Sesquicentennial Party

By Erik Hare

Last week was the Sesquicentennial of Minnesota statehood, but the real party is this weekend.  If they were holding out one week for better spring weather, they got it.   On a 70 degree day there were just a few billowing clouds to frame the fly-overs from old warbirds like these trainers which are maintained by a few Minnesotans who are very much into preserving and showing off that part of our history.

The strange part of the event was how it was centered on the State Capitol, because today is the last day of the Legislative session.  Our Constitution requires them to finish up their work before the Monday after the third Saturday in May.  Like nearly everyone stuck with a hard problem to solve, it often gets put off until the last minute. 

This year, the whole rest of the state was invited to a big party on the lawn while our legislature was stuck inside wrangling.  They were locked inside like the bad kids while the rest of us enjoyed recess.  How does it come to this?

Actually, Minnesota was born in a partisan controversy even more childish.  Figuring out the details of our Constitution became a tough contest between the evenly matched parties leading up to the day that they actually passed it.  Tight restrictions on various powers, such as the one that limits when the Legislature can meet, caused a lot of hurt feelings.  There was a time that it looked like they weren’t going to get it done at all.

Finally, in the cold days of January 1858, it was made clear by Governor Ramsey that if they didn’t get it together, statehood itself was in jeopardy.  There were enough problems in Washington without admitting a state that wasn’t getting its act together.  They sat down at got to work, crafting a Constitution, but the bitter feelings remained. 

In the end, the Democrats still refused to sign the same document that the Republicans would, and the Republicans felt about the same towards the Democrats, so they agreed on a compromise.  Each party signed their own copy, the Democrats the one in Blue and the Republicans the one in White.  These two are on display today in the capitol, carefully eyeing each other from either side of a display case.  The Republican White Constitution is pictured here.

So will our Legislature work together well and make this last day productive?  History tells us a lot about it.  Yes, it’s ugly and bitter, but they find a way at the very end.  Meanwhile, we can see that the strength of Minnesota isn’t in the marble halls of the Capitol, it’s outside.  The people gathered on the lawn, the carefully restored fighters and bombers, and even the realized promise of Spring are what we’re really all about. 

It’s been a pretty decent party so far, and a lot of fun.  It continues today up at the Capitol if anyone’s interested.  If you’re lucky, you may see a few Legislators popping out for some Mini-Donuts or other festival food.  But if you don’t, remember that they’ve got work to do.  And that it’s going down pretty much the way it always does, right down the last painful minute.  We have some odd traditions in Minnesota, but as long as you’re on the right side of the Capitol they’re pretty fun.