The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-09-16
The Discussion Between Brisbin and
Cole at Faribault.
he Pioneer and Democrat


Core poaieace of the Pioneer and Democrat
FARIBAULT, Sept. 7, 1859.
According to previous announcement, the
first discussion between JOHN B. BR1sBIN
and GORDON 4. Cole, candidates Of the
respective parties for the Office of Attorney
General, took place last evening. The
meeting was large, enthusiastic and earnest.
Mr.. Cole commenced the debate, and
occupied bis hour in rehash of the speech
of J. H. BAKER at st. Paul, on Thursday
last, consisting of a labored exhumation of
issues which died with the passage of the
Kansas N ebraska Act, and were buried by
the bred Scott decision, and criticism,
seriatin,, of the resolutions of the Demo-
cratic Convention. The speaker regarded
the Ordinance of 1877 as settling the ques-
ton of the right of Congress to interfere in
the affairs Of the Territories; acclaimed in
the old style about the sacredness of the
Missouri Compromise, and then answered
himself by conceding that at the first avail
able moment-to wit: in 1836-when the
State of Michigan with free, and Arkansas
with slave constitution, applied for admis-
sion into the Union, this so called sacred
compact was ignored, and Northern agi.
tators sought to destroy the integrity of the
Union by opposing the admission of the
slave State. The climax was reached only
when MIR. Cole announced that the bred
Scott decision was not good law u! The
speaker did not adventure to discuss the
cause which led to the pacifcatory legisla-
ton of 1854, the principles of that legisla-
ton, or the legal principles of the bred
Scott decision but contented himself with
highfalutin defamation upon political anti
quities and wholesale denunciation. In
commenting upon the Democratic platform,
the same line was adopted-the argument
against that being that it was probably the
work of JOE BROWN.
l have said that Mr.. Cole criticised the
Democratic platform. He did so until he
arrived at the 18th resolution, at which
point las did his predecessor in the same
field) be nicely stopped. The live issue
the only one which the people are interested
to hear thoroughly discussed-was not ad-
verted to. Mr.. COLE sat down, and Mr..
BRIsBIN, having been introduced to the
audience byJ. B. ONsr1NE, Esq, commenced
by regretting that his adversary had omit
ted all mention of the one issue most i'm
portant to the people of the State at the
present juncture, 1. e., the State policy enun-
ciated by the two parties. In view of the
brief time allowed him in the discussion,
and of his belief that the people desired
most to hear of those matters which most
concerned them, Mr.. B. expressed his inten.
ton to devote his first attention to State
politics, reservng his views of national ques
lions to the last, if time should permit
Mr.. B. first addressed himself to the
charge that the Democratic State Admins
tration had been extravagant, and demon
strated, by reference to the archives of the
State, and the appropriation bills, the only
data, that such charges were not only false,
but wilfully so.
Mr.. B. then spoke of the Railroad policy
of the State Administration, and proved
that Gov. RAMSEY, as a stakeholder and
Director of the Minnesota and Pacific Rail-
road Company, was directly responsible for
the Railroad policy of the State, and
that Governor SHELLEY had steadily and
persistently resisted the efforts of the
Railroad Companies to inaugurate policy
disastrous to the State; that be resisted
Gov. RAMsEY's company until coerced by
the mandate of the Supreme Court, by in
sisting that the State should have first
lien upon all the lands and franchises of
the respective roads. That when the bonds
were offered as basis for banking, notwith-
standing the afidavits of JOHN W. NORTH
and Others of the current value of the bonds
which is all the law requires, the State
Executive refused to sanction the issue of
currency unless the Companies would modify
the original Trust Deed, in such manner
as to limit the whole issue of FIRST Mortgage
Bonds to six hundred and ten thousand
dollars, inclusive of those to be delivered to
the State; that theCompanies, and among
them the Minnesota and Pacific Railroad
Company, had complied and modified their
Trust Deeds in the manner required by the
Governor that Gov. SIBLEY, contrary to
the construction of the Constitutional
Amendment claimed by the Minnesota and
Pacific, and other Companies, had adopted
the policy of Withholding the further issue of
bonds, until the roads were completed and
equipped, thereby making it certain that no
farther bonds will be issued to the Com.
panies except upon fully constructed roads.
Mr.. B. next took up the 9Th resolution of
the Republican and the 18th resolution of
the Democratic platforms. He charged
that the state of things which had made it
necessary for the parties of the State to
enunciate the course of policy as attempted
by their resolutions respectively, had been
brought about by the cry of reputation,
which had been raised by Republican
organs in the State, and especially the CEN
trail organ of the party. The bonds had
been deprecated, the hands of the Conn
panies tied; the benefactions intended by
the Loan Bill, had been neutralized, and of
consequence the currency issued upon the
basis Of the State Bonds had become
worthless.
He demonstrated that the 5th resolution
of the Republican platform, either meant
reputation in disguise, or course of policy,
which would result in immediate taxation.
Wherever it has been translated, as by
ZACHARY CHANDLER, (who he remarked in
passing suggested in his st. Paul speech,
two falsehoods, in relation to the parallel
between the Michigan State Bonds and the
Michigan Banking Law,) it meant repudia-
ton. 1t read reputation by its nice use of
terms, in plighting the faith of the State to
pay its honest debts, thereby catering to the
sentiments of those who regarded the bonds