MINNESOTA. 



4th to March 4th. Much of its attention was 

 given to the above bond question and to rail- 

 road interests. One of the most important 

 measures adopted was a bill " to regulate the 

 carrying of freight and passengers on all rail- 

 roads in the State." It fixes the rate of pas- 

 senger toll at five cents per mile for each 

 person. A bill was passed providing a new- 

 basis of apportionment for the Senate and 

 House of Representatives. Under this tho 

 Senate will be composed of 41 members, and 

 the House of 106. Bills were also passed for 

 the prevention of cruelty to animals, and for 

 the preservation of game. 



A political canvass was held for the election 

 of State officers and Justices of the Supreme 

 Court. Tickets were nominated by the Re- 

 publicans, Democrats, and Temperance-men. 

 The Republican Convention was held on the 

 20th of September, at St. Paul. Governor 

 Horace Austin was renominated, and the 

 ticket was completed by the nomination of 

 \V. II. Yale for Lieutenant-Governor, S. P. 

 Jennison for Secretary of State, William Seeger 

 for State Treasurer, F. R. E. Cornell for At- 

 torney-General, and S. J. R. McMillan and 

 John M. Berry for Justices of the Supreme 

 Court. A platform was adopted, of which the 

 following are the more important features : 



Resolved, That the essence of law is equality and 

 universality, and that it is beyond the constitutional 

 power of the General Government to discriminate 

 between the different classes of the people, to enrich 

 those engaged in some pursuits by taxes levied on 

 those engaged in other pursuits, thus making the 

 same law a means of wealth for some while it is an 

 engine of destruction to others ; that such a policy is 

 as unlimited in its operations as human selfishness, 

 and tends to absorb in the hands of the few the sub- 

 stance of the many, and thus create those great in- 

 equalities of wealth and poverty which threaten the 

 very existence of our free institutions. 



Resolved, That while we prefer indirect taxation 

 by imposts on importations to direct taxation upon 

 the basis of population, under a system of internal 

 revenue, justice and policy dictate that the burdens 

 of the Government should fall with most weight 

 upon the vices und luxuries of society, and with 

 least force on the wants of the multitude, and that 

 the Government should regard the prosperity of the 

 great mass rather than the aggrandizement of those 

 already wealthy. 



Resolved, That the internal improvement lands 

 owned by the State should be opened for immediate 

 occupation by actual settlers at a reasonable com- 

 pensation, their sale to be regulated by some system 

 of appraisement and credit similar to that provided 

 by our school-lands, and that neither the lands 

 themselves nor the funds derived from such sale 

 should be disposed of by the Legislature for any 

 purpose until _ the law providing for their disposal 

 shall be submitted to a vote of the people, at an an- 

 nual general election, and to that end we recommend 

 the adoption of a constitutional amendment to that 

 effect. 



Resolved, That the railroads of the country, having 

 been, constructed to promote the interests of com- 

 merce, and deriving every power they possess direct- 

 ly from the people, are at all times 2 and under all 

 circumstances, proper subjects for just legislation 

 tending to the promotion of the public welfare, and 

 thus we recognize and enunciate the principle that, 

 in any conflict between the State and the corporators 



transacting business within its limits, it becomes 



e corp 



, it be 



the duty of the State to protect its citizens by the 

 exercise of every legitimate means at its command. 



The Democratic Convention was held in the 

 same place on September 13th. The follow- 

 ing nominations were made : For Governor, 

 Winthrop Young, of Hennepin County; for 

 Lieutenant-Governor, D. L. Buell, of Houston 

 County ; for Secretary of State, Erick Nelson 

 Falk, of Rice County; for State Treasurer, 

 Banrey Vosburg, of Stearns County ; for At- 

 torney-General, John L. Macdonald, of Scott 

 county; for Associate Justices of Supreme 

 Court, Daniel Buck, of Blue Earth, and Wil- 

 liam Mitchell, of Winona County. The plat- 

 form adopted was, in substance, as follows : 



Resolved, That the Democratic party now, as it 

 has ever done, stands upon the platform and adheres 

 to the principles promulgated by the great founder 

 of our party, Thomas Jefferson, as the only basis 

 upon which the union ; peace, and harmony of the 

 States can be maintained, and the liberties and 

 rights of the people preserved. 



Resolved, That we denounce the present Republican 

 national Administration for its shameless corrup- 

 tions, for squandering of the people's money ? and 

 for its settled disregard of constitutional obligations ; 

 and that it has shown itself wholly unfit to be in- 

 trusted with the control and destiny of a great and 

 free people. 



Resolved, That we recognize as binding the Con- 

 stitution of the United States, as it now exists. 



Resolved, That the prime necessaries of life, such 

 as iron, coal, salt, leather, and cotton and woollen 

 goods, ought to be free from all tariffs and taxation 

 that, upon all other articles, only such taxes and 

 tariffs ought to be imposed as shall be required to 

 meet the wants of the Government economically ad- 

 ministered; and that the adjustment of taxes and 

 tariffs with a view of preventing fair competition in 

 trade, from any source, is subversive of the rights 

 and hurtful to the interests of the masses of the 

 people. 



Resolved, That, in our opinion, no rights can be 

 vested in corporations, more than in individuals, 

 above the control of the people, and such laws should 

 be enacted and enforced as will limit, to just rates, 

 tariffs, freights and charges of railroad and trans- 

 portation companies, and protect the people against 

 imposition, and that the Legislature should annex 

 such conditions to all new grants, and the extension 

 of said privileges, as will place the right of legisla- 

 tive control over such corporations beyond question. 



Resolved, That as an instance of eminently appro- 

 priate legislation, in the name of wisdom, justice, 

 and republican government, and to secure universal 

 political rights and equality, we call upon Congress 

 for general amnesty. 



Resolved, That we are opposed to the granting of 

 any more public land to aid in the construction of 

 railroad or other public enterprises, except upon the 

 condition that the lands granted shall be subject to 

 be taken by actual settlers at a price not above two 

 dollars and fifty cents per acre, and shall be subject 

 to taxation the'same as individual property, as soon 

 as acquired by any railroad company. 



Resolved, That we denounce the present Eepub- 

 lican State administration, for its utter failure to en- 

 force the laws of this State relating to corporations. 



The Temperance Convention was heLl on 

 October 13th. It was a mass convention. The 

 following were the nominations: For Gov- 

 ernor, .Judge Abner Lewis, of Winona; for 

 Lieutenant-Governor, W. A. Bentley, of St. 

 Paul ; for Treasurer, Dr. William L. Mentzel, 

 of St. Paul ; for Secretary of State, J. Guil- 



