St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-13

forty acres-s1OO, 900. These are only few
of the MANY real estate transactions MIR.
Rice has had while resident of this city.
He encouraged stage coaches, hotels,
steamboats,, railroads, churches, parks, bust
ness enterprises in fact anything that would
tend to the growth of Saint Paul and Mime
sofa. He not only did this, but he improved
the property he owned, and aided others to
do so. He gave generously of his lands and
Of his means to every public enterprise, and
one can scarcely turn corner and not find
some donation of this liberal-hearted man.
He came to Fort Smelling forty-fve years
ago; to st. Paul 80 years ago, and during all
these years he has manifested lively inter
est in the growth of both the city and the
state. He erected the second brick house in
the city, which stood on the corner of Third
and Washington streets, (now on site of
Metropolitan hoteD secured him
self homestead in the shape of fine brick
residence, the first house on Summit avenue,
on claim of 100 acres, which he called his
farm, and what is somewhat singular is the
fact that the landupon which his house used
to stand, is now the property of his son-in-
law, Maurice Auerbach, Esq. These 120
acres, at a valuation of only 50, 900 per acre,
would now be worth $3.50, 900; cost Mr.. Rice
S33 per acre, or about "a, 600. Later still, he
built another house on the avenue overlook
ing the city, and here he resided until about
two years ago, when he erected a residence
nearly opposite, where he now resides.
TIE OLD HOMESTEAD.
Many distinguished men have gathered in
the parlors of Mr.. Rice's old residence, and
could the ancient walls have spoken before
they were taken down. they could have told
of many interesting schemes, political and
otherwise. But the old and favorite home
stead has gonel Many of those who once
crossed its Threshold SO eagerly, have also
gonel The playground Of the little
girls, NOW mothers,) is gone! The
sweet twilight of the SUMNER eve, as it lin
gered on beautiful landscape OF hill, and
dale, and river, and city, is gone! Slight
threads OF gray are sprinkled amid the once
black locks Of youth and beauty, and the
longing heart reaches out into the past ana
gropes for scenes that will never come again.
Gone is the singing of the birds and the
laughter of childhood! The fond, cherished
dreams of a hallowed old age has disappear
ed in the mists of the morning; but the roar
of the city, is still the same, only louder; the
tread of feet, is still the same, only more
solid; the hum of life is still the same, only
the same, only more of them, and heavier.
And so the old things of the past give way to
the new, and the scenes Of busy life, like
specters grim and tall,'' walk through the
corridors of memory, and startle US with the
onward march of timel
INCIDENTS ABOUT MIR. RICE.
In 1855 the writer earnestly espoused the
cause of William r. Marshall, who was then
running on the Republican ticket as a dele
gate for congress, against II. NJ Rice, regu-
lar Democrat, and David Olmstead, anti
Nebraska Democrat. 1t was understood by
the Olmstead party, headed by Gov. Willis
A. German, now dead, that in case it should
appear that Olnstead had no show of an
election, he would throw his forces for Mar
shall, which would have secured his election,
as Omstead wished to defeat Re-, but at the
last minute German opposed this movement
Olmstcad remained in the field, Marshall was
defeated and Rice elected.
Ten years after Mr.. Rice had beaten Mr.
Marshall for delegate for congress, he ran for
governor against Marshall, and Marshall beat
him by 3,476 votes, thus turning the tables,
Marshall going into power, nd Rice going
out.
At that time, in 1855, we had never seen
Mr.. Rice, but learning from the then EXecu-
tive of the state, that Mr.. Rice had been
instrumental in removing the Winneba-
90 Indians from Long Prairie to Mankato,
and as it was an unpopular theme at the
latter place. when we spoke there in defense
Of Marshall and against Rice, we charged
Rice with the act. AT the conclusion OF our
speech, q quietly spoken gentleman in the
audience arose and said:-"The speaker
IA1l
and many interesting things, but that he
had told more lies in a given length of time,
of any man he had ever heard" alluding
more particularly to our charge against Mr.
Rice 1t proved to be Henry Jackson, and
on investigation we found that we had been
actually lying upon the authority Of the
governor of the territory OF Minnesota, who,
no doubt, had himself been misinformed,
and that Jackson was right. We Immediately
wrote to Mr. Rice disclaiming any intention
to do him wrong, and this opened friend
ship which has existed ever since.
''YoU sHAN'T SPEAK HERE"
During the same campaign we made ar
engagements to address a meeting at Manomin,
or Rice Creek, in favor of Marshall, and we
had the assurance, or our agent had, of the
hotel proprietor, Col. John Banfill, thatwe
should be heard; so we rode night and day in
a buggy to keep our appointment, but when
the time came to speak, we were told that
inasmuch as we were attacking Mr. Rice, that
we should not speak in the hotel; and so, thus
refused, we repaired to n saloon near by,
whose doors were thrown open, and we adj
dressed quite a crowd of red-shirted lumber
men, who treated us with the greatest con
sideraton, Notwithstanding we did pummcl
Mr.. Rice to the best of our ability, leaving out,
however, our charge made at Mankato, about
the Indians. The owner of the hotel was
personal friend of Mr.. Rice,
and would not listen to any
thing dcrogatory to him, even of Il political
nature. We made the best speech we knew
how in favor of Marshall, but Mr.. Rice's
friends say that he received every vote in that
precinct, and possibly he did but our belief
is that he didn't AS the landlord refused to
let us speak in his house, so we refused to
put up with him. and at night, and dark, we
crossed on the ferry to the west side Of the
river and made for farm house, which We
found empty, spent the night as best we
could, and the next day both our horse and
ourself made dinner out of raw corn, which
was puclled from the field. Then farm
houses were three and four miles apart; now
this whole SectlOn Oh country Is thlChly set
tied with farms and even flourishing towns,
and good hotels can be found in every direc
ton.
MR. RICE AT WASHINGTON.
In the winter of 1860 and 1861, we
spent several weeks in Washington,
Just at the time when the feeling between the
two sections of the county was at its highest
when southern members of Congress were
seething with rage; when civil war was i'm
minent; when northern men were trying to
prevent disurion; when the guns of the
south were turned on Fort Sumpter; when
Wigfall, and Sidell, and Mason, and other
Southern members were threatening to leave
the Congress of the United States; When the
whole of WASHINGTON society was heaving with