St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-26
ANCIENT COMPACT.

Judge Flandrau said when he heard
that Minneapolis offered a park for
capitol purposes he thought it was one
of the frequent peculiarities of that
city, done for some Interior purposes.
He did not think when he found they
were actually making the offer that
they would come to the Legislature and
admit that the park was loaded down
by a mortgage. He had come ready to
show that to DE fact. He did not
think the city of Minneapolis would
heap such an indignity upon the state
to offer it a place from which the state
could be thrown out. 1t would be bet
ter to receive the authority of the legis-
lature to make the offer first, and then
see if the people of Minneapolis were
ready to offer the park. In place of
that the city had come to the legis-
lature to ask aid in making its offer for
a site.
Judge Flandrau then reviewed the
rights of Minneapolis to acquire parks.
Then showed that, after being so ac-
quired, the park should remain for
ever for park and parkways, for the
use of all the people of the city, subject
to the lien for the purchase money
There Is no other use to which the park
can be used. There would remain no
+ power in the legislature or anywhere
I else to divert the people of the vested
Il rights incident to establishing the
|, park. He had found upon inveStiga-
Il ton that there were outstanding OBJ
I legations against the parks of that city
!. amounting to nearly $1,S000O0. Even
i Minneapolis did not know how much
!. of that was upon Loring park. He
| did not know what security would be
| given to release the lien, but he sup
| posed they would offer notes of Bill
| King and George Bracket. The bonds
/ have been outstanding for thirty years,
| and no one can tell how they should
i be divided. They proposed to give
i notes of indemnity He did not think,
/ however, that the state would want
| to go over to Loring park upon such a
|; theory.
/ Mr.. Cohen wanted to interrogate
Il Judge Flandrau, and said that the ex-
i pectation was to discuss the legal
\ question.
Judge Flandrau said the Minneapolis
people had conceded that there was E
legal impeachment, and, he having LIVED
| four years in Minneapolis, knew the
| value of talk. He then proceeded tt
review the history of locating the
capitol, dating back to the time wher
the state was part of Iowa, and ex
| tending down to the time ST. Paul was
fixed as the seat of government L
was agreed by the delegates to the
| first state convention that ST. Pau
| should have the capitol, ST Anthony
the university and Saltwater the pen
| 1tentiary. 1t was then agreed that H
n. Sibley, of Mendoza, should be the
| governor. Gen. Sibley went to Wash
| ington to ask the passage of the or
ganic act. Judge Douglass, senator
| of Illinois, was chairman of the com
| mittee on territories, and had visited
| Gen. Sibley at Mendoza. Judge Doug
lass insisted upon locating the capito
on a promontory near Gen. Sibley'.
home, but the latter would not assent
and said he would be true to the com.
pact to locate the capitol at ST. Paul
1t was so specified in the organic act
When the state constitution was
framed the compact was carried out
The capitol was located here The
university was located at Minneapolis
and Saltwater was given the prison
The state has given 100000 for the
university, much more money than