The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-21

there sometime, but it's passage seems
to he a foregone conclusion. 1t fixes
the weight of the silver dollar at 4124
grains. .
The Mankato Record opposes giving
tho land grant to the Southwestern
railroad company. Mr.. Brown evil
IDENTIFY sees that there is fraud in the
attempt to secure the grant and has
the manliness to oppose it. The people
along the line west of Fairmont are
overwhelmingly in favor of givingit to
the Southern Minnesota Company, If the
land is to be given to any one.
TAXING CLAIMS.
A correspondent writes us asf lows:
How about that matter of taxing
claims not yet patented? o. my home
stead in Mobiles county, they made me
pay taxes before it was patented to me,
and when it did not seem at all likely
that would ever get Il deed for it.
didn't want to pay it, because the State
Auditor told me its assessment was IL
legal, and that ought not to pay it.
I didn't pay it, and they drought me
to my milk'' by selling my homestead,
and thus mulcting me in most out
landish interest in rede9ming it. What
is q fellows best course to make the
brethren fork over this illegal tax.
We cannot say as to this particular
case without looking up all the details.
That claims are not taxable as realty
until patent is secured, or it's issue
certain, is settled by decisions of the
Supreme Court and the opinion Of the
Attorney General. AS heretofore stat
ed, Mobiles is the only county in the
State, 50 far as we can learn, where
flve-year claims haye been listed for
taxation. The tax cannot be legally
collected, and any attempt to collect it
would be wrong.
We are personally interested, as are
many others, in having as much prop
ty taxed as the law will justify, since
I'LL the land we have any claim to is
decided, and the more there are to pay
the sum to be raised the lighter will be
the tax on each individual, but 10 man
in the county can afford to pay an ille-
gal tax nor can the county afford to en-
force its collection.
We have been asked, what about the
improvement on such claims? We sup
pose that where the improvements were
not taxed rs such, that no tax can be
collected.
WHICH SHALL HAVE THE GRANT?
Our readers are aware that there are
two Railroad companies now asking
the Legislature for the lands which the
Southern Minnesota forfeited by fail
ing to complete it's line. One of these
companies is the Southern Minnesota
Company, within which is an auxiliary
company called the Southern Minneso-
ta Railway Extension Company. The
other is the Southwestern Railway
Company, which is, in fact, the old
Martin County Railroad Company re-
organized under another name.
The Southern Minnesota Company,
that is, the old or present company,
with its auxiliary, the Extension Com
pany. is now building the bridge across
the Blue Earth River at Winnebago
City, and prop oses to build to Fair
mont by the end Of the present year,
to Jackson by the end Of 1879, and to
the west line of the State before the
end of 1880.
Tie other Company, that is the old
Martin County Company, under its
new name Of the Southwestern Rail-
way Company, proposes to build
to Fairmont III Martin county
and also north and south from Fair
mont, that is, northward to Mankato
and southwark to the Iowa coal fields.
Now, this looks to us very much like
a scheme of those interested in the
north and south road through Martin
county to secure the land grant in the
interest Of that road. True, they name
the western line of the State as point
which they propose to make, but 50 far
as anything definite is concerned, we
fail to see anything of the kind in any
thing thus far brought to light. We
have several times looked over the re-
port of the interview which Pioneer
Press reporter had with the directors,
and we fail to see anything in that be-
You'd a remote allusion to purpose
to build west OF Fairmont at
some remote time. Everything drawn
out in that interview indicates that
the old Martin County Company want
the land grant to help them build the
north and south road.
In case they secure the grant, let us see
how manifestly Unjust this would be:
The lands embrace 179, 5l3 acres, dis.
tributed as follows: Falrbault county
$50 acres; Martin 81 1913; Jackson 2,240
Book 1851; Pipestone 119,08O; and
Murry 1919.
1t will be seen that al, 100 acres lie
west of Martin and Faribault. The
great bulk of the lands lie SO to 60 miles
west of the line of railroad which they
are to help build in case the grant goes
to this Martin County Company.
Wed0 not think the extension of the
Southern Minnesota westward depends
upon the securing of the land grant
but ii the land is to go to any compa.
ny, justice would demand that it be re.
granted to the company which already
has portion OF the road in operation
which would have cOnDleted it's linz