The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-05-27

UNTAXED RAILROAD LAND&
The Mankato Review of recent
date has an able article on this sub.
ject, giving the substance of Judge
Thomas Wilson's history of the at
tempt to place the untaxed railr oad
lands on the tax lists. The Review,
in conclusion, says:
Judge Wilson says it is a safe esti-
mate to make, that in this way from
two to three million acres of land have
escaped taxation, worth on an average
OF four dollars per acre. Tie tax
would have been from fifty to one hun
dred thousand dollars annually. These
lands lie largely on the frontier, among
the farms OF settlers who have to bear,
not only the hardships of frontier life,
but often the pinchings of poverty. In
each township and county the amount
of tax to he raised to build highways,
bridges and schoolhouses, and to make
such other improvements as are neces-
sary in IA new country, is not less be-
cause these lands are not taxed. The
effect is that the settlers are compelled
to pay the tax Of the owners of the
land as we'll as their own. The lands
being untaxed are held at higher
price than they otherwise would be-,
and thus the settlement and prosperity
Of the country is retarded.
Russell Sage, Selah Chamberlain
and Il number of their associates in
the eastern states, and a large number
of the wealthy men of our state who
are the owners of these lands, have
thus, by kind of legal legerdemain,
compelled and are compelling the most
severely pressed class OF our settlers to
pay their tax. This has been going on
for period varying from ten to fifteen
years and over. The question is: Shall
it be permitted to continue? 1t GER
tainly will unless the people take the
matter in hand in earnest, for it is
marvellous what a power this class of
men who own these lands have with
our state officers, legislature and the
press.
Tnis subject ought to be kept in
mind by the people and no man should
be nominated for either house of the
legislature who is not open, out.spOken
and committed to the taxation of these
lands, and every candidate should be
placed upon record before he is elected.
No county in the state has suffered
more from these untaxed lands than
Mobiles. For years q few property
owners have borne the burden Of taxa
tion, while the railroad lands have
rested, al incubus AMI blight upon us,
retarding our development. A sched.
ule of prices, arranged fifteen to twen-
ty years ago, has been in the main ad-
hered to, rs the great land corporations
could afford to wait until the settlers
had, by their labor and their taxes
made the lands Of the railroad compa
MES worth the schedule price. Fifteen
years ago the lands were held as higl
or higher than they are today, and
comparatively no effort was made tt
dispose of them. For five years the
only advertising done was by the Wor.
thiugton colouy company. After the
advent of J. II. Drake as land commits
sioner sales began to be made and have
gone on since at hopeful rate a,
least. But as the lands in Iowa were
taxed, brakes efforts for the first fivt
or six years were directed mainly tt
Iowa, where the lands were rapidly
unloaded to avoid paying the tax
Meanwhile the counties just across il
Minnesota ''waited and watched ovel
the border" for the day of their deliv
erance, and we are glad to say that {
year or two ago it began to come. Uu-
der the pressure of the several suits
brought, and the efforts to secure legis
lation taxing the lands, very com
mendable effort has been made to sci
the lands in this part of the state.
AS stated in a recent issue of thu
ADVANCE, there are not more thar
10000 to 10000 acres left in this coun
ty and it is safe to say that these OF
the bulk of them, will be sold during
the present year. When the railroad
lands are all sold and put on the ia,
duplicate, the old settlers of MOBILES
county, who have borne the builder
and heat of this long day of taxation
and retarded development, ought tt
hold a jubilee and give thanks that
there is God in Israel who can deliv
er US even from an untaxed and uncon
ditioned railroad land grant.
This is not written with any politi
cal intent. It has no political signifi
canoe ''between the lines" We d,
not think any one ought to 60 to tn
legislature because he is anti-rallroat
or because he is pro.farmer, or becans
he represents only one idea Or interest
We write this for the encouragement
and information of our readers VIII,
have struggled and groaned with u
under the railroad land burden for tn
last ten to fifteen years.
The railroad lands are nearly al
sold in this county, the number O
acres on the tax list is doubled, an
the taxes are divided and reduced, SET
tiers are quietly taking possession o
scores of farms and building thei
houses, and the era Of prosperity and
more rapid development has begun.
Abram J. Ryan, familiarly known a
"Father Ryan," the Poet-Priest, die
recently in a monastery at Louisville
KY, aged 40. Some of his poems hav
been very popular. His "Where
Home, j" sung by James G. Clark fo
years, has melted the hearts an
brought tears to the eyes of tens c
thousands of people.