Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-22
The Responses.
GEN. R. W. JOHNSON

The pioneers of Ramsey county: men of enter.
prise, foresight and energy. They founded here a
breadth of the civilized world for Its rapid progress
intelligence and prosperity We shall honor their
| memory.
In response, Gen. r. W. Johnson said:
The short notice which received to appear
before you this evening to respond to the toast
| just read, prevents any very extended remarks.
Before proceeding it is necessary that the
outside world should know who are the Ram
sey county pioneers. This question is settled
| by your organization, which was designed to
| include all who settled in this county prior to
| the admission of the state-May IL, 1858, and
who were of age at the date of the organiza-
| tion of the society-Dec. Is, 1871.
| Among this number can be found some of
our most prominent business men, as well as
some of the leading men in all the profess
sions.
AS general thing our early pioneers were
poor in worldly goods, but rich in faith as to
| the future growth and development of our
county and of our city. In truth, were they
men of foresight, energy aud enterprise. Their
| foresight Is demonstrated by their Selling upon
| the most valuable corner lots and eligible
building sites, and although panic after panic
| have rolled over and beat against them, yet we
find these same old pioneers holding on to
| their possessions with degree of tenacity aud
persistence truly remarkable.
Others have come to our county to enjoy
| the blessings of good government and the
society of our old pioneers, and among them
men of capital and of brains. and they have
used every persuasive possible to induce the
| pioneers to surrender their lands and tene.
ments for the glittering gold, but the words
| from their silver lips have fallen, as general
thing, upon deaf ears.
The pioneers of Ramsey county are
really the pioneers, not only of the en-
tire state but also of the great and rich North
west.
Forty years ago Fort Smelling was the ex-
t1eme northwestern settlement in the United
| States, and north and south line drawn
through that point separated the sparsely set
tied frontier from the wild and unexplored re.
gion lying to the west. Since that time six
or seven states and as many territories have
been carved out of that vast area, and the last
census shows them to contain population OF
more than five millions.
| Long after that date Ramsey county was
organized by small number of persons, and
this number has increased from year to year
until the present, which finds the county one
of the most populons in the state. Our beau.
| tiful city, with her sixty thousand inhabit.
ants, is the outgrowth of little struggling
village along Bench street. which I found on
my arrival in 1S49
s. All men will agree that this unprecedented
growth is due to the energy and enterprise oil
our pioneers Many of them have fallen by
the wayside; yet many remain with US and IRE
numbered among our most enterprising eti.
zeps. They founded here community known
throughout the civilized world for its intelli.
gence, rapid progress and general prosperity.
In truth, it may be said Of Ramsey county,
"there is no speech nor language where her