Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-05-10

1t was said that the State held these graded
road-beds and the lands as a fund which
ought to have been applied to the payment
of her bonds, and as these new companies
had paid no consideration for them, they
could not hold them, but ought to apply
them to the payment of the bonds and the
indemnity OF the State. To this end a suit
was instituted by MI. Chamberlain against
certain of the new companies, which was
decided by the United States Circuit Court,
and on appeal by the United States Supreme
Court, against him, upon the ground that
the State was the primary debtor and liable
to pay the bonds.
The provisions of the State Constitution,
amendment of section 10, article 9, provides
for the issue OF these railroad bonds, and
for the proof of the construction, powers
and duties Of the Governor, &C., &C., herein
before referred to-. This amendment, it is
claimed, was adopted by fraud, or, at least,
under an undue, popular excitement, and
therefore, that the State is not legally
or morally bound to provide for them.
1t is pertinent in this connection to inquire
who perpetrated the fraud and deceived
the people? 1t is not pretended that the
b%ondholders did 50. Surely they are not
to be effected by the alleged fraud. Who
did commit it then? The answer of course is
the people of this State-0ur own citizens.
Who aided a majority of the legal voters of
the State to perpetrate this alleged fraud?
We all know perfectly well it was the duly
elected officers of the State acting too, under
the rulings of our own Supreme Court. Are
we to be allowed in law or morals to take
advantage of our own wrongful acts? lap
prehend not.
The people constitute the government
the State. Is it not worse than absurd to
claim that we are not to be held responsible
for the deliberate action of the great mass
of the people in adopting the constitutional
amendment and of our own officers and
agents in giving it full effect.
The people of the State finding that they
were not likely soon to have railroads, On
the 9Th day of November, 1860, adopted an
amendment to Article 9, section 2, so as to
prevent the further issue of bonds under said
amendment of section 10 of article 8, adopted
April Is, 1853, especially reserving to the
State all rights, remedies and f%orfeitures
sells Statutes, pages 50 -. 1t is manifest
that this amendment recognized the exist
ence and binding force of the said amend
ment under which said bonds were issued.
A further amendment of the constitution
provided that "no law levying a tax or
making provision for the payment of inter-
est or principal of the bonds denominated
minnesota State Railroad bonds," shall
take effect or be in force until such law shall
have been submitted to a vote of the people of
the State and adopted by a majority of the
electors Of the State voting upon the same.
Bissell's st., SO.
For many years after the collapse of the
first effort to secure railroads, the poverty
of the State and the financial %stringenoT
which prevailed throughout the country
precluded any attempt at the settlement of
this liability, but as early as 1869, Governor
Marshall called the attention of the legisla-
ture to the subject i'll his message Of that
year, in the following language:
I'm my judgment, the duty of the State to
enter upon an adjustment of this suspended
debt, begins the moment the State has the
convenient means and ability to do so.
1--WE have the example of the State of
Michigan before us, in which a suspended
debt, twice greater than ours, and essential
ly of a similar character, was equitably and
satisfactorily adjusted.
1--WE have the example of the State of
Illinois, which, in the attempt to build
railroads and canals by the use of her State
credit, broke down with not a mile Of rail-
road completed, and with a debt of fifteen
million dollars-six times greater than the
nominal debt of Minnesota-and for years
the State OF Illinois did not pay a dollar
of interest ; yet when prosperity returned
to her, she promptly met the holders Of
her bonds and made satisfactory ADJUST
ment of the last dollar of her obligations,
so that it was the boast of one of her
officials, THAT, to the honor Of that
people be 1t said, notwithstanding the magni-
txde of the debt, and the manner IN aUhich It
ecas contracted. the masses Of the people rose
up and SAID the debt should be paid and the
honor of the State maintained. That action
challenged the respect Of the ,cord, and from
that period forward zoe entered upon a career
Of prosperity ,cithout a parallel IN history.
1T is thus ever true that the invisible
forces of public advancement and prosperity
~ nm, thu c:lo @E ~,,h1:o S,>ck:1n o~ol snv,so10%4