Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-01-08

Th4 len at the head oEthe r uxet Son nd
iQ4prland Mail MOvsinent--.EdgeFtO
YsKlttson.--lLOlcOnab berisen.
If there be any sirtue or potency 1t all in
public assemblies of the people, the St. Paul
snd Puget Sound Overland Mail- Enterprise
most certainly will get substantial push
ahead on the high road towards successful
fruition, from the imposing character of the
meeting of the best men of st. Paul, which
assembled at Concert Hall on Monday evening
ilast the Sd inst e e ! + !
The meeting, as we before stated, was an
overaowing one, not only in numbers but en-
thusiasm, backed with sound terse arguments,
urged by men of ability and responsibility.
b On looking over the record of those parti-
cipating most prominently in the proceedings,
no resident of S.. Paul, nor indeed of Mime
sofa, can repress feelings of satisfaction, that
we are thus able to furnish so many citi-
zens of talent, experience, high reputation
and pecuniary means, to take the lead in an
important movement such as this, which con-
templates no less than bringing the head Of
navigation Of. the great Mississippi within the
comparatively short distance of only Is or 1S
days travel to the Pacific Ocean, and of con-
Meeting our Father of Rivers, by an almost
IF frop fofs vxy.th no
teeming empires of Japan and China and the
newly developing possessions Of the Russians
in Western Asia. ..~- a... a-.t. ...,. lii
Though, perhaps, at Washington city the
people of this State, and their interests are
not considered of much account beside the
superior objects of raising cotton, propogating
negroes, and making Presidents who will ex-
tend the area of freedom to be occupied by
the black human cattle, nevertheless We hum
bly, trust that the statesman-ike views of .
meeting like this, representing the intellect,
the experience, the nerve, and the wealth Of
Minnesota embodied together for high pur-
poses and contemplating momentous results to
the nation and the world at large, will receive
at least little respectful attention from those
constituting the national government, who are,
in theory at least, the promoters of the peoples
interests and the administrators to the best
advantage of the national domain. le q"
1t may be that our Congressional friends
would be more stimulated to lend their sup
port to the views of the meeting, if they know
a little more precisely who the men are that
appear most prominent in its proceedings, and
what are their several, claims on the score of
their individual position, to respectful consid-
Grafton, and how far their testimony relative to
the practicabiity of the Northern Overland
Route, and of its freedom from objection ON
the score of climate and latitude, can be safely
taken, on account of being the testimony of
men of high standing and veracity, as con-
elusive on those points,
We propose, therefore, to enlghten them
somewhat as to the personnel of the meeting.
Bcfore,however, particularizing individuals,
wewould preface, ingeneral terms, that the men
who are leading off in this movement, are Of
that class of Minnesotians who are not open to
the reproach of belonging to that order of men
who, in times past, by chicanery, Legislative
lodges, subterfuges, and trickery of various
kind, have, while ruling our State, thrown
over our enterprises an odium of suspicion
and excited the we'll founded distrust of peo-
pie abroad in their representations. On the
contrary, amongst the heads of this present
enterprise, there are few or none of those who
have been bribing our legislatures, forging
gubernatorial election returns, altering acts
of Congress whilst they were in transtu be-
tween the two houses, or who have deliberate
Iy gotten up projects for bolstering up or
entirely acquiring private fortunes through
swindles perpetrated either on the government
or he people. No indeed. This meeting was
in truth conceived, got up, managed, and the
entire project is sustained, by very differ
ent kind Of people. The most solid, honest
and upright class of our citizens-the sub
stantial, non gaseous men-who 60 to make
| up our popular backbone as to mental worth
and sturdy physique-these are the men who
have taken hold of this project, and who are
pushing it on, moved by no individual selfish.
ness, but solely by sense Of its public i'm
portance, locally to as and generally to the
whole Union; from true conception of the
magnificent results which will flow from its
successful operation. and in the practicabiity
of which success they all ardently believe.
| A good evidence of there being not mite
of humbug or buncombe about it, is the style
of man with whom the idea of the meeting
originated. The name of ERAsTUs S. EDG-
ERroN would be alone sufficient to divest any
project started by him, as this was, of a
doubt of its being made in good faith and Of
its being founded on real base of probabili-
ty and fact All who know him, are aware
that he is probably the most unspeculative,
and some think even the most super-cautious,
business man in st. Paul. There are those
who have deemed him not only timid but un-
enterprising. Originally from Delaware Coun-
ty, New York, where he took somewhat
prominent stand with the officers of the law
against the Anti-Renters, he has engaged
here in St. Paul largely in banking; has al
ways eschewed operations in real estate, even
in the most exciting period of our land spec
ulating fever and has carried on his banking
house with honor and credit safely over the
breakers of the late panic. Representing in
his own right, and controlling for others, a
heavy capital, his conservative judgment and
truthful speech SO wholly approves the project,