Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-23

counsel contested their payment and that |
the Hon. Samuel Lord had on the bench
decided that they were fraudulently OBJ
tanned, and that subsequently the Hon.
O. P. Stearns had decided the same
way. He then said that if the gentlemen
of the senate ever again heard that Winona
did not pay its debts they would know that
it was not so. She had paid every cent
that she owed. He was opposed to giving
aid when factory was started or anything
else of this description. There was such
a thing as learning wisdom from exper-
fence, and he hoped the past would not be
forgotten. 1t was his opinion that no
town had been benefited by the giving of
bonuses, and in many instances farms were
not worth one-fourth what they would be
with the incubus of bonus debts removed,
and protested against the continuance of
a policy which he considered so ruinous.
Senator Comstock said he enjoyed an
ingenious argument as we'll as anybody
did, and he was highly ENTERTAINERS by the
remarks of the gentleman from Winona.
But he was opposed to the giving of every
thing to few favored points and leaving
nothing for the rest Of the state. small
portion of the state, mostly in the southern
half, had been gridironed with railroads,
constructed by the aid of local and state
swampland bonuses. The last swamp
land bonus had been bestowed because the
state had diverted what was left of
them from the original purposes for which
thew were bestowed upon the
state and given them to the
state institutions. It was the
policy of railroad companies Ito get all
Il pot1tiOT
by the keeping out of rival lines. This
was the point in the recent railroad war;
and prohibiting the giving of bonuses to
new lines of road was move in the same
direction, for to overcome this parceling
out of the state to railroad corporations,
we must vote bonuses to induce rival col
porations to build new roads. He did not
believe it was just and right to tie up
portion of the state hand and foot SO that
they could not aid capitalists who would be
willing to come in and build new roads.
The only question in this bill was
whether the people of the state
should be allowed to use their own discre-
ton as to whether it is expedient to aid
railroads or not. He assumed that the
people knew what they desired to do, and
by this bill the legislature assumed to
know more about the wishes of their con-
stituents than they did themselves. He
trusted that all wisdom would not perish
with the present legislature and that there
would still be good judgment enough
among the people to manage their own
affairs properly.
Senator Rice said it was unjust to give
all the state swamp lands to public insti-
tutions, but at the same time
he was opposed to giving To-
cal bonuses to railroads. and
he cited an instance where a majority of
eight votes at popular election had sad
died debt of 1921 700 upon small COM
immunity unable to bear it, and he charac-
terized this sort of thing as an outrage.
Senator Waite wanted the matter left in
the hands of the people, whom, he assumed,
were as competent to Judge of what they
wanted to do as the legislature were, and
he new no reason why the majority should
not decide what was best. The 100000
acres of internal improvement lands had
been applied to the payment of bonus
bonds for roads constructed chiefly in the
southern part of the state, and
the northern part was the great field from
which all the roads drew the major part of
their state land bonuses. There was little
left now for the frontier but the right to
bond themselves to secure railroads, and
it would be a great injustice to deprive
them of that right if they should deem it
expedient to use it.
Senator Stevenson said he was from
part of the state not as well supplied with
railroads as it should be and he should be
glad to see more, but the arguments of
e.. - fhof
bonuses had stimulated the construction
of railroads. 1t was true, however,
that large land grants had in
duced their construction IN
advance of the requirements of settlement.
It was great wrong to take all the swamp
lands to few railroads, but il was great
or wrong to vote the peoples property
away ia the form of bonuses bonds of
cities, towns and counties. Railroads were
private enterprises and should be con-
structed as such, and not by bonuses voted
by people who do not bear the burden of
taxation. 1t was said that the legislature
had the right to fix rates. He hoped 1t
was so and they ought to do it. The power
to grant bonuses had given corporations
the opportunity to demand mouey
as a condition for coming to their
towns and he did not believe in it.
The state had violoted faith in
granting subsidies of swamp lands that
were intended to form drainage fund to
railroads, and they still were not satisfied.
He did not believe the majority ought to
be allowed to vote away the property of
the minority, and he did believe the min
GRITTY had some rights that the majority
we're bound to respect. He was radically
opposed to this whole bonus system and
he believed his constituents would sustain
him in this matter.
Senator Comstock moved to amend by
making two-thirds vote necessary to give
bonus.
Senator Waite thong ht that the constitu
tional limitation of per cent. as the
maximum bonus was an infringement up
on the rights of the people.
Senator Steenerson-Upon this princi-
pie what protection have I in the enjoy
ment of my property?
Senator Waite said he had the constitu--
tional protection, and wanted to know
what further protection he wanted.
Senator Stevenson said he wanted all
his property protected nineteen-twen-
tieths of it, but all of it.
Senator Castle said if he was satisfied
that by voting for this amendment he
would cripple the frontier he should not