The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier — John Shaqi
The History of Minnesota and Tales of the FrontierFlandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
History
The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier
Flandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Minnesota; Minnesota -- History
This legislature recommended a device for a great seal. It represented
an Indian family with lodge and canoe, encamped; a single white man
visiting them, and receiving from them the calumet of peace. The design
did not meet with general approval, and nothing came of it. The next
winter Governor Ramsey and the delegate to congress prepared a seal for
the territory, the design of which was the Falls of St. Anthony in the
distance, a farmer plowing land, his gun and powder horn leaning against
a newly cut stump, a mounted Indian, surprised at the sight of the plow,
lance in hand, fleeing toward the setting sun, with the Latin motto,
"Quae sursum volo videre," ("I wish to see what is above"). A blunder
was made by the engraver, in substituting the word "Quo" for "Quae," in
the motto, which destroyed its meaning. Some time after, it was changed
to the French motto, "L'Etoile du Nord" ("Star of the North"), and thus
remains until the present time.
While speaking of seals, I will state that the seal of the supreme court
was established when the first term of the court convened, in 1858. The
design adopted was a female figure, representing the goddess of liberty,
holding the evenly-balanced scales of justice in one hand and a sword in
the other, with the somewhat hackneyed motto, "Fiat justitia ruat
coelum" ("Let justice be done if the heavens fall"). I remember that,
soon after it appeared, some one asked one of the judges what the new
motto meant, and he jocularly answered, "Those who fy at justice will
rue it when we seal 'em."
The seal was changed to the same device as that of the state, with the
same motto and the words, "Seal of the Supreme Court, State of
Minnesota."
IMMIGRATION.
When the first legislature convened, the governor, on the second day of
the session (Sept. 4, 1849), delivered his message. It was a well-timed
document, and admirably expressed to attract attention to the new
territory. After congratulating the members upon the enviable position
they occupied as pioneers of a great prospective civilization, which
would carry the American name and American institutions, by the force of
superior intelligence, labor and energy, to untold results, he among
other things said:
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