St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-26

ton will necessarily follow to the diff
erent counties, expensive litigation,
and it may be years of litigation. Are
we not running the risk of precipitating
upon the community question that
will give rise to great
deal of controversy and bad feeling. On
the one side the people will feel that the
corporations are not paying their pro-
portion of the taxes, and on the other
hand the railroad companies will feel
that it is a case of selt-preservation
with them. As governor | have no
power in the matter. If l had, | should
be very cautious in using 1t. | realize
the delicate ground that | am standing
upon. lam laying myself open to
great
DEAL OF CRITICISM AND ABUSE, =
but then am used to that and am get
ting rather to like it. At the same time
| can see no imprOpriety in this meet
ing, and am glad that | have an Oppor-
tunity of meeting YOU"
Gov. Church was followed by Solicitor
Mcknight, who repeated his PROPOSE
tiOnS and Tegaled the commissioners
with good speech. johnson Nickens,
of jamestown. wanted TO know what
power the county commissioners had to
cancel the assessment, but he was not
satisfied with McNaught's answer.
After several mOIe had spoken Auditor
Ward, over whose name the famous or
der for the taxation of the railroad lands
was issued, took the floor and made the
fur fly. He disputed many statements
made by Mr.. Mcknight. He believed
that the Northern Pacific should not be
permitted to hold over 100000 acres of
land without paying taxes thereon.
81, l.
parisons of the amounts paid by the
other companies in the territory and
that paid by the Northern Pacific was
fair statement of the case. The other
companies did not have the immense
land grant, but every acre of the land
along their lines not used in the Oper-
alton of the road, paid its first proper
tion of the tax. at this juncture
THE CONFERENCE WAS WARM.
He said that if the land and property
of the railroads of the territory were
taxed the same as individual property,
the annual tax paid to the territory
by the corporations would be over ST.
100000, instead of 100000 as at present.
In reply to Auditor Ward and Mr..
NickeuS, the great railroad attorney
used some red hot sentences, but the
room was soon cooled off by Gov.
Church's pacifying remarks, and the
commissioners went into executive
session. In this they failed to agree
and adjourned until O'clock this even
ing. The last proposition being
that the counties along the line
of road which received share
of the gross earnings tax accept the
proposition of the Northern Pacific and
cancel the assessment, the road to make
a separate settlement with the outlying
counties. AT the evening session
speeches were made by Mcknight, sew
eral of the county commissioners. Gov.
Church and Auditor Ward. A settle
ment with the counties along the line Of
the road was finally effected by the pas
sage of resolution that the county
commissioners present would, on or be-
fore Oct. 81, upon payment by the
Northern Pacific into the treasury of
the territory of all taxes now due (mean-
ing the S103. .000), cause to be stricken
from the tax lists of the counties rep
resented, all taxes levied upon the lands
of the company. The counties voting
aye were Cass, Stutsman, Burleigh,
Morton and Stark, Barnes voting no.
Counties not represented, Kidder and
Billings. The outlying counties repre-
sented were Eddy, Steele, Trail, Nc
Lean, Mcintosh, EmmOns and Wells.
The commissioners of these counties
are now in consultation with Solicitor
Mcknight, and an effort will be made
TO effect an amicable settlement with
them. The action here to-day leaves
the matter of railroad taxation with the
legislature. and the liveliest tilt on the
subject of railroad taxation in the his
tory of the territory may be expected
when the sOlons meet next winter.