The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-02-14
official DelinSuineiss OF =. Travis
Uosser, Secretary Of MinneeosA
TerrigoPy.

=. official DelinSuineiss Of ,. Travis
uosser, Secretary Of Minnesota
Territory.
While it is one Of the most pleasursble oct
Of the journalist to commend public officers 70
the prompt and proper discharge Of their OH
cial functions, it is Mt the same time the mos
distastefal Of his duties to expose official de
linquencies. This duty, to q Democratic edi
tor, becomes a Notifying one, when the delin
quent is Of the same political faith, and occu
pies position as representative Of the judgmen
and integrity Of Democratic national admin
istratiop. It Is therefore with sense Of deel
humiliation in political view, that we yielt
to the requirements Of the public good. and ex
pose q few Of the breaches and neglects Of dut,
Of which the Secretary Of this Territory ha'
been guilty.
The Secretary is made by law, the inancia
agent Of the general government in its disburs
ments Of the legislative appropriations which
are annually passed for the benefit aud relief oil
the people of the Territory As such agent b,
is provided with an Office at the charge Of the
United States, and furnished with means to de.
fray its necessary expenses. 1t is his duty to
keep his Office open for the transaction Of bust
ness, during business hours of business days
throughout the year. SO far from this having
been done by the present Secretary, we state il
as n truth known TO all our residents who have
had business transactions with the government
that since the adjournment Of the last session
Of the Legislature his Office has not been opened
an average Of one day week. During the
past year it has been next TO an impossibiity
70 transact any official business whatever with
the Secretary Of this Territory.
In section 5, chapter Is, Of the Statutes Of
Minnesota, it is made the duty Of the Secreta-
ry of the Territory to furnish to the public
printer a copy Of oil acts, memorials, and joint
resolutions passed at each session Of the Legis-
lative Assembly, within thirty days after the ad.
journment thereof This requirement Of law is
necessary one, that the people may have the
earliest possible knowledge of the character Of
the laws affecting their lives and their property,
and which they are bound to obey. The re-
quirement is not only necessary, but it is also
reasonable one which coukl be complied
with by the Secretary as well and as conven-
iently in thirty days rs in thirty months. But,
we state it as fact within our knowledge, that
the Secretary Of the Territory is responsible,
through neglect Of duty, for the delay in the
publication of the laws Of the last session, until
the latter part Of December, when they frst
made their appearance. We know that the
printer who bad the contract for public printing,
used oil possible means to get copies Of the laws
throughout the whole Of the last season, and that
it was with difficulty he obtained them in time to
print them before the commencement Of the pre-
sent session. The laws, when be did obtain them
were in the most bupgling condition and the
result is, that, for all practical purposes, the
book Of last winters enactments is compare
lively worthless as authority. Laws are omit
ted, and laws are duplicated, in the utmost con-
fusion. And, worst Of all, instead OF recording
the laws in his Office, as required by the organic
act Of the Territory, and sending out to the
printer carefully compared copies thereof, the
originals themselves were sent, and subjected TO
the chances of loss and fraudulent alteration,
while the archives Of the Territory were left
barren Of the Legislative enactments. The
negligence Of the Secretary in this respect has
been seriously detrimental to the public interest.
The Judges Of our courts, whose duty it is to
administer law, have found il impossible to OBJ
tain copies thereof fp their information and
Justice has been blind in fact as well as in met
aphor. Parties have not known their rights
or obligations, and attorneys have not known
how to enforce them. The people have been
governed by an ambulatory code; triangulating
from the Secretary's Office TO our own, hence
to Minneapolis, and from thence back to the
Secretary. And oil through the gross necii-
gence, the criminal Indifference, Of Secretary
RossER to his own duty and the public interest
II is part Of the duty OF the Secretary to
forward annually TO the Secretary Of the
Treasury Of the United States, an estimate Of
the expenditures OF the Legislature for the
succeeding year. We charge upon the Score
tary neglect Of this duty during the past
year And we propose TO convict him ofsnch
neglect, by disproviug the truth Of the state
ments made in his communication TO the Coun
ell under date Of the 5th inst. The Secretary
says
ia my estimates last fall, Of male provisos
sor the Increased expenditures, and doubt spsets
approeristo on meet sad Increase, would hsve been
asde eefre the but for the fAilars Of the House o
Representatives to orf.nifs at the usual time
So far from this being true. we assert tina
the proper Department at Washington WA
not " last fall, nor has it siDce, up to the dat
Of our latest sdvices therefrom. been oficiall,
notified OF any increase whatever in the mum
Dor and expenses Of the legislative Assembl,
Of this Territory. In reply to letter address
ed By one Of the editors Of this paper to Hon
II. N. RICE, Delegate to Congress, making 10
quiry o. to whether the Secretary had mad
provision for the increased expenditures" i
his annual estimate, that gentleman wrote Us
under date Of Washington Dec. 18th, 1855,
the following:
DsAn sra Since writing this morning, ! have nee
10 the rr.ssary Department and Issrnsa hat NJ kos
hss islea N iniorun the department Of ne sere~s
10 yosr Legislature He shoaA DO - .; oncs sns ais
ss;lnats fyr the sx'rs that vii - rseur>t
m@nb<rs 4 Z 4, pint r.. As