Freeborn County, Minnesota - Chapter 25: State Apfants from A. D. 1862 to A. D. 1882, 1882

Chapter 25: State Apfants from A. D. 1862 to A. D. 1882

In consequence of the Sioux outbreak, Grovemor Ramsey called an extra ses.sion of the legislature, -which on the 9th of September, 1862, assembled.

As long as Indian hostilities continued, the flow of immigration was checked, and the agricultural interests suffered; but notwithstanding the disturbed condition of affairs, the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company laid ten miles of rail, to the FaUs of St. Anthony.

Fifth State Legislature

During the fall of 1862 Alexander Ramsey had again been elected governor, and on the 7th of January, 1863, delivered the annu.al message before the Fifth state legislature. During this session he was elected to fill the vacancy that would take place in the United States senate by the expiration of the term of Henry M. Kice, who had been a senator from the time that Minnesota was organized as a state. After Alexander Ramsey became a senator, the lieutenant-governor, Henry A. Swift, became governor by constitutional provision.

Governor Stephen A. Miller

At the election during the fall of 1863, Stephen A. Miller, colonel of the Seventh regiment, was elected governor by a majority of- about seven thousand votes, Henry T. Welles being his competitor, and representative of the democratic party. During Governor Miller's administration, on the 10th of November, 1865, two Sioux chiefs, Little Six and Medicine Bottle, were hung at Fort Snelling, for participation in the 1862 massacre.

Governor W. R. Marshall

In the fall of 1865 William R. Marshall, who had succeeded his predecessor as colonel of the Seventh regiment, was nominated by the republican party for governor, and Henry M. Rice by the democratic party. The former was elected by about five thousand majority. In 1867 Governor Marshall was again nominated for the oiBce, and Charles E. Flandrau -was the democratic candidate, and he was again elected by about the same majority as before.

Governor Horace Austin

Horace Austin, the judge of the Sixth judicial district, was in 1869 the republican candidate for governor, and received 27,238 votes, and George L. Otis, the democratic candidate, 25,401 votes. In 1871 Governor Austin was again nominated, and received 45,883 votes, while 30,092 ballots were cast for Winthrop Young, the democratic candidate. The important event of his administration was the veto of an act of the legislature giving the internal improvement lands to certain railway corporations.

Toward the close of Governor Austin's administration, William Seeger, the state treasurer, was impeached for a wrong use of public funds. He plead guilty and was disqualified from holding any ofiBce of honor, trust or profit in the state.

Governor Oushman K. Davis

The republicans in the fall of 1873 nominated Oushman K. Davis for governor, who received 40,741 votes, while 35,245 ballots were thrown for the democratic candidate, Ara Barton.

The summer that he was elected the locust made its appearance in the land, and in certain regions devoured every green thing. One of the first acts of Governor Davis was to relieve the farmers who had sufifered from the visitation of locusts. The legislature of 1874 voted relief, and the people of the state voluntarily contributed clothing and provisions.

During the administration of Governor Davis the principle was settled that there was nothing in the charter of a railroad company limiting the power of Minnesota to regulate the charges for freight and travel.

Women Allowed To Vote Fob School Officers

At the election in November, 1875, the people sanctioned the following amendment to the constitution: "The legislature may, notwithstanding anything in this article, [Article 7, section 8] provide by law that any woman at the age of twenty-one years and upwards, may vote at any election held for the jiurpose of chosing any officer of schools, or upon any measure relating to schools, and may also provide that any such woman shall be eligible to hold any office solely pertaining to the management of schools."

Governor J. S. Pillsburt

John S. Pillsbury, the republican nominee, at the election of November, 1875, received 47,073 for governor while his democratic competitor, D. L. Buell obtained 35,275 votes. Governor PiUsbury in his inaugural message, delivered on the 7th of January, 1876, urged upon the legislature, as his predecessors had done, the importance of providing for the payment of the state railroad bonds.

Raid On Northfield Bank

On the 6th of September, 1876, the quiet citizens of Minnesota were excited by a telegraphic announcement that a band of outlaws from Missouri had, at mid-day, ridden into the town of Northfield, recklessly discharging firearms, and proceeding to the bank, killed the acting cashier in an attempt to secure its funds. Two of the desperadoes were shot in the streets, by firm residents, 'and in a brief period, parties from the neighboring towns were in pursuit of the assassins. After a long and weary search four were surrounded in a swamp in Watonwan county, and one was killed, and the others captured.

At the November term of the fifth district court held at Faribault, the criminals were arraigned, and imder an objebtionable statute, by pleading guilty, received an imjjrisonment for lite, instead of the merrited death of the gallows.

The Bookt Mountain Locust

As early as 1874 in some of the counties of Minnesota, the Kocky Mountain locust, of the same genus, but a different species from the Europe and Arctic locust, driven eastward by the failure of the succulent grasses of the upper Missouri valley appeared as a short, stout-legged, djvouring army, and in 1875 the myriad of eggs deposited were hatched out, and the insects bom within the state, flew to new camping grounds, to begin their devastations.

In the spriug the locust appeared in some counties, but by an ingenious contrivance of sheet iron, covered with tar, their numbers were speedily reduced. It was soon discovered that usually but one hatching of eggs took place in the same district, and it was evident that the crop of 1877 would be remunerative. When the national Thanksgiving was observed on the 26th of November nearly 40,000,000 bushels of wheat had been garnered, and many who had sown in tears, devoutly thanked Him who had given plenty, and meditated upon the words of the Hebrew Psalmist, "He maketh peace within thy borders and fiUeth thee with the finest of the wheat."

Govebnoe Pillsbdbt'S Second Term

At the election in November, 1877, Governor Pillsbury was elected a second time, receiving 59,701, while 39,247 votes were cast for William L. Banning, the nominee of the democratic party. At this election the people voted to adopt two important amendments to the constitution.

Biennial Session Op The Legislature

"The legisluture of the state shall consist of a senate and house of representatives, shall meet biennially, at the seat of goyemment of the state, at such time as shall be prescribed by law, but no session shall exceed the term of sixty days."

Christian Instrcctiok Excluded Feom Schools

The other amendment excludes Christian and other religious instructions from all of the educational institutions of Minnesota in these words: "But in no case, shall the moneys derived as aforesaid, or any portion thereof, or any public moneys, or property be appropriated or used for the support of schools wherein the distinctive doctrines, or creeds or tenets of any particular Christian or other religious sect, are promulgated or taught."

Impeachstent Op Judge Page

The personal unpopularity of Sherman Page, judge of the Tenth judicial district, culminated by the house of rej^resentatives of the legislature of 1878, presenting articles, impeaching him, for conduet unbecoming a judge: the senate sitting as a court, examined the charges, and on the 22d of June, he was ac quitted.

The republican party nominated John S. Pillsbury for a third term as governor, and at the election in November, 1879, he received 57,-171 votes, wliile 42,444 were given for Edmund Kice, the representative of the democrats.

With a persistence which won the respect of the opponents of the measure. Governor Pillsbury contin ued to advocate the payment of the state railroad bonds. The legislature of 1870 submitted an amendment to the constitution, by which the "internal improvement lands" were to be sold and the proceeds to be used in cancelling the bonds, by the bondholders agreeing to purchase the lands at a certain sum per acre. The amendment was adopted by a vote of the people, but few of the bondholders accepted the provisions, and it failed to effect the proposed end. The legislature of 1871 passed an act for a commis.sion to make an equitable adjustment of the bonds, but at a sjiecial election in May it was rejected.

The legislature of 1877 passed an act for calling m the railroad bonds, and issueing new bonds, which was submitted to the people at a special election on the 12th of June, and not accepted.

The legislature of 1878 proposed a constitutional amendment offering the internal imj)rovemeut lands in exchange for railroad bonds, and the people at the November election disapproved of the proposition. Against the proposed amendment 45,669 votes were given, and only '26,311 in favor.

First Biennlal Session

The first biennial session of the legislature convened in January, 1881, and Governor Pillsbury again, in his message of the 6th of January, held up to the view of the legislators the dishonored railroad bonds, and the duty of providing for their settlement. In his argument he said:*

"Tlje liability having been voluntarily incurred, whetlier it was wisely created or not is foreign to the present question. It is certain that the obligations were fairly given for which consideration was fairly received; and the state having chosen foreclosure as her remedy, and disposed of the property thus acquired unconditionally as her own, the conclusion seems to me irresistible that she assumed the payment of the debt resting upon such property by every principle of law and equity. And, moreover, as the state promptly siezed the railroad property and franchises, expressly to indemnify her for payment of the bonds, it is difficult to see what possible justification there can be for her refusal to make that payment."

The legislature in March passed an act for the adjustment of these bonds, which being brought before the supreme court of the state was declared void. The court at the same time declared the amendment to the state constitution, which prohibited the settlement of these bonds, without the assent of a popular vote, to be a violation of the clause in the constitution of the United States of America prohibiting the impairment of the obligation of contracts. This decision cleared the way for final action. Governor Pillsbury called an extra session of the legislature in October, 1881, which accepted the offer of the bondholders, to be satisfied with a partial payment, and made pro\-isions for cancelling bonds, the existence of which for more than twenty years had been a humiliation to a large majority of the thoughtful and intelligent citizens of Minnesota, and a blot upon the otherwise fair name of the commonwealth.

Governor Hubbard

Lucius F. Hubbard, who had been colonel of the Fifth Eegiment, was nominated by the republican party, and elected in November, 1881, by a large majority over the democratic nominee, E. W. Johnson. He entered upon his duties in January, 1882, about the time of the present chapter going to press.