The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-03-01
Minnesota legislature

Minnesota legislature
MONDAY, Feb. Is, 1861.
SENATE.
Prayer by Rev. w. J. ERDMAN.
BILLS PASSED.
The following House bills were passed:
To consolidate the names of Duluth and
Portland in st. Louis county.
To amend an act entitled an act authorizing
change of venue in Justices Courts.
Memorial to Congress for az appropriation
OF money for State road from st. Cloud to
Fort AbercrOmbie, via Alexander and George.
town on the west bank of the Red River of
the North.
To locate State Road from Fairhaven in
Stearns county to Round Lake in Meeker
county.
A memorial to the Postmaster General for
increase of mail service on the Big Sioux and
Mendoza State road.
Memorial to Congress for mail service from
Lake Superior to the Red River of the North.
Memorial to Congress for a mail route from
Lake City in Wabashaw county, to Austin in
Mower county.
An act to prevent the sale Of unripe Gran.
berries.
An act to'change the names of certain per-
sons.
The following Senate bills were passed:
To amend chapter 20 of the Public Statutes,
in relation to the time for the commencement
of actions and filing security in certain cases.
:, Providing for an enlargement of the State
Prison.
To amend an act entitled an act to provide
for county organization, approved February %,
1860,
To amend an act entitled an act to provide
for county organization and government.
To amend an act entitled an act prescribing
the duties of county auditors.
10 amend an act entitled an act prescribing
the duties of county treasurers.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
The bill providing for general system OF
common schools in this State, was called up.
Mr.. CLEVELAND moved to amend so as to
provide that the State Superintendent shall
hold Teachers Institutes in each Judicial Dis
trict, for at least six days in each year.
Mr.. JONES denounced the amendment as an
attempt to make duties for the Superintendent
where none were required in the bill. He main
tanned that no Teachers Institutes would be
held, and there was no necessity for any. 1t
was only put in to help forward the project of
making State Superintendent.
MIR. CLEVELAND advocated the amendment.
He said the voice of his constituents was in IA
vor of State Superintendent, and also in ia.
vor of Teachers Institutes.
warm debate sprung up between Messrs.
Jones and Cleveland, after which the amend
ment of Mr.. Cleveland was adopted.
Mr.. JONES then offered the following amend.
ment to the bill.
Sec. 65. The Secretary of State shall be e1-
OticiO State Superintendent of Public Instruc.
ton, and shall perform all the duties required
to be done by said Superintendent by any law
now or hereafter in force, relating to such Su.
perintendent.
In support of the amendment he made a
lengthy speech, maintaining that all the duties
of State Superintendent could be performed
in twenty days by clerk in a country store,
&C., and that the State was not able to pay the
salary of State superintendent. He chal
lenged any Senator to produce an instance
where State had thus early, without school
fund, launched such an office upon the people,
with duties so contemplate. He said the pop
ulatiOn was too sparse and limited to inaugu-
rate such head.
The Senate then went into recess.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The School Bill being under consideration,
the question being on Mr.. Jones' amendment
Mr.. CLEVELAND made few remarks in
answer to Mr.. Jones. He went on to show
that it was false system Of reasoning to ar
que against State Superintendent here be.
cause New York or Ohio did not have any for
fifty years after they became States. They
had no Railroads for that length of time, and
yet according to this reasoning, Wisconsin or
Iowa should not have had them for that length
of time, after they were admitted into the
Union
Mr.. REINER said the bill was fraught with
deep interest to the people of the State. He
said the Office of Superintendent of Common
Schools was inangurated long ago, and this bill
only prescribed the duties of the office. He
argued that the Secretary of State could not
perform the duties of Superintendent of Pub.
lie Schools without compensation. Next year
he would come here and claim ample and
complete reward for those services. Ohio had
been brought forward as not having Super
intendent for thirty years. But that proved
nothing. Who could tell what would have
been the glorious course of that State if she
had earlier had perfect system of common
schools.
Mr.. JONES then denounced the provision for
the appointment of State Superintendent, in
the strongest terms. He stigmatzed it as an
attrocious insult to the people. He said the
people of the State were too poor to have this
expensive clap-trap, and much more of the
same sort. He concluded by amending his
amendment, that the Secretary of State should
perform all the duties of Superintendent of
public instruction without any salary.
On the amendment of Mr.. Jones there were
yeas, 5, nays II, as follows:
YEAs-Messrs. Barney, Gibbs, Holley,. ones,
and Norton.
NAYs-Messrs. Baldwin. Bennett, Cleveland,
Cook, Fake, Galbrath, Hayes, McLaren, Nc
Roberts, Pell. Reiner, Sanborn, Smith and
Watson.
80 the amendment was not adopted.
Mr.. RElNER offered an amendment that the
salary should commence the first day of Janu-
airy, 1850, the date of his appointment.
Mr.. JONES moved to amend that the salary
should commence l774-which was not enter
tanned by the President.
Mr.. MCROBERTS moved to amend by strik.
ing out 1860, and inserting 1861, which prevail
ed, as also the amendment of Mr.. REINER.
Mr.. SANBORN moved an amendment that
no property in this State shall be assessed for
more than three mills on dollar in any one
year for school purposes, nor more than five
mills on dollar for the purpose of building a
school house. Adopted.
Mr.. JONES offered an amendment that each
sub district shall be body polite and corpo-
rate by the name of the number of said SUBJ
district, and by such name may contract and
be contracted with, sue and be sued, in any of
the courts of this State having competent ju-
risdiction. Adopted.
Mr.. JONES moved to strike out section sixty
nine and insert the following:
Sec. So. And all acts and parts of acts re-
lating to Common Schools and the Superinten-
dent of Public instruction, and all acts incon-
sistent with the provisions of this act are here
by repealed,