510 



MINNESOTA. 



were assigned to the First Regiment Minnesota 

 enrolled militia. The enrolment of the unor- 

 ganized militia of the State shows a force of 

 56,538 men liable to perform military duty; 

 219 applications for soldiers' claims were made 

 during the year, through the Adjutant-Gen- 

 eral's office, and $15,834.01 in money collected. 

 Nearly 400 claims were still pending at the 

 close of the year, and new applications were 

 constantly coming in. 



During the year the railway systems of the 

 State have been rapidly extended, and 329J- 

 miles have been added to the amount in opera- 

 tion at the beginning of the year. The follow- 

 ing table shows the different lines included in 

 this aggregate, and the number of miles of each 

 that has been built : 



These companies, together with the Minne- 

 sota and Northwestern, propose to complete 

 and operate 632 miles during the year 1871, in 

 addition to the above extent. Much impor- 

 tance is attached to the Lake Superior and 

 Mississippi Railway, as affording an outlet on 

 the navigable waters of the great lakes at a 

 distance of 155 miles from those of the Missis- 

 sippi River, and as making a saving of 285 miles 

 of land transit over the route via Chicago and 

 Lake Michigan; and it is claimed by the 

 friends of the road that there will be a saving 

 in time of two or three days between Minne- 

 sota and the Atlantic seaboard, while the 

 rates between Duluth and the East will be 

 the same by this route as between Chicago 

 and the East. This road was formally opened 

 in August at Duluth; and the St. Paul and 

 Sioux City Railroad was completed during the 

 year. The St. Paul and Pacific road was sold 

 to the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, 

 which contemplates the immediate construc- 

 tion of the former to Breckinridge, and of the 

 branch line via St. Cloud to Pembina ; an air- 

 line road from St. Paul to Chicago has been 

 projected, which will reduce the distance by 

 rail between the two cities to 393 miles, and 

 the time to ten hours. 



The subject of freight and passenger traffic 

 on railroads has been much discussed through- 

 out the State. The sentiments of the people 

 are fairly expressed by the following resolu- 



tions passed at a meeting held at Owatonna on 

 the 26th of November, to consider this matter : 



Whereas, The railroads of this State having adopted 

 rates of transportation of freight, and for passage, 

 which are exorbitant and ruinous to the welfare 01 

 the State ; and, 



Whereas, They having made invidious distinctions 

 against localities not provided with competing routes 

 or lines of transportation, and by the consolidation 

 of competing lines, and operating their roads in the 

 interest of '"wheat rings," and other monopolies, by 

 granting^ them exclusive privileges, still further oper- 

 ated against the interests of the people, and defeated 

 competition in the purchase and shipment of wheat : 

 therefore 



Resolved, That the welfare and prosperity of the 

 people demand the immediate and active exercise by 

 the Legislature of all the powers over the matter 

 possessed by that body, and the enactment of such 

 laws as will protect the interests of the producers 

 against the extortions and combinations which are 

 ruining, not only the farming interests, but sapping 

 the foundation of ourprosperity as a State ; and 



Resolved, further, That, should the powers of the 

 Legislature be found inadequate to the protection of 

 the people against these extortions, favoritism, and 

 unjust charges of the railroad companies, then we 

 call for the submission of an amendment to the 

 constitution of the State, which shall meet the 

 exigency. 



In his message to the Legislature of 1871, 

 the Governor recommends the passage by that 

 body of a regulating act, and refutes the posi- 

 tion of many, that competition is the only rem- 

 edy needed, by showing that only a few points 

 could enjoy this advantage, and that roads 

 originally built as competing lines would soon 

 consolidate and become identified in interest. 

 He also refers to the evils produced by the fre- 

 quency of elections in the State, and recom- 

 mends that the election for State officers be 

 held on the same year as that for Congressmen. 

 He also refers to the increasing amount of 

 county and municipal indebtedness, and the 

 extraordinary amount of special legislation. 

 He accordingly recommends the calling of a 

 constitutional convention, and states the fol- 

 lowing as some of the purposes for which its 

 action is required : 



1. To forbid local or special legislation on many 

 subjects, including the creation of corporations and 

 the sale or mortgaging the real estate of minors. 



2. To prevent the granting to any corporation, as- 

 sociation, or person, any special or exclusive privilege, 

 immunity, or franchise. 



3. To limit local taxation. 



4. To restrict municipal indebtedness. 



5. To prohibit the incurring of municipal indebt- 

 edness in aid of any railroad or private corporation. 



6. To place restrictions upon and regulate rail- 

 ways. 



1. To abolish the grand-jury system. 



The large amount of special legislation, 

 which has exhausted the time of the Legisla- 

 ture at the expense of the State Treasury, is 

 shown by the fact that the general laws passed 

 at the session of 1868 occupy 182 pages, and 

 the special, 457, exclusive of the index ; gen- 

 eral laws of 1869, 144 pages, special, 373 ; 1870, 

 general 199, and special, 515 pages. 



The following is the Federal census of Min- 

 nesota for 1860, and approximate for 1870 : 



