452 



MINNESOTA. 



amounted for the year to $14,878.64, there re- 

 maining on hand a balance of about $4,000 

 from appropriations of the two previous years. 



The Soldiers' Orphans' Home has a large 

 number of children to provide for, although 

 eight among the counties had made no returns 

 and two only partial ones ; there were " 1,239 

 soldiers' orphans in the State, of whom 922 

 are orphans of soldiers who enlisted from 

 Minnesota 317 from other States." The 

 Legislature appropriated $10,000 for the relief 

 of the soldiers' orphans, which appropriation 

 the Board of Trustees request, and the Govern- 

 or recommends to be continued. 



In connection with the Soldiers' Orphans' 

 Home, it may be proper to mention here that 

 the interests of the surviving soldiers them- 

 selves are not forgotten or neglected by the 

 State. From the report of the Adjutant-Gen- 

 eral it appears .that the Bureau of Claims, now 

 forming part of his office, collected last year 

 the sum of nearly $18,000 due them by the 

 Federal Government "for back-pay, bounty, 

 and pensions." The whole amount collected 

 on such soldiers' claims by that Bureau since 

 its establishment is $398,249.79. 



The "State Keform School " has 48 inmates. 

 The State Prison seems to be under very good 

 management and conduct. The number of 

 convicts therein confined in 1869 had increased 

 in a comparatively large proportion above that 

 of the previous year, though this does not in- 

 validate the assertion lately made by Governor 

 Marshall, that "Minnesota has, in proportion to 

 population, fewer criminals than any other 

 State in the Union." The dominant political 

 party in Minnesota is the Eepublican, by great 

 majorities, although the Democratic also pos- 

 sesses no inconsiderable strength with regard 

 to number as well as influence. 



The Eepublicans held their State Conven- 

 tion at St. Paul on September 9th, for the 

 purpose of nominating the State officers to be 

 voted upon at the election of November en- 

 suing, their nominees being for Governor, 

 Horace Austin ; for Lieutenant-Governor, W. 

 H. Yale ; for Secretary of State, Hans Mattson ; 

 for Attorney-General, F. K. E. Cornell; for 

 State Auditor, Charles Mcllrath, the present 

 incumbent ; for State Treasurer, Emil Munch ; 

 for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, C. G. 

 Eipley ; and for Clerk of the Supreme Court, 

 Sherwood Hough. Previous to adjournment, 

 the resolutions reported by the committee 

 were read, and all adopted without dissent, 

 except the last one, which was tabled, as fol- 

 lows : 



1. Resolved, That the Eepublican party of Minne- 

 sota, in convention assembled, reaffirm their devotion 

 to the doctrines of liberty, equal and exact justice to 

 all men, and that the complete triumph of these prin- 

 ciples can only be attained by the adoption or the 

 fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the 

 United States. 



2. Resolved, That the retrenchment and economy, 

 together vritla. the gradual extinction of the public 

 debt, which have so signally characterized the present 



national Administration in the conduct of public 

 affairs, redeem our pledges to the people, and demand 

 their cordial approbation. 



3. Resolved, That the management of our State 

 affairs, under Eepublican policy, have been marked 

 by the fidelity of principle and true economy which 

 have given us prosperity at home and consideration 

 abroad, and that the true interests of the State are to 

 be found in maintaining the Eepublican party in 

 power. 



4. Resolved, That we denounce all forms of repu- 

 diation of the national debt as a national crime, and 

 that the national honor demands the payment of 

 that indebtedness in accordance with the letter and 

 spirit of the laws under which it was contracted. 



5. Resolved, That the relations of the United States 

 with other nations should be so adjusted in respect 

 to the legal status of our naturalized citizens toward 

 the governments in allegiance to which they were 

 born, that those citizens while abroad shall be con- 

 sidered and protected by the Government of the 

 United States, as fully as if they were native-born 

 citizens of the United States. 



6. Resolved, That the construction of a Northern 

 Pacific Eailway is imperatively demanded by the 

 best interests of the entire country, and that to that 

 end a wise policy dictates that this enterprise should 

 receive liberal aid from the United States. 



Y. Resolved, That the Eepublican party of the State 

 insist that the five hundred thousand acres of land 

 granted to the State for internal improvements be set 

 apart for the liquidation of the Minnesota State Bail- 

 road bonds, and that they be held for that purpose ; 

 that, when the holders of said bonds shall agree to 

 take these lands and fully and finally surrender all 

 the bonds to the State, said lands be made over to 

 said holders or their assigns, or trustee, or trustees, as 

 they may elect. 



Notwithstanding the unanimity which char- 

 acterized the proceedings of this convention, a 

 strong conflict of views, and opposition amount- 

 ing to disruption, seem to prevail in the ranks of 

 the Republican party throughput the State. It 

 occurred in numerous localities that, after the 

 regular county conventions had been held by 

 that party, and county officers nominated, 

 other Republican residents of the same coun- 

 ties met together in separate conventions and 

 nominated other candidates. 



The Democratic State Convention met at 

 St. Paul on the 23d of September, when 

 they unanimously adopted the following reso- 

 lutions : 



Resolved, That the Democracy of Minnesota desire 

 to act independently of mere forms and theories which 

 have lost their substance, to consign settled questions 

 to the past, and to appeal to the people of Minnesota 

 upon the living issues of the present and future which 

 concern the material interests of every citizen of the 

 State. 



- Resolved, That the power to impose duties on im- 

 ports is a power of taxation, which can only be used 

 for the purpose of obtaining revenues, and that the 

 present oppressive tariff laws should be so amended " 

 as to reduce the duties on imports to a strictly revenue 

 standard. 



Resolved, That we are in favor of the gradual reduc- 

 tion of the public debt by its payment in the lawful 

 currency of the country wherever authorized 'by law, 

 as fast as it can bo done without disturbing the equi- 

 librium of prices and values by too great an inflation 

 of the currency. 



Resolved, That we are in favor of the gradual reduc- 

 tions of all taxes under the internal revenue system, 

 and the repeal of that system at the earliest practica- 

 ble moment. 



