The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-02

Interesting Addresses by War Gov
ernOr Ramsey, e. w. Durant md
James j. Hill Follow the BANQUET
at the Merchants', Where Fifty
Years Ago the New TerritorIaI
Governor Had n Room.
Heartier than ever looked the venera-
bic members of the Old Settlers associa-
ton at the capitol. yesterday afternoon.
when the report of the association for the
year just closed showed a death list Of
Dut two, the smallest in its history-C. d.
Elfelt and ]. D. Cruttenden.
M. N. Adams presided and A. L. Lar
penteur was secretary of yesterdays
meeting. The full list of those present
was:
M N. Adams. Mahlon Black. Russell
RaIiy BRiakieiey, D: A. j. Baker, A. H. Cavender.
PoIaom ohte1 GWamfTo9, W e Eo,nH p W. Purant, s. P.
g3seph Gu1on, Isaac GoodhUe, Lorenzo
noy5' neSd John Hinckster, B. F. Irvine, Ed
b. Dafp fuddeap dddagpeqPerg' 4; Ao5. l. LarPenteur J.
Hathan HaIdn Myrick, Joseph McMuIlen, Jesse
PPomsr0y Alexander Ramsey, Ben T.
saRes syTester sfafeler s3ha Rogers W Me- MgT R@yogx
WHITAKER and ]. B. CLANCY
5. P. Folsom, on behalf of the Inter-
state Park Association of Taylor's Falls.
invited the old settlers to join in an ex
cursion to the park June l5 and it was
accepted
Joseph McMullen, of Minneanolfs
thought the association ought to meet
next year in Minneapolis as il did NOT
get official attention enough in St Paul.
Ii 1t would meet In Minneapolis he would
promise the attendance of the mayor and
of 11rKr
Folsom said the association had met in
minneapolis once without any such atten-
t1ons, and, while thanking Mr. McMulIe,1
Tor the invitation, the association deter
mined to continue under the rules and
meet in the city of ST. Paul halIowed bv
half century of tender memories
OFFICERS ELECTED.
By acclamation the following officers
were chosen for the coming year:
President-Capt Russell Blake.ev.
FIRST Vice President-Isaac N Good
Second Vice President-Jeremiah Ma
honey.
EReeording secrstary-A- [. Larpen.eur.
corresponding Secretary, J. 3. Chaney.
Treasurer-John d. Ludden.
Then the association adjourned to the
Merchants hotel, where it was organized
although the much smaller hotel then on
the site was known as the Bass house in
1S4S
After dinner Capt Blakeley called for re-
marks. William Pitt Murray wanted IN
near from former Gov. Alexander Ram
sey. who then spoke briefly of the organi-
zatlon or the territorial government in
l849, fifty years ago yesterday The ter
rltorlaI government was founded by some
half dozen men, in a room hardly more
than by 8. One sat on trunk. another
fIyO had oIoir
In every respect the gathering was a
humble one, just as the resources of the
territory then were modest, in their de-
Velopment at least. But Minnesota was
an Illustration in very fact of the adage
that great oaks from little acorns grow.
and while the character of the popuIa-
tion which he found here on his advent
as the territorial governor was various
1t was for the most part kindly one
]. ]. HILL SPEAKS.
James ]. Hill entering, during Gov.
Ramsey's remarks, he was invited to
speak. Mr.. Hill said he had hoped to be
present earlier, but not for the purpose
of speechmaking.
II account it, he said, "a great privi-
lege to be present and shake the hands
of the men who were the strong and ac-
tive men of this community when I came
here as boy, and to pay tribute to them
for what they have done. Minnesota
was singularly fortunate in the character
of her pioneers, and those of US who came
here later owe in q great measure her
present richness and prosperity to the
founders of the state to whom indeed is
owed much of her greatness. A great
deal of opportunity came to me- but
much as the railroads under my direc-
tion have done in the development of the
state, much of that they have done was
due to the foresight of those preceding
Henry M. Rice, for example, one of the
greatest men in the history of Mime
sofa, and one whom, l think, you will
agree with me, no one has come to take
the place Of, secured the legislation that
made possible the early construction of
these railroads.
Mr.. Durant has referred to the record
of our soldiers Many do not know, and
perhaps many of you do not know, that
the First regiment of Minnesota volun-
teer troops holds the record for individual
bravery in the history of the wars of the
world since Thermopylae. They lost SO
per cent of their men in dead and wound
ed. Hancock sent them to stop the ad-
vance of Confederate division, to at
tack the head of the column and capture
the colors. And Col. Colville took this
handful of men into that attack and liter
ally cut off the head of the marching
column, and did capture the colors That
charge has no parallel in the history of
warfare. At Balaklava, in the charge of
the Light brigade immortalized In poetry
by Tennyson, the loss was only So per cent
and there is no doubt that many of these
were killed in running to get away. And
in the German guards at Gravelotte the
mortality did not APPROACH the percentage
of our First regiment In Berlin, about a
year ago, German general asked me
why it was that the United States was
entering on war Why he said, you
have no army L quoted this charge to
him. and he said 1t could not be possible.
On my return / sent him a copy OF Fox's
Military Losses and sent one also to the
commander-in-chief of the British army
in India From the latter l received the
reply: Those figures were a revelation
to me. Every man must have been a
hero"
MR.. DURANTS PAPER.
E. w. Durant, of saltwater, read
paper. He said:
Once again have we assembled as the
old settlers reunion. We have gathered
as friends of long standing, actuated by
the desire of clasping again the hands of
men who began lifes busy career in COM
mon with ourselves half a century ago.
Possibly amid the busy scenes of life by
which we are environed. There will be
no event that will call men together under
such circumstances as characterized this
our semi-centennial reunion of the old set.
Continued ON Third Page.