, 1859-03-04

:
printing press and the church, there was
one other institution the American could
not do without-the postofiice. You could
not carry emigration to the Pacific, unless
you first provided the settler with his
weekly or semi-weekly mail. Then he
would move forward until we had no west
ern frontier but the Pacific Ocean.
Gov Ramsey being called upon, stated
that the ground of argument had been al
most entirely covered by the memorial and
what had been said by gentlemen who had
preceded him but on one point he would
allude to. Some people, he was surprised
to find, still spoke Of the impracticabili!y
of the northern route, when the fact was
notorious, that mails had been carried over
this very track since the first occupation
of the northwestern country by the fur
traders. 1t was the route of transit be-
tween the Atlantic cities and the Pacific,
which had been used since the white man
first set foot upon this continent.
Wheat and all the cereal grains were
produced in perfection six hundred miles
north of ST. Paul What nonsense then
10 suppose, that over a country where
wheat could be grown, q mail could not
be carried
j. W. Taylor, Esq, was next called up
on, and alluded to the probability already
mentioned in the resolutions, that if the
American Government neglect the great
highway Of the continent between the
Lakes aud the North Pacific, British Gu
terpriSe, within the next twelve mouths,
would establish an Overland mail route
north of the international boundary. 1t
would be one Of Il series Of measures, al
ready made familiar by public discussion.
The mission Of Lord Bury, and the recep-
tion Of Canadian ministers in London, fully
Indicate that a confederation of the British
Provinces, the political organization Of the
basin Of Lake Winnipeg, u line Of postal
communication from Galway to Canada,
and thence to British Columbia, and
Continental Railroad, constitute the set
tied policy Of Great Britain and there
was great probability that semi-weekly
mail would be first in order. Mr.. Taylor
was in receipt of assurances, that for some
time TO come, such mail would take the
route Of St. Panl and Pembina.
For one he hoped that the Government
Of the United States would be equal to the
occasion, which late events have developed
that our rulers would be adequate to
grasp and WELD tho destiny of an ocean
bound republic but if not, if VIC are to re-
main laggard and paralysed, then he re-
ioiced that the noble old mother stock
would press forward with energy as well
as sagacity to the great Pacific prize
Every Mnnesotian would so rejoce, for
here the spirit of International Reciprocity
ruled the hour
But this assembly-the spirithere evnced
the concurrence of the Great Northwest
all the signs Of the times, were full Of
encouragement. The affirmative voice Of
Congress cannot be withheld from the rea-
Sonable demand of the Upper Mississippi
States and the communities Of Oregon aud
Washington.
The memorial aud resolutions were then
put and unanimously adopted. The pro-
ceedings were ordered published in the pa
pers of the state, and copies to be sent to
our members of Congress and the Postmas-
ter General.
The chair appointed the following gen
tlemen as the Executive Committee, in ac-
cordance with the fifth resolution
Jas. W. Taylor, Alex, Ramsey, Geo. l..
Becker, John S. Prinye, ]. w. Bass, d. A..
Robertson and Girard Hewitt
The reading of the memorial and the re-
marks of the speakers were frequently in
terrupted by the plaudits Of the audience,
and the whole proceedings were of the
most earnest aud enthusiastic chara cter