to sojourn or settle amongst
us, has been principal recommendation and
inducement. Not that we are quite perfect
not that Irregularities do not exist, requiring
probably the hand of authority to correct and
regulate: and in so far as this may be found tc
he the case, l shall gladly cooperate with you
gentlemen. and other officials of the city, in
promptly enforcing the laws for the protection
of public morals and the Encouragement o.
vice in every shape.
In taking this stand gentlemen, it is not sc
much because it is more especially in the pow.
cr of the Mayor to regulate these matters, than
OF any other officer or citizen for in truth, &C
cording to our city charter, the Mayor of St.
without regular police or magisteral author
ity T.; but because know st. Paul to be alrea-
dy city of some moral repute before the ord
aud it should be the ambition of all, whether in
office or out Oft to contribute us mite to keen
that reputation unimpaired, and rather increase
it from day to day, than suffer it to be in one
iota diminished.
Under this view of the matter, trust that
erery citizen. when he observes infractions Of
the laws: violations of the public order and pub
lie morals: will remember that idle complain
ings without efficient action, is the reverse Of
his duty; that there is Police Justice for the
city. whose Office is always open to hear legit
innate complaints, and who will promptly sum
mon offenders to answer to the laws for any Of
fence against them ; that there is City Mar
shall who will not shrink from performing the
duties of his Office whenever opportunity is
presented and that the Mayor of the city, be-
sides presiding at the meetings of the Council
has no power to interpose except to see that
the charter officers perform their respective du.
ties, or, in the unusual case of riot or resist,
ance to the laws. to embOdy special police
levied from the mass of the citizens, for the &C.
casion. | make these remarks, because there
seems to be a misunderstanding of what is the
real position of Mayor of St. Paul; and dis
position is evinced to run false parallel be.
tween his duties and those of the Mayors o.
larger cities and more extended powers; and
consequently, to expect from him the exercise
OF more authority than the laws have conferred
upon him.
1t is with pleasure. gentlemen, that observ.
by the statements of the city Comptroller and
Treasurer that the finances of St. Paul are in
most healthy condition. The large debt tina
we laboEed under a year ago, when the ole
town government was supplanted by the pre-
sent organization, has been mainly liquidated
the city survey has been completed; while a
the same time various works of public improve
ment have been carried on and paid for as they
were executed.
The amount of revenue for city purposes
alone, raised in St. Paul the past year from
taxes and other sources. amounts to $4,000
and when to this we add S2l 900, the total
amount levied upon the city for county, school
and territorial purposes, we have an aggregate
of Sal 900; no small revenue to be raised in a
city of six thousand Inhabitants and of barely
six years. growth.
OF the amount have mentioned, as levied
for county, territorial and school purposes, the
large sum of SIS. 500 has gone exclusively to
the county. 1t is to be regretted, that in a
locality requiring at this time so many i'm
provements, it should be necessary for the
county to take from our citizens. already heav-
u
Could this eXaction be reduced, say one half,
it would increase to that extent our ability to
improve and beautify our city and it is trust
ed. the county authorities will under a more
stringent administrati' of its affairs, fluid it
unnecessary to withdraw the coming year, so
heavy an amount from our citizens in the shape
of taxes "fOr county purposes"
And while on the subject of taxes and the
finances, it is appropriate to observe that the
time has probably come when the improvements
demanded for the next three years in the open
ing of streets; the erection of town hall and
lookup; for drainage, culverts. the introduce
ton of water for domestic uses, the lighting
and watching of the city, &c, will be too Oner-
GUS for the present tax payers at once to meet
and suggest the inquiry whether justice and
sound economy would not dictate that we
should rather raise an improvement fund by a
loan on the credit of the city, for a term say
of twenty years, which could easily be liquid
ated by the increased population and means a
few years would inevitably bringus.
Among the improvements that occur to me
requiring the attention of the Council, is the
draining of that portion of the city northward-
ly towards the foot of the bluffs, where innu-
merable springs discharge their waters, which,
the soil and sinking into the crew.
ees of the rocks, prevents the drainage Of Gel
lars, and presents not only serious obstacle
towards the progi ess of the city in that direc-
ton, but threatens the health of the people,
Two deep bitches or culverts one through the
lower plateau draining into Trout Brook and
the other cut through the limestone rock of the
upper plateau to the Mississippi River, seem to
me the most economical and effectual means OF
this work.
supply of water for domestic purposes is
one great want of our city. and would suggest
that men of science and experience be employ
ed to report upon the most practicable and
vol MI nf e., el,s