St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-13


Henry Hastings SibIey. Henry NJ. Rice,
Franklin Steele, Morton S, Wilkinson,
Henry H. Moss. John McKusick, Joseph
Il. Brown, Martin Mcleod, William Il.
Marshall and others, we're not content
10 abide under narrowed jurisdiction,
much less doubtful one, and rem3ln
as discarded fragment of the last
formed state of the Union. They
proposed the organization OF an
other territory, the territory OF
Minnesota. 1t was the whole
objective ultimate point of the contest
waged as to the right of Mr.. Sibley to
seat in congress. Should a second bill
fail. as the first one had done before
Mr. Sibley's advent to the house. yet
the recognition of the residuum as a
legal existence would be of value to the
settlers west of the st. CroiX. Should
the seat be won, the second bill was
sure to succeed through the personal in
fluence of Mr.. Sibley and his friends,
among whom were Henry NJ. Rice and
Franklin Steele, who, in conjunction
with Mr.. Sibley, labored most earnestly
to secure the passage of the bill.
Mr.. Sibley'S seat once won, he turned
his whole attention to the accomplish
ment of the Interior object of his advent
to Washington. viz, the organization OF
Minnesota territory. All the more ala
he feel the importance Of success In
this undertaking, inasmuch as
bill had already been introduced
to this end, in 1916, to meet only with
failure, though reported back to the
house favOrably by Hon. Stephen A.
Douglas, then member of the house,
and chairman of its committee OH terri
tories. And, yet again. the disposition
of certain members of the house, after
voting affirmatively for the admission
of Mr.. Sibley as a delegate from Wis
cOnsin. to qualify their vote by the
courtesy explanation, Omened no
good to the enterprise in which he was
engaged. With laudable tact and wise
craftsmanship, therefore. Mr.. SIoley
personally persuaded Mr.. Douglas MIN.
self, now in the senate, aud chairman OF
the senate's committee on territories, to
introduce bill for the organization OF
the territory of Minnesota, to which Mr..
Douglas consented, and gave notice on
the first day of the session, Dec.
4, 1913, of his purpose to do
so. Mr.. Douglas insisted that the
capital of the new territory should be
located at Mendoza. The success OF
Mr.. Douglass scheme would have
yielded an immense fortune TO Delegate
Sibey, as Mendoza was his place OF
residence and freighted with large bust
ness interests of his own, but with that
unbendng integrity and loyalty to the
public interests which ever character
lied his life, Mr.. Sibley insisted upon
the original programme, and thus the
capital was saved to st. Paul. Delegate
Sibley also secured for the new terri
tory magnificent land grant; It was
close call by which Delegate Sibley
got his Minnesota bill before congress
on the eve of adjournment. An effort
was made by its opponents to crowd it
out, but by personally soliciting the
speaker for recognition, MIR. SibleY got
the floor in time to call up his bill, and
succeeded in passing it by scratch;
and it is to his Individual effort alone
that Minnesota sprang into existence.
Speaking of the event, his biographer
says:
Thus. after two among the severest
struggles in congress, one at the OPEN
ing aud one at the close of the session,
and hand-tO-hand contest all the way
between. was Minnesota organized as
new territory, March ,. 1910. and put in
possession of a separate government
almost equal to that enjoyed by the
people of the states. The relief expe-
rienced by Sir. Sibley and the faithful
friends from Minnesota who cooper
ated with him may well be imagined.
1t was time for jubilee. And the juSti-
fable good-hatured exuitation of the
tireleSS, faithful and victorious delegate
from Wisconsin over the adversaries of
the Minnesota bill may be repeated, in
his own words, without otfenSe to his
nrodeSty: - | tell you. Iwaihed thatday
with the highest head anu the lighteSt
heart and the freest step and best face
of any man in the crowd. from the
house of representatives over to the
capitOlr' And we'll he might. for. in
words of one of the most influential
Journals OF the present day, reviewing
the career of Mr.. Sibley, ut is scarcely
possible that any other man in the
Northwest could have attained the same
result at that tine. By his polished
III nnerS, excellent sense. and knowl
edge of men, he speedily made friends.
and succeeded in accomplishing what
every man regarded as an impoSSi-
blity."
Mr.. Sibley was unanimously returned
to congress as the first representative
of the new territory. and rendered most
efficient service during the Thirty-first
congress. He was again returned to.
the Thirty-secOnd congress, and par
ticipated in all the exciting scenes of
that memorable period of the nations
history, yet always watchfuI of the
local interests committed to his charge
The biOgrapher enters into lengthy
and detailed account of Mr.. Sibley's
congressional career, which contains an
i'm mense deal of information of histori-
cal value. Concluding a review of his
five consecutive years i'll congress. eX-
tending from 1913 to 1858, DIR. West
says:
His congressional career was one per
Detual struggle, from first to last. in be-
half of Minnesota. Nothing that he
won for the territory was gained with
out a la tie. Not bill was passed
without opposition. nor benefit Sc
cured without running conflict. From
his entrance to his exit, he succeeded,
by power of his personal presence, his
commanding talent, parliamentary
skill, and the loyalty Of certain infuen-
tial senators and representatives, whose
friendship and help he had conciliated
to his own advantage. None stood more
reSOlutely and unflincilingly in the gap
than he; none more quickly appl eciated
a crisis in debate; and none welded
more effectively, or frequently, the
previous question" against his oppo-
nentS. And yet, nothing remained to
him as a source of unmiXed pleasure
more delightful than this, that, in all
his conflicts, however warm, at times,
as they were, nothing ever occurred to
mar the individual friendships or social
relations that existed between himself
and those against whom he was called
to contend. The record of his con-
gressional career is strewn with the
highest compliments, publicly made, 4
and from all parties. to his personal
candor. love of truth, fairness in debate,
frankness, ability, manlinesS. moral
courage and high integrity. Even his
opponents could say that, on the score
of personal courtesy alone, he deserved
every dollar he demanded for his terri
tory. And how much Minnesota owed
to his faithful exertions perhaps only
the early settlers are aware. To him
beyond all other men Minnesota is in
debted for the name of the ate; for the
change of the name of St. Peters river
to Minnesota river; for the location of the
capital of the state at st. Paul and not
at Mendoza, his own home; for the
tba first roads in bar