The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-07-18
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
MONDAY. JULY IL. 1857.

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.
MONDAY, JULY 10, 1851.
The delegates elected to form C0nstitu-
ton and State Government for the Territory
of Minnesota, this day assembled in the Hall
of the House of Representatives OF the Capt.
tol.
At Is minutes before IL o'clock, Mr.. j. w.
N nth called the Convention to order and
nominated Thomas j. Galbraith as President
pro tempore.
Mr.. North put the question to the Conven-
ton and declared it carried.
Mr. Galbraith thereupon took the chair.
simultaneously with the above proceed
ings, Mr.. G. L. Chase, Secretary for the Ter
ritory, appeared at the Speakers desk, and
| Mr.. w. A. German moved that the Conven.
ton adjourn until tomorrow at IL o'clock NJ.
Mr.. Chase put the question. and decl red
the Convention accordingly adjourned. The
Democratic delegates thereupon retired from
the Hall.
The President pro tempore having called
the Convention to order
Mr. Foster nominated the following tenn
porary officers, who were without division
declared elected.
L. A. Babcock, Secretary.
10. A. Ward, Assistant Secretary.
VIM. Foster, Sergeant alarms
B. L. Sellers, Messenger.
Gustav. Leue, Fireman.
Mr.. North said he would state for the in
| formation of those who might not have been
f, aware of the facts that he nominated Mr.. Gal
braith as President pro tempore at the written
| request of a majority of the members of the
entire Convention.
On motion of Mr.. Aldrich the President,
pro tenn, was authorized to appoint commit
tee of five members to collect and report up-
on the credentials of the delegates present.
The President pro tenn, appointed as such
committee, Messrs. North, Aldrich, Sher-
burne, Vaughn and Baasen.
The Committee having performed the duty
assigned them, reported the following de-
egates as having presented regular creden-
tials.
First Distyict-P A. Cedrstom, W. H. G. Folsom, L.
X. Stannard, Charles F. Lowe.
Third District s. W. Putnam, D. NJ. Hall, D. A. Sc
combe, P. winell, L. C. Walker, J. H. Murphy.
Fourth District-Chas Mcclure, Aaron G. Hudson,
| Geo, Watson, Frank Mantor, Joseph Peckham
| Fifh District-Frederick Aver.
Sar District-JOhn w. North, Thomas Bolles, Oscar
F. Perkins, Thos. Foster, Thos. J. Gabraith, D. D.
Dickinson.
Eighth District-Alanson B. Vaughn. G. W. Thomp-
John A. Anderson, Chas. A. Coe, N. B. Colburn
jos. A. McCann, II. A. Billings Charles Hanson, H. W.
Holly, John Ceghorn, A. H. Butler, Robert Lyle.
Ninth District-st. A. D. Bacombe, Charles Garrish,
Simeon Harding Nathan D. Robbins, W. J. Duly, Sam.
A. Kemp Thomas Wilson, David L. King, Benjamin @.
Baldwin.
Tenth District-Amos CoggsweI Lewis McKune,
EzerenM District-Cyrus Aldrich, Wentworth Hay
den, L. L. Bartholomew, W. r. Russell, Henry Esche,
David Morgan, L. N. Bates, Albert W. Coombs, T. d.
Smith, b. E. Messer.
On motion of Mr.. Foster, Editors and Re-
porters of Newspapers were invited to seats
within the bar.
On motion of Mr.. Thompson, the report
Of the Committee on Credentials was accept
ed.
Mr.. Secombe moved that the credentials
presented, he entered at large on the Journal.
He wished that from the very commencement
it should become apparent upon what basis
we are proceeding.
Mr.. Foster approved of the motion. The
Convention had no archieves in which its pa
pers are to be deposited The journal was
the only record of the convention and he ho-
ped these credentials would be spread upon
| that record.
The motion was adopted.
On motion of Mr.. North, Maj. Furber, a
Justice of the Peace, administered to the del
| egates present. the usual oath to support the
Cons, tuition of the United States.
The President pro tempore then announ-
ed that majority of the authorized num-
Der of members of the body being present
and in their seats, he declared the conven-
ton open for the transaction of any legti-
mate business which may come before it.
On motion of Mr.. North the Convention
proceeded ric0 Uoce to elect a permanent
President, when it appeared that Daniel T.
Balcombe received Sc votes. Mr.. Aldrich 1.
| On motion of Mr.. North, Messrs. Foster
and Thompson conducted the President elect
| to the chair.
The President then addressed the Conven-
ton as follows:
| GENTLEMEN OF THE CONVENTION II re-
turn to you my sincere thanks for this mark
of your kind consideration in electing me as
as your presiding officer. / assume the du-
ties of this position with knowledge of the
fact that there are many members of the
Convention now before me who are much
better qualified to perform its duties than
myself But ask it as favor of each and
every member to aid me as far as it is posi-
BILE so to do, in the performance of the re-
spOnsible duties to which you have assigned
me- shall simply say that shall endeavor
to discharge them to the best of my ability,
and that if fail it will be simply because
| have not the ability and MT because have
not the ambition and disposition to perform
the duties assigned me in a crcditable man.
ner. l again return my sincere thanks for
your consideration and for the honor you
have conferred upon me. (Applause.)
The Convention then proceeded to perfect
its organization by electing as permanent Of
| fcers the several gentlemen who had been
| temporarily elected.
The Rev. f. d. Neill was nominated as
| Chaplain for the Convention, and after eulo-
gums upon his character and past services
in the Territory. by Messrs. Foster, Gal
braith and Worth, was unanimously elected.
On motion, Messrs. Galbraith, Wilson and
Mcclure, were appointed committee to pre-
pare code of rules.
The Convention next proceeded to the
consideration of the question, required by
the Enabling Act first to be decided, as to the
the wish of the people of the Territory at this
time to come into the Union on equal footing
| with the original States. The discussion
was continued at great length, after which
the following resolution was adopted:
IeSUC6t, L Hat IL Is GIlc WISH Vi Luc pcO-
pie Of the proposed State of Minnesota, to
be admitted into the Union at this time in
accordance with the provisions of the Act of
Congress entitled can Act to authorize the
people of the Territory of Minnesota to form
Constitution and State Government pre-
paratory to their admission into the Union on
an equal footing with the original States"
A resolution was subsequently adopted
requiring the proper notice to be given to
the Secretary of the Interior and to the
Marshal of the Territory relative to the TAX
ing of the Census.
The Convention had not adjourned when
we went to press.
TUESDAY, JULY IA, 1857.
| The PRESIDENT called the Convention
| to order at O'Clock.
A quorum being present, the Convention
then proceeded to business.
On motion, the reading of the journal was