St. Paul weekly Minnesotian. (St. Paul) 1860-1861, 1861-01-11

arms of the State. The suggestion OF the
report in regard to'a more suitable place o
deposit for the arms, commend TO YOU
notice, and Won will also, at this time, doubt
less, see the propriety Of inquiring wheth
er anything more can be done by iegis IL
ton to constitute more efficient Militia
We are far from usurping conspicuous
part in events. but we cnght T. be pregsr,
&C I'd meet the larger States with our full
proportionssf efficient soldiers IN thedefense
OF our common country. S.'t -. Sc. : 80
The sabject Of lpmigration will continue
to be of great interest and Importance Il
the finances Of the State would justify it,
the project Of bureau specially organized
10 promote the settlement of the yacan,
lands, aud the peoping of our. growing
towns, would be worthy OF very serious
consideration AT present, however, be
lieve the best encouragement. OF hn,plgra'
ton we can ahotd, VIII be the faithful col
lection OF the Statistics Of the State, and .
liberal distribpii.n. of, the .repOsts Of The
CQmmissionGr OF Statistics ash immigration
documents. lntiris regard, that bureau Is
worthy Of, your. fostering care. (" Z. eEe'
The Report of the Stare Librarian shows
the additions mad TO the LibFaFy siace the
last Report and the books taken from the
Library and not returned, from siss estab-
lishment tilb date OF report, as mr. as the
records contain the evidence, Many OF
the most valuable works, and scores OF
miscellaneous books oil ordinary satne, were
lost in years preceding our, becoming .
State. Partly this was the result Of q too
liberal Law relating TO the loaning of books,
and partly 10 an administration Of it, even
more liberal The Suggestions Uf the Re
port for modifications Of tie Law, are IN my
opinion cemlpenasble; s..I the increase u
bookcases and shelves desired, appears to
be- necessary.
The delays in placing in the hands Of the
people the published lenacsmenis sai the
Legislature, has been u subject of com
plant; and when tits. ,Gnbsideied q that
some OF the laws Ok 1860 were not distrib-
uted until withiua month Of the meeting
Of the Legislature OF 1861, there Just
cause for complaint. In The printing, Of tie
Journals. also, there was a similar delay.
In neither case, however, | must do the
publishers the justice to say, was the fault
entirely with them, -.-,--s-r----.
In this connection let me call your at
tention to the fact thar. in tue present con-
dition of the country it is absolutely due
to the necessities ofI,ae people that the
item of printing, lin the expens s Of the
government should be made TO conform to
the overwhelming necessity for retrehch-
ment You Willis that the printing for
the session Of the last Legislature amounts
30 h. - - -. g,,..,,1 Al
ars, OF nearly one nth Of the.ea,Snual cost
Of the State Government. -+'e .sz-'1' -. -,
The trade through Minnesota withNorih-
western British America, is fast becoming
an item Of the first maguitude. a. steamer
already plies regularly upon the Red ahiver,
and the gentlemen interested immediately
III that trade, assure me that IN the coming
season another will be placed upon those
waters--to be succeeded, doubtless ere
long by the extension of steam navigation,
through the great rivers west Of Lake
Winnipeg, to the base Of the Rocky Noun
tains.
Stage coaches, as comfortable as any in
the older States, convey passengers with
ease and regularity, from our own settle
ments 10 Selkirk; and the journey which
three years ago. occupied month, isnos
accomplished in ten days. Organized, ines
of transportation, by steam and Wagon.
have replaced the rude vehicles by which
the Red River traffic was. ioruierly y, con-
Quoted. 49, i"' "t@'
The facilities for speed and cheap com
munication thus afforded, are rapidly de
yeloping the most intimate and important
relations between us and our Northern
Deighbors, and eur business and social In
tercourse with them is steadily on the in
crease. t..-s ,-..-. 'af ''ssl q - .,
During tue past season, the large freights
of the Hudson Bay Company were diverted
from the route by that Northern Sea, and
carried directly through Minnesota 's.s
ia this connection, and because events
are fast verifying what was then said, will
repeat part Of communication, made by
myself to the Territorial Legislature Of
1852. .
.'Should the Treaty Zone With the Chipper
ways of Red River receive. the appreciation
Of the Senate, an American population v iii
In short time, be attracted TO the. oceu.
pancy of this region and with increased
facilities Of tiayel between the settlements
vi ult bbC diIu -Sffc
growing commercial towns of tue Upper
Mississippi, the trade Of the far North, yet
in its infancy, will attain a magnitude that
the most sanguine do not anticipate 1t
will not be long before the tedious and un-
certain introduction of goods in British bot
toms, by the way of Hudsons Bay will
give place to their cheaper speedtr and
more convenient transit by the Mississippi
and Red River. Nor let this be treated as
a. visionary suggestion. The great cul-
rents Of traffic that have enriched cities,
have sprung from rills in the first instance,
as inconsiderable as the present Red River
trade. 1t becomes US at this early day to
consider the future importance OF the com
merce of the region north OF the interna-
tional line; and by sagacious forecast Sc
cure to the trade of the Upper Mississippi,
greater extension ard new spheres Of EN-
ployment, making our thriving towns,
centres from which to draw the radiieof a
vast circle Of intercourse ~ assss,'s.z,
Phe progress of events has given
new force to these Suggestions.
The growing Importance Of our com.
mercial relations with these regions,
makes it proper for me TO direct your at
tention to the continuance of burdensoIne
revenue restrictions iponIhe international
trade of the west half of. the continent
which. have been abolished in the east bali.
There seems no good reason why she bcne-
fits of the Reciprocity Treaty between the
United States and Canada, should not be
extended to these struggling settlements vi
the West -
The land sales ordered by the Preside n
of the United States, in October and N 0
yember of last year, caused great alarm
and anxiety among the poor settlers on the
public lands, for in the financial disorgani
xation Of the. three last years, they bad
been in most instances uhableto accumu-
late money sufficient to enter lands upan
which years Of labor had bee9Tspent, snd
where their families had found a. home
With view If possible to relieve the dis
tress of these worthy people, appealed
to President Buchanan for a postponemen
Of the sales. 80. 4. :. ,s,..
In this, regret to say, was disap
pointed; but IN the construction which tn
Commissioner of the General Land Office
at Washington placed upon the pre-emp
ton law, measurable relief was had ..s,,.t
My views upon the propliety of cence
ding to actual settlers, free homestead
from the public land which they cultivate
I have had occasion before repeatedly =
state, and shall not now reiterate. i fondl,
hope that We have witnessed the last sal
of the United States public lands in Min
nesota; and that hereafter the public do