Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-01-15

Puget sound Overland Stage Route
Meeting--.Judge Aaron Goodrich.
On Friday last, we passed in review, in
general way, the men who participated prom
inently in the proceedings of the Meeting to
urge forward the project of Tri-Weekly
mail communicating with the Pacific Ocean at
some point on its great bay or inlet known as
Puget's Sound, in the Territory Of Washing
ton.
We therein alluded to its being urged for
ward by superior set Of men, with an ex-
ception or two, to those pocket and moccasin
politicians who, in alliance with Wisconsin
gophers, have placed themselves at the head
Of other enterprises in Minnesota to their in
finite damage and obstruction.
We therein, also, mentioned in semi-bio-
graphic style, ERAsrUs S. EDGERroN, the
originator of the meeting-Mayor KITTsoN,
its President, and Lieutenant Governor HoL-
coNBE and Col D. A. ROBERTSON, two amongst
its Vice Presidents.
Next, on the list of Vice Presidents, we find
recorded the name of Judge AARON Good
RICH, who took also a prominent part amongst
the speech-makers at the meeting.
The Judge is queer compound of singular
ability and singular eccentricities. He is q
native of Cayuga County in the State of New
York-the County and State of WV. H.
SEWARD. Educated in Buffalo; brought up
originally to the foundry trade; he eventually
became a merchant in extensive business in
that city; but the revulsion of 1887 left him
high and dry on the financial rocks Of that
period, upon which so many of the business
craft were wrecked. Next, studying law, he
proceeded to Tennessee to recuperate his for
tunes, and for number of years acted as
Postmaster of, and practiced law in, the town
of DOVER, on the Cumberland river, below
Nashville, in Middle Tennessee Here, though
in strong Democratic County, he was cho-
scn,-Whig in politics as he was,-several
times to the State Legislature; and was, it is
said, the first man to urge in that body the
policy of Homestead Exemption Law In
1919, during the TAYLOR contest for the
Presidency, he was nominated for Presiden-
tial Elector on the TAYLOR ticket; and in that
capacity stumped the State, riding from
county to county, and contesting the election
on the stump, Southern fashion, against KAN
zAs STANTON and other Democrats, who sus-
tanned the CAss ticket. We are personally
knowing to Mr.. SrANroN's declarations when
in Washington City serving in Congress, that
'Judge Goodrich was one of the widest, wit
test, and most formidable men on the stump
that the Democracy of Tennessee had to en-
counter in the campaign of that year."
On General TAYLOR inauguration as Pres
ident, Mr.. GooDRICH was appointed Chief
Justice of Minnesota, and arrived at St. Paul
on tho Goth of May, 1s49, being the first ter
ritorial officer on hand ready for duty. He
served as Chief Justice for two years, when
the accidental accession of Fillmore to the
Presidency allowed success to the machina-
tons Of the RICE faction of the territory
against him, aided as it was by FILLMoRE's
extreme anxiety for opportunities to pension
off some of his silver gray" friends of New
York; and JUDGE GooDRIcH was therefore
removed from his position on the bench to
give place, first to FULLER of Albany, and on
his non confirmation by the Senate, next to
HAYNER Of Troy, New York.
During the last election campaign in Min
Gov <lo hi -
Judge Goodrich for the first time took the
stump in this region, and quite indicated his
reputation OF being an extraordinarily effective
opeaker in numerous speeches in different
parts of the State-specches that were both
witty and powerful, his illustrations, to be
sure, not always being pleasing to the fastidi-
ous,bu certainly irresistible for their point and
their laughable appositeness.
Judge Goodrich is not regarded by many
with favor as lawyer; but all concede him
to be a man of power, who is capable of max
ing his mark strongly upon the public mind
AS we observed at the commencement, the
Judge has ecccntricities of character which
mar somewhat the force of his mentality
Dogmative in his opinions inveterate in his
enmities; somewhat prone to be fattered
he generally has some hobby in hand which
he rides over friend and foe. Now, it is one
| thing, and now, another-the "Code" of Min
nesota was most lately his continual theme
for comment-but at all times, under every
circumstance, he keeps Judge DAVID COOPER,
his former colleague on the Territorial bench
of Judges-as the Pivot on which all things
evil and unpropitious in the body polite are
made by him to turn There was some diff
ference between the two Judges in former
years; but while COOPER has forgotten or
ceased to regard it, GooDRICH steers himself
by the old enmity as though it We're a mari
ner's compass to take him over the trackless
sea of life. We verify believe, that nothing
can happen, in the legislature,-in conven-
tion,-in cOurt,-or in the domestic circle,
but that, somehow or other, he will make
Judge COOPER the cause and origin of it all
it is indeed wonderful the extraordinary inge-
nuity he exercises in this species of cooper
ing? And when he is himself little at fault
in exactly fixing Judge COOPER as the dire
originator of some terrible thing, JOHN P.
OWENS and he take counsel together in his
office and between the two it is all soon set
tied how {" that man COOPER" did it exactly
and "the oldest editor in the State reter-
ates their modus operandi in the next edition
of the Times; while perhaps EARL S. Coop
RICH gets hint how to prod up the same dis
astrous parsonage in his Pioneer! In the
meantime, Judge COOPER, unconscious of all
this plotting and of all the sins he has been