Year: 1865

stated


Gentlemen of the Council:


have the honor to introduce to you Hon.
John s. Prince, the Mayor elect of this city.


The oath of Office was then administered by
DR.. Stewart, after which Mayor Prince deliv.
cred the following address:


Address Of Mayor Prince.


GENTLEMEN OF THE COUNCIL: Called upon
by my fellow. citizens to assume the position
of Chief Magistrate of the city, feel deeply
grateful for the confidence thus reposed in me,
and in return it will be my aim faithfully and
earnestly to discharge its duties Having had
the experience of three previous terms as May
will not suffer during my administration so far
as the responsibility properly appertains to me.
st. Paul in common with the whole country,
has felt the pressure of the gigantic war in
which our Government has been engaged for
the past four years; yet Notwithstanding this and
sive drouth and low water, seriously interrupt.
ing the navigation ofthe Mississippi and Min.
nesota rivers, and interfering generally with
the great branches of trade, It is gratifying to
know that our city has continued to increase in
population and wealth, while some of our cit
izens have been drawn to the newly discover.
ed gold fields of the far west, and many more
have patriotically enter ed the military service
their places have been more than numeri-
cally filed by Others who have been drawn to
our State and city in search of fortune and
of physical health. The end of the great re.
bellion Is so certainly near at hand, that we
may reasonably hope soon to greet many of
our returning townsmen, who having discharg-
ed their duties as patriots and as soldiers, will
resume their peaceful avocations in our midst,
and thus add to our aggregate of material
wealth.


The long deferred hopes of railroad commu-
nication with the rich interior counties of the
State seem at length about to be realized, at
least to certain extent. There is every reason
to believe that the line of the Central Railway
will be completed before the close of the pre.
sent season from this city to Faribault while
the Minnesota Valley Railroad Company are
making vigorous exertions to finish their line
to Shakopee during the summer. The track of
the st. Paul and Pacific Railroad will soon be
laid as far as st. Cloud and am informed that
The work on their branch road west of Mime.
apolis is being vigorously prosecuted I am
unable to state with precision what NAV be
expected to be done on the st. Paul and Supe.
rior route, but the liberal terms offered the
Company formed for the construction of that
perity of our city should lead to earnest and
successful efferts for its early completion,
Whatever can properly be done by the mun:ci.
pal authorities to urge forward these several
enterprises, which are of vital interest ~ St.
Paul, should be promptly accomplished.


The reports of the City Comptroller and
Treasurer for the fiscal year ending 31st ult.,
shows the necessity for greater economy in the
management of our fiscal affairs. The great
burdens of taxation now imposed upon our
citizens require that all local expenditures
should be reduced to the lowest practicable
limit. That careful and judiciOus manage
ment will very much diminish the present
&c oit fool Oui a
confident, and any pruning OF useless or unne.
cessary outlay which you may see fit to resort
to will meet with my hearty cooperation.


During the past year considerable amount OF
forged city scrip was found to be in circulation.
have also been informed that bonds of the
city already once paid, have been reissued
An attempt was made to trace the issue of the
fraudulent scrip, but it failed. No endeavol
that know OF has ever been made to discover
how the paid bonds were again thrust upon the
market. deem 1t of the greatest importance
that these matters should be most thoroughly
investigated. Ii allowed to pass without bring.
ing the perpetrator of these frauds to Justice
our city credit must inevitably suffer. I shall
most heartily concur In any action of the Coun.
ell tending to the elucidation of the mystery
which now envelopes these transactions.


There is no part of the duty Of the Mayo,
of the city which Is so beset with difficulty and
generally of 80 thankless o character a. that





of the police force. While the men composipc
that body should be held to rigid accounts,
bility, it is clearly unjust to charge them with
unfaithfulness or ineff1ciency whenever it un
fortunately happens that outrages are com
mitted upon persons or property and the per
petrator escape arrest and punishment. Where
as is the case here, large area is guarded BY
comparatively few policemen, 1t cannot reason
ably be expected that every injury to the per-
son OF the premises of citizen shall invariabl;
,ons oe alseoyered But recognize in its broades,
extent, the obligations of the Mayor to employ
men OF approved integrity, of keen vigilance
and dlseeInsent, and of nerve and intre
pidity 70 perform the important duties devolved
vices OF such mea, and especially of individ
uals competent to ill the positions of Chief
and Captain OF the force, liberal salary should
am happy to be able to assure you f.,tbougb
broad assertions 1sI, aaIe been publicly made %
by pledges OF promises to any person %et,st %bss