ich had recently come into existence on the
Minnesota river about one hundred miles above its mouth. There could be
no reason for such action except interested speculation, as the capitol
was already built in St. Paul, and it was much more accessible, and in
every way more convenient than it would be at St. Peter; but the
movement had sufficient personal and political force behind it to insure
its success, and an act was passed making such removal. But it was
destined to meet with unexpected obstacles before it became a law. When
it passed the house it was sent to the council, where it only received
one majority, eight voting for and seven against it. It was, on the 27th
of February, sent to the enrolling committee for final enrollment. It
happened that Councillor Joseph Rolette, from Pembina, was chairman of
this committee, and a great friend of St. Paul. Mr. Rolette decided he
would veto the bill in a way not known to parliamentary law, so he put
it in his pocket and disappeared. On the 28th, not being in his seat,
and the bill being missing, a councillor offered a resolution that a
copy of it be obtained from Mr. Wales, the second in order on the
committee. A call of the council was then ordered and Mr. Rolette not
being in his seat, the sergeant-at-arms was sent out to bring him in,
but not being able to find him, he so reported. A motion was then made
to dispense with the call, but by the rules it required a two-third vote
of fifteen members, and in the absence of Mr. Rolette only fourteen were
present. It takes as many to make two-thirds of fourteen as it does to
make two-thirds of fifteen, and the bill had only nine friends. During
the pendency of a call no business could be transacted, and a serious
dilemma confronted the capital removers; but, nothing daunted, Mr.
Balcombe made a long argument to prove that nine was two-thirds of
fourteen. Mr. Brisbin, who was president of the council and a graduate
of Yale, pronounced the motion lost, saying to the mover, who was also a
graduate of Yale, "Mr. Balcombe, we never figured that way at Yale."
This situation produced a deadlock, and no business could be transacted.
The session terminated on the fifth day of March by its own limitation.
The sergeant-at-arms made daily reports concerning the whereabouts of
the absentee, sometimes locating him on a dog-train, rapidly moving
towards Pembina, sometimes giving a rumor of his assassination, but
never producing him. Matters r