St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-09
The eliminating Year of 1857 Nine
teen Years of Events and Biogra-
phies Of Old Settlers.
The Terrible Struggle to Remove the
Capital to st. Peter, and How
It Was Done.
The Old Steamer Nominee and Its
Commander, Capt. Russell
Blakeley.
Disturbing the Bones of the Red Men
DIR. Caine and His Many
Peculiarities.
ICopyrighted by 7. NJ. Newson. !

ELIMINATING EAR-1S57-CoNCLUsI
When the events and biographies of this
year have been completed. | shall have
travelled over space of nineteen years, be-
ginning at 1888, when the first white settler
erected the first house on the spot where is
now bustling city of 10, OOO inhabitants.
and coming down to the time when Mime
sofa assumed the garb of statehood. in the
year 1857. thus concluding my first volume.
During these nineteen years [ have Soupht
to bring out every prominent event of the
past and to preserve the history of
those who came here in each year.
and if l have failed to do so, it has occurred
because L have been unable to reach the
data in the individual eases omitted.
which, am quite confident are very few.
The year 1851 may be clasSed among our
most exciting and memorable years. 1t was
the turning point in the destiny of the city.
II was the period when the young metropolis
raised Side-whiskers and mustaches, and
Strutted upon the platform of
manhood. 1t was the beginning of
that age where self-eSteem marked
the characteristics of the growing
young city, and this was especially notice
able when the territory became dressed in
the garments OF state. In the early part
OF this year st. Paul contained about G. 1000
inhabitants, and there were about 15S firms
but two OF which remain tO-day-William
Constans and A. l.. Larpenteur. In De-
tober of the same year the population had
increased to 1878. The city valuation in
1851 was So, 437. 2S5 against IS, 2S7. 900 for
1856, and the Lumber of buildings erected
during the year was 343.
TWENTV-EOTrT9
Never in the history of this CITY had emf
grafton poured into it so rapidly as this
year, and st. Paul was claimed BY strangers
to be the livelieSt town on the Mississippi
river, reputation it has sustained ever
since. In the early part of the year bust
ness was thriving and the hotels, the board
ing houses. the Saloons the livery stables
were taxed to their utmost, while mechan-
les were driven with work, and the public
improvements inaugurated by the city in
the way OF grading streets were really phe-
nomenal. The city continued to fill up
with all classes of people, among which
Were tourists, spectators, sporting men and
rOughS, most of these, however, be-
ing of the floating character, while others
came as permanent residents. 1t was not
an uncommon thing to see some sixteen and
eighteen steamers lying at our levee at one
time, and about May Z some twenty-fOur
steamboats, stuck their noses close up into
the levee bank, the largest number ever
seen at our landing in one day. The reader
should remember that then we had no rail-
roads, and that all our travel came by boats
aud stages, consequently the river trade for
1857 was simply enormous.
EIGHTH SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE.
The legislature met for the eighth time
this year. as it had.in one or two years pre-
viOusly, in the old capitol building. 1t was
the most exciting session l ever saw in Min
neSOta, growing out of the attempt of Ger
tain parties to move the capital to ST. Peter.
1t was also the first state legislature. 1t
should be remembered that congress did not
locate the capital permanently at ST. Paul,
bat permitted the legislature to meet here
and then gave it power TO locate the capital
where it pleased. and inasmuch as it had
never done so up to 1857, or at least so it
was claimed, Gov. German and others con-
ceived the idea of putting it on wheels
and running it to St. Peter-then a
small town on the Minnesota river-and as a
truthful historian l must say they came very
near eifecting their ends. The removal bill
was introduced into the senate by W.. d.
Lowry of ST. Cloud on the 9th of February.
ayes s, nays Z. 1t went through the house
on the 18th. On the 27th the original bill
and enrolled copy were placed in the hands
of 10 Rolette, chairman of the committee
ON enrolled bills, and after comparing the
two, it was his duty to report them back
to the senate. The first intimatiOn to the
advocates OF the measure that something
was wrong, was the fact that on the
2Sth of February ROlette was not in his
seat. Lieut.. \. ID. Balcombe, member
from WinOna, suspicious that something
might be wrong, introduced resolutions
calling on ROlette to report the bill at
once, and in case he failed to do so. that the
next member of the committee be ordered
to procure another enrolled copy of the bill
and report. This action brought the OppO-
nents of the bill to their feet, and when
BalcOmbe moved the previous question on
his resolution, Mr.. Setter made a call of
the house, and the two conflicting parties
locked horns in the fight. BalcOmbe
moved that the call be dispensed with, and
the vote on this motion was yeas 9, nays
3. John b. Brisbin, president of the SEN
ate, declared that the motion was lost on
the ground of the want of a twO-thirtls vote.
but BalcOmbe insisted that nine was two
thirds of fourteen, but Brisbin insisted that
was considered under a call of the
house, and the sergeant-at-ams, John
NJ. Lamb, was ordered to proceed
forthwith and bring in the body
of the absent ROlette. 1t seems that
Rolette put the missing bill into his
pocket, vacated his seat, repaired to the old
Fuller house or International hotel, which
stood ON the corner of Seventh and Jack
son streets (since burned DOWN. and, oc-
cupying a room in the upper part of the
hotel, mingled with his friends amid the
jingle of glasses, and heard from them the
anathemas heaped upon his devoted head,
while the bill itself reposed quietly in the
bank vault of Truman NJ. Smith. But the
friends OF the measure were not idle.
They procured another bill, passed
it, had it enrolled, but nei-
Their the president of the senate nor the
speaker of the house would sign it, but Gov.
German did. and it was printed among the
laws. In the meantime, the st. Peter
company after the adjournment of the leg
iSlature, went ahead and erected building
in St. Peter to accommodate the territorial
officers and the legislature, and then applied
TO Judge Nelson of the supreme court for
mandamuS to compel the officers TO go to
St. Peter but Judge Nelson fled an opinion,
concluding as follows: 1--WE are of the
opinion, therefore, that there has been
no law passed by the legislative
power of the territory removing the capitol
from st. Paul to st. Peter. The applica-
tlon for mandamus is therefore refused"
And this mouse, thus found floating in
the air, was then happily nipped in the
bud.- While under a call of the senate.
during which time the sergeant-at-arms of
that body was looking for ROlette, bedding
and meals were brought into the senate