St. Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1861-01-11

From the Report submitted to you it
will be seen that immediately after the pas
SAGE Of the act creating that officer State
Superintendent ef Public Instruction
he entered upon The duties OF mis- Office
Owing to the incompleteness of existing
school laws, while every effort has been
made by the Superintendent, the lecal
officers have failed to render the reports so
necessary to learn the Workings OF the
Common School system.
The increasing correspondence Of the
department win render necessary an ap-
preparation for clerk for the ensuing year;
compensation ought also to be made for the
services Of the Superintendent for the last
year, and suitable provision should be had
for the same in future. .E(SSI Il
The recommendation of the Report in re-
lation to revision Of the school code, text
books and other subjects, should engage
your earliest attention, SO that, If possible,
the new code, if one be determined upon,
upon, ttiay' be ready for distribution by the
adjournment ofsthe Legislature -
THE Normal School established at Wi
mona, from, the Report, appear to have more
than t1er the sanguine expectations OF its
friends. An enlightened public policy die
tates that an Institution whose object is to
train amet and women for the noble ayoca-
ton Of teachers in the the public schools
Of tile State, should receive the fostering
care Of tie monwealth. t.'r..,
ii' THE last Legislature created a State
University to succeed the Territorial insti-
tuition Of learning, which had been in ex-
istehce for several years previous to the
admission or Minnesota into the Union.
The Regents have been surrounded with
difficulties growing out of the pecuniary
embaffassrnents Of the Territorial Institu-
tes, ana the confused and irregular mode in
which its accounts have been kept. The
fill settlement Of affairs Of the old institu-
ton is made the subject Of The first annual
Report Of the Regents Of the State Uniyer-
s;t,, sitsssss2 gLfsT F4Iss SA5f2" - t7A. ''4i4
J. The history Of railroad enterprise in
Minnesota IS too recent, too brief, and too
well remembered to demand recapitulation
in detail: The lesson taught thereby, is
easy to comprehend, and has been no
doubt wefl terened. .-.
.. tt Is nov confessed tiy all that the State
prematurely entered upon. the railroad en-
terprises OF 1857. Had its action been
confined to the disposal of the Congress
ional Land Grant, lit had been well, but
the conditional loan Of State credit, super
added to the gift of lands, and the futile
results of a scheme from which so much
was promised, have satisfied the most en-
thusiastic o the imprudence at ali times
Of leaning the credit of a. State to private
corporations, and the special folly Of at
tempting by such means to accomplish EN-
terprises in advance'o Of the necessities and
requirements Of q community's s material
interests. - t'*"is.b % ~ =, @''>',.-'' ..
- Fhe tertnsupo which the loan was con.
ceded not having been fulfilled by either oi
the'rairoad companies receiving it, default
followed, and il became within the power
Of the State by enforcing the forfeiture,
to-agair, resume control of her land grant.
The Act Of March 9th, 1859, required Of
the Govcrner to'foreelose or cause to be
forecloSed, the trust deeds Of the default
ing companies and authorized him in his
discretion, at the sale ON such foreclosure
to Z bid off and pnrchase the property,
rights and franchises, covered by the trust
deeds, for and in the name of the State,
and TO- ornake or cause to be made the ne
cessary conyeyances to the State. = -
70 Pursuant to this Act the trust deeds Of
the several companies have been foreclosed
in accordance with the terms Of the re-
spective instruments This was done at
my request by the Trustees Of the Mime
apolis aud Cedar Valley Company, and by
my own action in the ether cases, on the
neglect, and refusal Of the Trustees 10 pro-
ceed. The forfeited lands, rights, franchis-
es and other property of all of these COM
panies were purchased at the foreclosure
sales in the name aud on behalf Of the
State Of Minnesota, for the sum of one
thousand dollars in n'eacfl case, for the pay
nient of which an appropriation will be-
come necessary. H. y. %, ,i''t -. '-'
Prior to the sale Of The property and fran
chises of the Transit, Southern Minnesota
and Pacific Companies, temporary injunc.
tons were served upon me, proceeding
from the District Court of the Second Ju-
dicial district. in and for the County OF
Ramsey, enjoining me from proceeding
further with the sales then just about to
takeplace Knowing that injunctions Of
chat nature are granted er pdrte, and as Of
course, my conviction that the Chief execu-
tive officer of the State, in the exercise oI
his official duties, is independent Of the
other coordinate branches of the Govern.
ment, did not impair my confidence in the
integrity and sound judicial wisdom Of the
Courtroom which the mandate issued, al
though that convictionled me to disobey it.
~ shoaldnot however have deemed it ad-
visable to proceed with the sales, had ii
not been my opinion, confirmed by the
advice Of. the Attorney General, that the
grounds on which a perpetual injunctioR
was asked, were untenable, and that the
sales could never be successfully attacked
and set aside; and further, that it was
particularly desirable for the State to re.
takesher grant before the present session.
Such is a history of Executive action in
this regard since the adjournment of the
last legislature BY this action, as was
contemplated, the State has again become
possessed Of her munificent Congressional
grant, and the franchises of the late com.
Ip&nies have reverted. In short, we are in
the same condition as to Railroad lands and
Railroads AZ on the day when the Legisia-
ture ofl4S57 assembled in extra session,
except, that we have about two hundred
and forty miles,of graded road bed, and
something over two and q quarter million
dollars OF conditional State obligations out
standing, as perpetual warning Of the folly
of attempting to legislate Railroads into
Iexisteuce, before the demands of trade and
transportation of abundant surplus pro-
duets, OF, themselves offer temptations to
capitalists to undertake their construction.
The. extent and value of the existing
agricultural surplus, and the certainty OF
its constant and rapid enlargement, the
growth,o of population, and the continually
increasing .valuc of The railroad lands
seemed to justify the expectation that pro-
positions would be laid be fore you by in
diyiduaIsor companies OF capital and ex-
perience,who would undertake the compile
ton of some portion at least of our rail-
roads. But in the present discomposed
state of the public mind, it may happen
that no. parties will come before you, rea.
dy to furnish that security for the perform
ance of their agreements, which, I trust,
in any future disposition of whatever por-
ton of our railroad property, the State
will insist upon receiving. ~e
Yet it is desirable, at least--and, per-
haps, for the reason just assigned, this is all
that is now possible, that you place upon
the Statute book some law general in its
terms vet well Guarded ns to the nroyisinns