The Portland daily press., 1870-03-11
Ae''"'s $500 per amnun,, Ii, adrance.

|
nsaa, ,uaa through an old level field. The cost of
s"pLs sucn roads, ready for the sleopers. Is
neu NOT Dy thousands, but simply bv a
few hundred dollars per mile "
| At the present time not less than sevo, ar
eight new roads are in process Of eons,r,o
ton or commencement in this State, ALI q,
them having land grants from 6,4O0 to 10
| 300 acres to the mile-these grants In most
cases being amply sufficient to pay Tor the
roads and rolling stock, and yet The corpora.
tors, in many instances, obtain liberal doua-
tions or subsidies from municipal corp raious
10 influence the location, which donations
are often so much clear lining 10 the pock-
cts of those within the "rng"
now SOME THINGS ARE DONE.
In your State cities and towns often extend
aid to railroad corporations, but 1t Is done el-
ther as subscription for stock, the munich
paliiy having a voice in the control OF things,
or By issuing bonds secused by mortgage OF
the road, the aided corporations paying the
coupons. Not so here. A new proposed
road from st. Anthony Falls southwark 10
The Iowa line, and nortnward to intersect tie
Sake Superior road from St Paul 1.-The frat
enterprise Of the kind yet undertaken Ia the
State without land grant-is now being
pushed with earnestness, the plan being for
municipalities to make donations to raise q
large proportion Of the requisite funds. 1t Is
claimed by the corporators that The road will
be one OF the best paying in the State, and
| yet they modestlJ propose to receive gifs
| rather than stock subscriptions from the cit.
les and towns on the line OF the road. The
| city Of Minneapolis has voted donation of
its seven per cent. bonds to the amount of
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, which
is equal to eight per eight per cent. Of her
valuation, and the interest will add seventeen
and hall thousands annually to her tax bills,
or nearly six-tenths OF one per cent, and this
too for city whose municipal, county and
State taxes now amount to quite four per
cent
OPPRESSIVE TAXATION.
New States are sadly given to extravagancs =,
aud Minnesota affords no exception to the rule.
In Hennepin county-the richest and most rop
ulous in the State-taxes for local aud State
purposes average about four per cent, and yet
one-thirty sixth of all the lands of the State
is devoted to school purposes, the proceeds Of
sales making school fund the interest OF
which is divided according to the number Of
scholars, thus reducing the amount necessary
to be raised by taxation ior school purposes,
while many of the costly buildings, such a,
the capita. and the State university, etc., have
been either built at the expense of the general
| government, or with lands donated by the
government for that specific purpose.
The State has 100000 acres OF land also do
mated by the general government for purposes
oI internal Improvements, and the Legislator,
Is now considering what shall be done with
this grant, one potion working TO devote 1t 10
the redemption of the old repudiated State
bonds, and thus wipe out our financial dis
grace; another portion insisting those bonds,
if paid at all, shall be paid in money and the
lands kept to carry out the purpose OF their
donation, and still another portion, backed by
railroad influence, is apparently willing TO
make one gigantic "steap OF the hole thing.
How the matter will finally terminate few
thinking men viii feel able to conjecture.
OBsEBvFR.