Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1858-1859, 1859-04-09
St. Paul owes One Debt!

We have seen in Minnesota many things
that justly deserved censure. Regarding
many of these we have spoken out as became
public Journalists. But it is not our nature
to complain at everything and never be thank
full for anything We design now to publicly
express our thanks for one blessed piece Of
good fortune for this City, and we believe every
citizen of ST. Paul, without regard to politics
or religion, will cheerfully join us.
But before We. come to speak of that, let us
give brief glance over the past ten years, in
which we have seen ST. Paul grow from rude
village, with more red skins than white, to a
City of fifteen thousand people The land
we then saw bought from "Uncle SAM for
ten shillings per acre, is now worth fifty thou
sand dollars per acre; the plains on which
were then scattered tents and Indian wigwams,
are now covered with gorgeous brick and stone
blocks, three, four, five, and six stories high,
and the wild hazel covered plain, now fash
toned into well graded streets and lit for miles
with Gas lights
Nineteen months ago that terrible panic
occurred which shook the commercial world
and spread CONSERVATION and dSmay wher-
ever there had been energy and progress
St. Paul, the "fast City Of the West" was
in prime condition to feel the force Of that
panic, and for time we had no idea where it
would land u.s. We passed over the ensuing
winter as all will remember, with less suffering,
we verify believe, than any City of our size
in the Union.
Then we entered upon the business season
Of the panic year 1858 with fear and trem-
bling. In other and older cities we saw the
yielding up of newspaper establishments and
the merging of Others, and the closing of man.
9th notes.-the surest inuex Of the tide in
the business affairs of cities. Here three
daily and five weekly papers all survived, and
still live, while none of our hotels either closed
or suspended, and the busy hum of industry
continued with unabated vigor; and at the
close of that dark year VIC saw that st Paul
had held steadily on her way, and erected
more and better buildings that year than any
year before! The panic caused many of our
best men to. suffer financially, it is true, but
the effect upon the future of the city cannot
be mistaken. There no longer exist the dozen
rival cities Of which we used hear from the
time we started from St. Louis until we reach
ed the head of navigation; but st. Paul stands
acknowledged to be head and shoulders above
all the cities west of Chicago and St. Louis.
4 city without rival and for which Nature
mate no precision for a riuat. Look at the
river and the map.
Of course there are many reasons why St.
Paul so barely overrodc the troubulous times
and to. day shows evidence of improvement
and progress, surprising any previous spring
in her past history. But there is one reason
above all others, and of this we set out t.
speak-one fortunate circumstance, one hap
by escape, which should be remembered by
every citizen with emotions Of profound graft
tude, with devout thanksgiving-V. R,u
aeper Loanetl her credit to Railroads.! Loci
to-day At the condition of Racine, Keokuk
Dubuque, and other unfortunate cities tina
in an evil hour pledged their faith for Rail
road loans. May we learn wisdom from
their dearly bought lesson of experience
And now, we don't want to be profane, lik
the heather of the Pioneer, but that we ma.
be fairly out Of debt, we propose that 81
Paul pay her last obligation-the debt Of graz