Reminiscences of Pioneer Days in St. Paul / A Collection of Articles Written for and Published in the Daily Pioneer Press

by Frank Moore

THE FIVE MILLION LOAN ELECTION.

EARLY STEAMBOATING—CELEBRATION OF THE SUCCESSFUL LAYING OF THE FIRST ATLANTIC CABLE—A FIGHT BETWEEN THE CHIPPEWAS AND SIOUXS.

"Right this way for the Fuller house!" "Right this way for the Winslow house!" "Right this way for the American house!" "Merchants hotel on the levee!" "Stage for St. Anthony Falls!" These were the announcements that would greet the arrival of travelers as they would alight from one of the splendid steamers of the Galena, Dunleith, Dubuque and Minnesota Packet company during the days when traveling by steamboat was the only way of reaching points on the upper Mississippi. Besides the above hotels, there was the Central house, the Temperance house, the City hotel, Minnesota house, the Western house, the Hotel to the Wild Hunter, whose curious sign for many years attracted the attention of the visitor, and many others. The Merchants is the only one left, and that only in name. Messengers from newspaper offices, representatives of storage and commission houses, merchants looking for consignments of goods, residents looking for friends, and the ever alert dealers in town lots on the scent of fresh victims, were among the crowds that daily congregated at the levee whenever the arrival of one of the packet company's regular steamers was expected. At one time there was a daily line of steamers to La Crosse, a daily line to Prairie du Chien, a daily line to Dubuque and a line to St. Louis, and three daily lines for points on the Minnesota river. Does any one remember the deep bass whistle of the Gray Eagle, the combination whistle on the Key City, the ear-piercing shriek of the little Antelope, and the discordant notes of the calliope on the Denmark? The officers of these packets were the king's of the day, and when any one of them strayed up town he attracted as much attention as a major general of the regulars. It was no uncommon sight to see six or eight steamers at the levee at one time, and their appearance presented a decided contrast to the levee of the present time. The first boat through the lake in the spring was granted free wharfage, and as that meant about a thousand dollars, there was always an effort made to force a passage through the lake as soon as possible. Traveling by steamboat during the summer months was very pleasant, but it was like taking a trip to the Klondike to go East during the winter. Merchants were compelled to supply themselves with enough goods to last from November till April, as it was too expensive to ship goods by express during the winter. Occasionally some enterprising merchant would startle the community by announcing through the newspapers that he had just received by Burbank's express a new pattern in dress goods, or a few cans of fresh oysters. The stages on most of the routes left St. Paul at 4 o'clock in the morning, and subscribers to daily newspapers within a radius of forty miles of the city could read the news as early as they can during these wonderful days of steam and electricity.

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Probably no election ever occurred in Minnesota that excited so much interest as the one known as the "Five Million Loan Election." It was not a party measure, as the leading men of both parties favored it; although the Republicans endeavored to make a little capital out of it at a later period. The only paper of any prominence that opposed the passage of the amendment was the Minnesotian, edited by Dr. Thomas Foster. That paper was very violent in its abuse of every one who favored the passage of the law, and its opposition probably had an opposite effect from what was intended by the redoubtable doctor. The great panic of 1857 had had a very depressing effect on business of every description and it was contended that the passage of this measure would give employment to thousands of people; that the rumbling of the locomotive would soon be heard in every corner of the state, and that the dealer in town lots and broad acres would again be able to complacently inform the newcomer the exact locality where a few dollars would soon bring to the investor returns unheard of by any ordinary methods of speculation. The campaign was short and the amendment carried by an immense majority. So nearly unanimous was the sentiment of the community in favor of the measure that it was extremely hazardous for any one to express sentiments In opposition to it. The city of St. Paul, with a population of about 10,000, gave a majority of over 4,000 for the law. There was no Australian law at that time, and one could vote early and often without fear of molestation. One of the amusing features of the campaign, and in opposition to the measure, was a cartoon drawn by R.O. Sweeney, now a resident of Duluth. It was lithographed and widely circulated. The newspapers had no facilities for printing cartoons at that time. They had to be printed on a hand press and folded into the papers. It was proposed, by the terms of this amendment to the constitution, to donate to four different railroad companies $10,000 per mile for every mile of road graded and ready to iron. Work Was commenced soon after the passage of the law, and in a short time a demand was made by the railroad companies upon Gov. Sibley for the issuance of the bonds, in accordance with their idea of the terms of the contract made by the state. Gov. Sibley declined to issue the bonds until the rights of the state had been fully protected. The railroad companies would not accept the restrictions placed upon them by the governor, and they obtained a peremptory writ from the supreme court directing that they be issued. The governor held that the supreme court had no authority to coerce the executive branch of the state government, but on the advice of the attorney general, and rather than have any friction between the two branches of the government, he, in accordance with the mandate of the court, reluctantly signed the bonds. Judge Flandrau dissented from the opinion of his colleagues, and had his ideas prevailed the state's financial reputation would have been vastly improved. Dr. Foster did not believe Gov. Sibley was sincere in his efforts to protect the interests of the state, and denounced him with the same persistence he had during the campaign of the previous fall. The doctor would never acknowledge that Gov. Sibley was the legal governor of Minnesota, and Tie contended that he had no right to sign the bonds: that their issuance was illegal, and that neither the principal nor the interest would ever be paid. The Minnesotian carried at the head of its columns the words "Official Paper of the City," and it was feared that its malignant attacks upon the state officials, denouncing the issuance of the bonds as fraudulent and illegal, would be construed abroad as reflecting the sentiment of the majority of the people in the the community in which it was printed, and would have a bad effect in the East when the time came to negotiate the bonds. An effort was made to induce the city council to deprive that paper of its official patronage, but that body could not see its way clear to abrogate its contract. Threats were made to throw the office into the river, but they did not materialize. When Gov. Sibley endeavored to place these bonds on the New York market he was confronted with conditions not anticipated, and suffered disappointment and humiliation in consequence of the failure of the attempt. The bonds could not be negotiated. The whole railway construction scheme suddenly collapsed, the railroad companies defaulted, the credit of the state was compromised, "and enterprise of great pith and moment had turned their currents awry." The evil forbodings of the Minnesotian became literally true, and for more than twenty years the repudiated bonds of Minnesota were a blot on the pages of her otherwise spotless record. Nearly 250 miles of road were graded, on which the state foreclosed and a few years later donated the same to new organizations. During the administration of Gov. Pillsbury the state compromised with the holders of these securities and paid 50 per cent of their nominal value. Will she ever pay the rest?

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In the latter part of May, 1858, a battle was fought near Shakopee between the Sioux and the Chippewas. A party of Chippewa warriors, under the command of the famous Chief Hole-in-the-day, surprised a body of Sioux on the river bottoms near Shakopee and mercilessly opened fire on them, killing and wounding fifteen or twenty. Eight or ten Chippewas were killed during the engagement. The daily papers sent reporters to the scene of the conflict and they remained in that vicinity several days on the lookout for further engagements. Among the reporters was John W. Sickels, a fresh young man from one of the Eastern cities. He was attached to the Times' editorial staff and furnished that paper with a very graphic description of the events of the preceding days, and closed his report by saying that he was unable to find out the "origin of the difficulty." As the Sioux and Chippewas were hereditary enemies, his closing announcement afforded considerable amusement to the old inhabitants.

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The celebration in St. Paul in honor of the successful laying of the Atlantic cable, which took place on the first day of September, 1858, was one of the first as well as one of the most elaborate celebrations that ever occurred in the city. The announcement of the completion of the enterprise, which occurred on the 5th of the previous month, did not reach St. Paul until two or three days later, as there was no telegraphic communication to the city at that time. As soon as messages had been exchanged between Queen Victoria and President Buchanan it was considered safe to make preparations for a grand celebration. Most of the cities throughout the United States were making preparations to celebrate on that day, and St. Paul did not propose to be outdone. The city council appropriated several hundred dollars to assist in the grand jubilation and illumination. An elaborate program was prepared and a procession that would do credit to the city at the present time marched through the principal streets, to the edification of thousands of spectators from the city and surrounding country. To show that a procession in the olden time was very similar to one of the up-to-date affairs, the following order of procession is appended:

THE PROCESSION.

Escort of Light Cavalry.
Band.
Pioneer Guard.
City Guard.
City Battery.
Floral procession with escort of Mounted Cadets,
representing Queen Victoria, President Buchanan,
the different States of the Union, and
other devices.
The Governor and State Officers in carriages.
The Judges of the State in carriages.
The Clergy.
Officers of the Army.
Officers of the Navy.
The Municipal Authorities of Neighboring Cities.
The Board of Education in Carriages.
The Mayor and City Council.
Knights Templars on Horseback.
Band.
Odd Fellows.
Druids.
Typographical Corps.
Band.
Officers and Crews of Vessels in Port.
Turners.
German Reading Society.
German Singing Society.
Attaches of Postoffice Department.
Citizens in Carriages.
Citizens on Horseback.
Brewers on Horseback.
Butchers on Horseback.

Col. AC Jones, adjutant general of the state, was marshal-in-chief, and he was assisted by a large number of aides. The Pioneer Guards, the oldest military company in the state, had the right of line. They had just received their Minie rifles and bayonets, and, with the drum-major headgear worn by military companies in those days, presented a very imposing appearance. The Pioneer Guards were followed by the City Guards, under Capt. John O'Gorman. A detachment of cavalry and the City Battery completed the military part of the affair. The fire department, under the superintendence of the late Charles H. Williams, consisting of the Pioneer Hook and Ladder company, Minnehaha Engine company, Hope Engine company and the Rotary Mill company was the next in order. One of the most attractive features of the occasion was the contribution of the Pioneer Printing company. In a large car drawn by six black horses an attempt was made to give an idea of printers and printing in the days of Franklin, and also several epochs in the life of the great philosopher. In the car with the representatives of the art preservative was Miss Azelene Allen, a beautiful and popular young actress connected with the People's theater, bearing in her hand a cap of liberty on a spear. She represented the Goddess of Liberty. The car was ornamented with flowers and the horses were decorated with the inscriptions "Franklin," "Morse," "Field." The Pioneer book bindery was also represented in one of the floats, and workmen, both male and female, were employed in different branches of the business. These beautiful floats were artistically designed by George H. Colgrave, who is still in the service of the Pioneer Press company. One of the unique features of the parade, and one that attracted great attention, was a light brigade, consisting of a number of school children mounted, and they acted as a guard of honor to the president and queen. In an open barouche drawn by four horses were seated two juvenile representatives of President Buchanan and Queen Victoria. The representative of British royalty was Miss Rosa Larpenteur, daughter of A.L. Larpenteur, and the first child born of white parents in St. Paul. James Buchanan was represented by George Folsom, also a product of the city. Col. R.E.J. Miles and Miss Emily Dow, the stars at the People's theater, were in the line of march on two handsomely caparisoned horses, dressed in Continental costume, representing George and Martha Washington. The colonel looked like the veritable Father of His Country. There were a number of other floats, and nearly all the secret societies of the city were in line. The procession was nearly two miles in length and they marched three and one-half hours before reaching their destination. To show the difference between a line of march at that time and one at the present day, the following is given:

THE LINE OF MARCH.

Up St. Anthony street to Fort street, up Fort street to Ramsey street, then countermarch down Fort to Fourth street, down Fourth street to Minnesota street, up Minnesota street to Seventh street, down Seventh street to Jackson street, up Jackson street to Eighth street, down Eighth street to Broadway, down Broadway to Seventh street, up Seventh street to Jackson street, down Jackson street to Third street, up Third street to Market street.

Ex-Gov. W.A. Gorman and ex-Gov. Alex. Ramsey were the orators of the occasion, and they delivered very lengthy addresses. It had been arranged to have extensive fireworks in the evening, but on account of the storm they had to be postponed until the following night.

It was a strange coincidence that on the very day of the celebration the last message was exchanged between England and America. The cable had been in successful operation about four weeks and 129 messages were received from England and 271 sent from America. In 1866 a new company succeeded in laying the cable which is in successful operation to-day. Four attempts were made before the enterprise was successful—the first in 1857, the second in 1858, the third in 1863 and the successful one in 1865. Cyrus W. Field, the projector of the enterprise, received the unanimous thanks of congress, and would have been knighted by Great Britain had Mr. Field thought it proper to accept such honor.

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Some time during the early '50s a secret order known as the Sons of Malta was organized in one of the Eastern states, and its membership increased throughout the West with as much rapidity as the Vandals and Goths increased their numbers during the declining years of the Roman Empire. Two or three members of the Pioneer editorial staff procured a charter from Pittesburg in 1858 and instituted a lodge in St. Paul. It was a grand success from the start. Merchants, lawyers, doctors, printers, and in fact half of the male population, was soon enrolled in the membership of the order. There was something so grand, gloomy and peculiar about the initiation that made it certain that as soon as one victim had run the gauntlet he would not be satisfied until another one had been procured. When a candidate had been proposed for membership the whole lodge acted as a committee of investigation, and if it could be ascertained that he had ever been derelict in his dealings with his fellow men he was sure to be charged with it when being examined by the high priest in the secret chamber of the order—that is, the candidate supposed he was in a secret chamber from the manner in which he had to be questioned, but when the hood had been removed from his face he found, much to his mortification, that his confession had been made to the full membership of the order. Occasionally the candidate would confess to having been more of a transgresser than his questioners had anticipated.

The following is a sample of the questions asked a candidate for admission: Grand Commander to candidate, "Are you in favor of the acquisition of the Island of Cuba?" Candidate, "I am." Grand Commander, "In case of an invasion of the island, would you lie awake nights and steal into the enemy's camp?" Candidate, "I would." Grand Commander, "Let it be recorded, he will lie and steal," and then an immense gong at the far end of the hall would be sounded and the candidate would imagine that the day of judgment had come. The scheme of bouncing candidates into the air from a rubber blanket, so popular during the days of the recent ice carnivals was said to have been original with the Sons of Malta, and was one of the mildest of the many atrocities perpetrated by this most noble order.

Some time during the summer a large excursion party of members of the order from Cincinnati, Chicago and Milwaukee visited St. Paul. Among the number was the celebrated elocutionist, Alf. Burnett of Cincinnati, and Gov. Alexander Randall of Wisconsin. They arrived at the lower levee about midnight and marched up Third street to the hall of the order, where a grand banquet was awaiting them. The visitors were arrayed in long, black robes, with a black hood over their heads, and looked more like the prisoners in the play of "Lucretia Borgia" than members of modern civilization.

On the following day there was an immense barbecue at Minnehaha Falls, when the visitors were feasted with an ox roasted whole. This organization kept on increasing in membership, until in an evil hour one of the members had succeeded in inducing the Rev. John Penman to consent to become one of its members. Mr. Penman was so highly Indignant at the manner in which he had been handled during the initiation that he immediately wrote an expose of the secret work, with numerous illustrations, and had it published in Harper's Weekly. The exposition acted like a bombshell in the camp of the Philistines, and ever after Empire hall, the headquarters of the order, presented a dark and gloomy appearance. The reverend gentleman was judge of probate of Ramsey county at the time, but his popularity suddenly diminished and when his term of office expired he found it to his advantage to locate in a more congenial atmosphere.

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The Minnesotian and Times, although both Republican papers, never cherished much love for each other. The ravings of the Eatanswill Gazette were mild in comparison to the epithets used by these little papers in describing the shortcomings of their "vile and reptile contemporary." After the election in 1859, as soon as it was known that the Republicans had secured a majority in the legislature, the managers of these rival Republican offices instituted a very lively campaign for the office of state printer. Both papers had worked hard for the success of the Republican ticket and they had equal claims on the party for recognition. Both offices were badly in need of financial assistance, and had the Republican party not been successful one of them, and perhaps both, would have been compelled to suspend. How to divide the patronage satisfactorily to both papers was the problem that confronted the legislature about to assemble. The war of words between Foster and Newson continued with unabated ferocity. The editor of the Minnesotian would refer to the editor of the Times as "Mr. Timothy Muggins Newson"—his right name being Thomas M. Newson—and the Times would frequently mention Dr. Foster as the "red-nosed, goggle-eyed editor of the Minnesotian." To effect a reconciliation between these two editors required the best diplomatic talent of the party leaders. After frequent consultations between the leading men of the party and the managers of the two offices, it was arranged that the papers should be consolidated and the name of the paper should be the Minnesotian and Times. It can readily be seen that a marriage contracted under these peculiar circumstances was not likely to produce a prolonged state of connubial felicity. The relations between Foster and Newson were no more cordial under one management than had hitherto existed when the offices were separate. This unhappy situation continued until about the time the legislature adjourned, when the partnership was dissolved. Dr. Foster assumed entire control of the Minnesotian and Maj. Newson was manager of the Times. George W. Moore was associated with Dr. Foster in the publication of the Minnesotian prior to the consolidation, but when the offices separated it was stipulated that Mr. Moore should have the printing of the Journals of the two houses of the legislature as part payment of his share of the business of the late firm of Newson, Moore, Foster & Co., thus entirely severing his relations with the paper he helped to found. After the arrangement was made it was with the greatest difficulty that it was carried into effect, as Orville Brown of Faribault had entered the field as a candidate for state printer and came within a few votes of taking the printing to that village. The Times continued under the management of Mr. Newson until the first of January, 1861, when he leased the office to W.R. Marshall and Thomas F. Slaughter, who started the St. Paul Daily Press with its material. The Press proved to be too much of a competitor for the Minnesotian, and in a short time Dr. Foster was compelled to surrender to its enterprising projectors, they having purchased the entire plant. This ended the rivalry between the two Republican dailies. Dr. Foster and Maj. Newson, some time afterward, received commissions in the volunteer service of the army during the Civil war, and George W. Moore was appointed collector of the port of St. Paul, a position he held for more than twenty years.

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Does any one remember that St. Paul had a paper called the Daily North Star? The historians of St. Paul and Ramsey county do not seem to ever have chronicled the existence of this sprightly little sheet. During the presidential campaign of 1860 we had two kinds of Democrats—the Douglas and the Breckinridge or administration Democrats. There were only two papers in the state that espoused the cause of Mr. Breckinridge—the Chatfield Democrat and the Henderson Independent—and as they had been designated by the president to publish such portion of the acts of congress as it was customary to print at that time, it was quite natural that they carried the administration colors at the head of their columns. They were called "bread and butter papers." The supporters of Mr. Breckinridge thought their cause would present a more respectable appearance if they had an organ at the capital of the state. Accordingly the late H.H. Young, the editor of the Henderson Independent, was brought down from that village and the Daily North Star soon made its appearance. It was not necessary at that time to procure the Associated Press dispatches, a perfecting press and linotype machines before embarking in a daily newspaper enterprise, as a Washington hand press and five or six cases of type were all that were necessary. This paper was published regularly until after election, and as the returns indicated that the officeholders would not much longer contribute toward its support it soon collapsed.

St. Paul had another paper that is very seldom mentioned in newspaper history. It was called the St. Paul Weekly Journal, and was edited by Dr. Massey, formerly of the Ohio Statesman and private secretary to Gov. Sam Medary. This paper was started in 1862, but on account of its violent opposition to the prosecution of the war did not meet with much favor, and only existed about eight months.

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Some time during the year 1858 the Minnesotian office received about half a dozen cases of very bad whisky in payment of a very bad debt. They could not sell it—they could not even give it to any one. Occasionally the thirst of an old-time compositor would get the better of him and he would uncork a bottle. The experiment was never repeated. Think of half a dozen cases of whisky remaining unmolested in a printing office for more than two years. During the campaign of 1860 the Wide Awakes and the Little Giants were the uniformed political organizations intended to attract the attention of voters. One dreary night one of the attaches of the Minnesotian office, and an active member of the Wide Awakes, met the Little Giants near Bridge Square as they were returning to their hall after a long march. In order to establish a sort of entente cordiale between the two organisations the Little Giants were invited over to the Minnesotian office in hopes they would be able to reduce the supply of this nauseating beverage. It was a golden opportunity. The invitation was readily accepted, and in a short time fifty ardent followers of the advocate of squatter sovereignty were lined up in front of a black Republican office, thirsting for black Republican whisky. Bottle after bottle, was passed down the line, and as it gurgled down the throats of these enthusiastic marchers they smacked their lips with as much gusto as did Rip Van Winkle when partaking of the soporific potation that produced his twenty years' sleep. One of the cardinal principles of the Democracy, at that time was to "love rum and hate niggers." As the entire stock was disposed of before the club resumed its line of march, the host of the occasion concluded that at least one plank of their platform was rigidly adhered to.