Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1858-11-27
THE WEEKLY NINNESOTIAN
For The Mnnesotian.
Shall Our Liberties be Ffcser'e

shall Our Liberties be PreserSeo'
The ballot-box having evidently secureu
Republican majority on joint ballot Ill our h's
islature, the question arises whe'hef ,lie hos
islature will assemble in january! lie VINO
us,rned the Office of Governor will not be
likely to call it together, lest it should elect
the wrong man to the US. Senate; and our
Iao;s,.,ure last winter voted to hold no Ses-
sion except at the call Of MI. Sibley.
II i 10 be feared that the dangerous nature
Of this action has not been fully realized 10y
the people of this State. That the Constitu-
ton designed to establish an annual Legislature
no one will question. Its provisions for it arr
clear and explicit. True, it gives the Governor
power to call it together in special emergen-
cies for an extra session, but confer> no power
TO adjourn such session when called But i
no where authorizes him to call a regular ses-
sion of the Legislature, for the Constitution it.
self had settled that On the question of its
assembling he has no voice and can have
none Were it otherwise, the whole Legisla-
tive branch ef the Government would be sub
ject to his dictation and its independence sub
verted. He may call special session, but
cannot dispense with regular annual meet
ing of the Legislature. Here he must be 81
lent, whoever bids him speak, or lay the foun-
dation for his own impeachment.
But cannot the Legislature itself determine
the meeting of subsequent Legislatures? Ger
tainly not. The Constitution confers no such
grant of power to them Were they permitted to
say no Legislature should meet again in less
than two years, it might as well say three, five
or ten, and our whole theory of government
be subverted. The people of Minnesota did
not confer such arbitrary power, and could
never have been made to do so. Not a syl-
liable of it can be found in the Constitution
they adopted.
The attempt to exercise it is an attempt at
revolution and despotism.
\ Legislature can no more control the ac-
ton ola succeeding Legislature, much less its
eristeHce, than one Congress can bind the ac-
ton of another. or of all subsequent Congress-
es to the end of time. Our Senators and Re-
presentatives meet, act 60 home, and perhaps
not a man of them ever has voice there again.
Can they decree that the men whom the peo-
pie shall next year elect shall not meet at all
except at the behest of the Governor. Who
authorized such arrogance?
Such measures, in the infancy of our State,
if silently submitted to, will be most danger
Gus as a precedent. Let political party find
itself embarrassed, and needing one, two, or
more years to place itself hopefully before the
people, and the way is prepared for it. Only
vote that no Legislature shall be held until it
is likely to be able to control il and secure its
officers, and all is done.
Our, as we'll as other, history, affords some
valuable lessons on this policy of interfering
with the Legislative rights Of the people in Or
der to secure certain objects. The British
Government said through its officers, in 1774,
that If the Legislature of Massachusetts would
not do its bidding, Massachusetts should have
no Legislature. Bunker Hill gave the answer
of the people of that day. The slave party
Of 1853 say in substance, if the Legislature of
Minnesota will not choose the man whom we
prefer for L. 5. Senator, Minnesota shall have
no Legislature in 1859! And if that won't do.
probably they will endeavor to say, not in go,
or 81. Why not.
Most sincerely il is to be hoped that at leastthe
Republican party will treat that resolve Of last
session as an impudent nullity, the members
elect meet in Legislation as the Constitution
requires, and proceed with all proper business
with dispatch, and let the servile party resist
if they dare. Nothing else is worthy Of free
men. If our liberties are to be preserved, the
first steps of tyranny must be sternly op-
posed. If not, no successful opposition will
ever be offered. If the whole party will uni
tedly and firmly, it will prove its fitness to be
entrusted with public liberty, and the people
will sustain it. W.