St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-23

for the purpose of helping tax-title sharks to
cheat the people out of their land. The Pion-
eer Press re-echoes the charge. Let's look at it.
In 1881, when went to the legislature, as
stated TO you, found evidence which salts
fed me that certain rich men, not only resid-
ing in Eastern cities, but in our own state,
were holding their land exempt from taxa
ton. This extended to between two and
three million acres in this state. went 10
work and drew up bill providing
FOR THE TAXATION OF THOSE LANDS
and compelling those parties to pay their
taxes. The lands were held ostensiby as the
pany, but in fact belonging to
these wealthy men. inside and out
side of the state of Minnesota.
introduced bill in which l provided most
miuutely that any such special stock, any
such devices whatever, should be construed
as giving an interest to those parties which
would be taxable, and that they should be
taxed. And then | added this section to the
bill. so as TO make il dangerous for the rail-
road company to try longer TO assist them 10
evade payment of theft taxes.
"If any railroad company shall issue any
land stock, or special sto.6, or an ccrtih-
cate. contract or writing, conveying, grant
ing or giving 20 the holier thereof any inter-
est estate, right or title in or TO ANY lands
held ty said company AMI exempted from
taxation aforesaid, end shall fal, within
sixty days after the issuance or SUCH ccrtiii-
cate, stock, contract or writing, to report she
same to the land commissioner or
auditor OF this state; or, II having hereto
lore issued such contract, $50 *, certificate
or writing, shall all to report the same within
sixty day after the passage OF this act the
failure TO so report shall DO held to be ANA
operate IS forfeiture by said company Of
its corporate franchises and privileges, and
tie attorney general or the state snail ut
once proceed against said comoNny 10 have
its charter and franchises; declared Tor o.ied
Before that Dill was introduced evory luAn
who bought an acre Of land lr IN the railroad
company or got contract, had 10 pay has tax
under the pre-eKistin. law it was made the
duty or the company, pgd the compuuy IN
thOss cases WAS bound to report that 1T once,
and they did report II at once. Bat, wAeGe
they gave this special stock to their directors
and Stockholders those interested ware nOt
reported, buc Intentionally kept hidden.
THEY KEPT = Z DsE BACK
and claimed that the land vas still the land
OF the railroad mDany sni not tho aad o.
those owners. TO oppose that bin they .ca'S
u LOBBY in attendance such els have never
but once before s2ea Inl che aap.t5l
not only drew tuo Dill ana o0Ta,aei The evil
Gence 10 SHOW that the lands were taSa5e. INT
! also argued tbs case in behalf or tn State
not less than twenty times before the several
committees ana on the floor o. the house and
senate The Pioneer Press, when this Was
tue light, did not TO ms recollection say o0e
word against these miiliOuaire: WHO were
thus avoiding the taxes. OF in favor OF any at
tempt to Tx their property. Tho attorney
general although il was peculiarly Ills place
10 do so-neyer, so far as | know, opened his
mouth in favor Of that blll or measure to e.
feet that purpose. On the contrary, unless
the statements of numerous senator's and
members are unreliable, he quietly and con-
tinually discouraged such action. Che FIRST
year that the bill was introduced [ have good
reason to know that he favored it. Tue last
Two sess:o ls, more especially the last, have
the best reason TO know That he opposed II.
| knew L had incurred tie iustng
nifty Of those wealthy men whom l
had the audacity to attack. hed
reason to believe that the Pioneer Press
would aid them in abusing me or any
man who would dare 70 expose their FRAUDULENT
scheme. / knew they were able to call TO
taeIr assistance some who are now found to
be their allies. The charge that the bin
looked to, and could have any other effect
then 10 make these men pay their just taxes,
is so manfestly untrue that it is impossi Die to
believe that the men who now make this
Charge do not know its falsity. The object
aud operation OF that bill was so fully s oWa
ii the legislature at different times. AID tue
purpose OF this charge a. this
time is so obvious, | I'm hardly
Tae bill a introduced at the session OF 1881;
again Mt the extra session of 1881. at the ses-
sion OF 1883, and again at the session OF 1888.
and not until few DAYS before au election,
at which L am candidate, has it been dis
covered by any one that it was intended to or
could effect aught else than tax the lands of
those millionaires. Since l have been in the
legislative body have held that this thing of
rich men escaping from taxation and compel
ling poor men to pay their taxes was an out
rage that was intoeraole. and have said on
the stump that l believed we would
have to come to the point OF putting on an
income tax, that men like those whom have
named (and Senator Window is one of them),
who are trying to evade their taxes, and N IKE
poor people pay them, must be compelled to
pay OH their income. These mllionaires say
il wont do to have this man Wilson going
around in tnis manner, and hence the Cry
goes forth to put him down, and they get this
man Window, with sanctmonious face. to
come before you, connecting these falsehoods,
which | have now diSproved. Let me show
you something of the reason why this man
feels SO anxious about that A few years ago
Gov. Davis made speech at Vasa, in the
county of Goodhue in thiS state, in which he
paid his respects to the Hon. William Win
dom and told something about him. By the
way, / know the Hon. William Window, and,
permit to say that when Mr.. Window
went to congress, if his friends hadn't lent
him money to buy the suit of clothes with
which to go, and to pay his expenses there,
he would have
HAD TO STAY AT HOME.
daughter and applause, and voice, ''He
didn t have money enough to buy his sup
per- He was my partner; l knew him per-
sOnaly; he was worth less thau nothing when
he went to congress, and though l know
something as to how he made his wealth [ am
not going to bring myself into this contro-
wifi III 7 will Q0d wi at Gnv
Davis says about him-and Gov. Davis has
told me. over and over again, that he himself
examined the records as an attorney of the
Northern Pacific Railroad company, and, to
use his own expression, 1.-The record of Win
dOm's iniQuity in this transaction is the most
damning that 1 ever knew" Here is what he
says, as reported in the st. Paul Dispatch,
Nov. 8, 1852;
Gov Davis there referred to WINDOWS con-
nection with the Northern Pacific railroad,
and never was an Indictment more fOrcibly
or more thoroughly sustained by the facts
whereof he spoke. showing was made in
the courts of New York and the TACT devel-
eped that of the last issue of stock Mr.. Win
dom received 100000 worth, as his share;
that portion of the preferred stock was by
him converted into lands granted to the rail-
road company by the government,
to assist in the building of the road.
The speaker gave the section. township and
range of each parcel secured by Window,
which amounted to 1880 acres of the best
land in Dakota. The details of the whole trans
action were given by Gov Davis and supported
by the records of the case. There was but
one conclU sion to be drawn from such
showing. and Mr.. Window could not deny the
charges. This representative Of the state of
Minnesota, while he was member of con-
gress, senator and secretary OF the treasury,
was a stakeholder of the Northern Pacific
railroad, and sharer of the spoils. Then
the orator became the lawyer, and the elo-
quenee of words gave way before the elo-
quence of facts. Gentlemen of the jury"
took the place of ''fellow citizens, and the
audience sat in judgment in the jury box.
Beginning with the organization of the North
crn Pacific he showed MIR. Window, then
member of congress from Minnesota, to be
one of the directors, and the amount of
the bonds to be used was limited by the
charter it also required that it
should be sold for cash. but after giving Jay
Cooke $4,000 of stock to float the bonds, the
balance was divided among twelve persons,
Window being one, and they never paid a
dollar. The Northern Pacific failed in 1873
and was sold to the stockholders, but if they
had paid cash for their stock, as required by