The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-13

them, as the conveyance Of the present
capitol site to the territory Of Minnesota
by their father was a conditional one and
that in the event of the removal of the
capitol from that site, the property con-
yeyed would revert to himself or his heirs.
BY the terms of an act of congress, Or
ganizing the territory of Minnesota, APP
proved March 3, 1349 it was enatced 'Fhar
the legislative assembly of the territory
Of Minnesota shah hold its first session att
St. Paul; and at said first session the gov
ernor and legislative assembly shall To-
cate and establish a temporary seat of
government 4or said territory at such
place as they may deem eligible" etc.
At the first session Of the territorial as
sembly, which met in st. Paul on the
3rd day Of September 1S49 an attempt
was made to locate a temporary seat OF
government at St. Paul, which failed for
the reason that St. Anthony, ST. Paul
and Saltwater were Approximately the
same size in population. The members In
the legislative assembly representing ST.
Anthony and Saltwater were Of the epin-
ion that the towns they represented had
as good right to the capitol as St Paul
and while neither Of the towns could land
the prize, they had votes enough to dc-
feat st. Paul, and the location of the cap
itol bill at that session failed.
At the second session Of the territorial
assembly-which was held in the Rice
building in St Paul in 1851, an act was
passed locating 1.-THE capitol or public
buildings for the, sessions Of the legisia-
tive assembly and the supreme court Of
the territory, the library and for the
use of such officers Of the territory ais
may be prescribed by law, shall be erected
at a central point in the town of st. Paul.
The act further provided that to carry
into effect said law nve commissioners
were to be elected by the electors of SAID
territory, who, when so elected and quail
flied, at their first meeting We're to take
the necessary steps and to procure a suit
able site upon which to erect said capitol
building in the town of st. Paul, etc.
After the election and qualification az
said commissioners they met and organ
lied on the 18th day Of May, 1851 and
proceeded to discharge their trust in re-
gard to the location Of site for the ter
ritorial capitol. The commission wanted
to secure a site without money or price.
The old pioneers were not so mercenary
as in later days, when the present capitol
commissioners paid $2S5,000 for a site tor
the new capitol, and they will tell you
confidently that they bought it very cheap.
In this regard there may be a difference
Of opinion.
Three bids We're received one Offering
to donate block u Of Robert & RandalIs
addition to St. Paul, which was accepted
and then rejected for the reason that the
title was defective; the second, PROPOSE
ton was to donate block T. Rice & Irvine's
addition, which offer was not seriously
considered, for block Of Rice & Irvine's
addition was nothing more than a good
sized mud hole. 1t may be said however
that the owners Of the block offered to
give bond to fill the lot up, to grade
at an expense not to exceed 81, 600 The
third proposition came from Charles
Bazille, one Of the old pioneer settlers OF
st. Paul, and one among the best men I
ever knew, who wanted the erection Of
the capitol building in ST. Paul, and