St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-10

| peared before the committee on public
lands, and would most certainly decline
to appear. All that the bill contem-
| plated was the authorizing the states
legal representative to go into the
courts and defend the rights of the state
to 100000 worth of property.
stevens Is Puzzled.
Senator Stevens replied to Senator
Day, saying that he was puzzled at the
| attitude OF the senator from Martin
| The senators from Ramsey were GER
| tainly charged to defend the interests
! OF their constituents. One of his neigh
| borS had informed him that he had
| patents from twenty to thirty years old
! for portion of the land in question:
There were number of abStruSe prop
osltlons of law he would be obliged to
examine before deciding just which
| way to vote on the question. For these
reasons the bill should go to the judici-
airy committee where the attorney gen
eral could appear.
The motion to refer to the Judiciary
committee was overwhelmingly de-
feated, as were amendments offered by
Senators Dean and Stevens. The bill
was then recommended to pass by
large majority. Senator Stevens created
ripple of laughter When he said:
Il congratulate the senator from Mar
TIN on his victory, and assure him that
thefe IS other property in Ramsey
county that might also be confiScated."
IF there's any more in the same sit
uatlOn | will introduce another BILL"
retorted Senator Day.
Common Law Goes.
Senator Sevatson'S bill. fixing the liza
bility OF common carriers and regulat-
ing the manner of establishing the
same, came next, and. after strong
speech in its favor by the jackson SEN
ator and vigorous protest by Senator
Tawney, the measure was recommend
ed to pass with little opposition.
The favorable recommendation of the
Sevatson bill was followed by requests
for progress on the next half-dozen
measures. The Leavitt bill, appealing
the law taxing mining products, was
finally reached, and, after motion that
1T be recommended to pass by the au-
thor. Senator Daugherty, as represent
alive of the district in which most of
the mines interested are located, took
the floor and opposed the bill. As far
as he could learn the people of his dis
trict were i'll favor Of all increase in the
rate of taxation per ton, and were fear
full that any change would tend to re-
tard the development of the mining i'll
tereSts of the state.
la Due Speaks.
Senator La Due made very able adj
dress in opposition to the bill, showing
why he had voted against it in the COM
mittee. He believed the pre- sent act
was passed in good faith to encourage
the development of the states mining
interests. Capital could in no other
way be induced to invest in these MINES
and make the heavy improvements we
now see in that section; therefore, as a
policy and as an act OF good faith there
should be no change in the law. The
most equitable plan of taxation, he
thought, was to tax the merchantable
product, besides encouraging capital to
embark in this always hazardous invest,
ment. lie showed the expense of con-
structing the Iron Range road, which
was maintained solely by hauling ores.
A strong argument in behalf of these
mines was the undoubted value they
conferred upon the adjacent state swamp
lands. He proceeded:
But in my judgment the greatest benefit
the state derives is in the settlement OF the
country and the building up of towns ana
villages. Large amounts of money are paid
for labor and supplies, and the population of
that mining region Is dependent wholly upon
the agricultural products of other parts of
the state for their foot supplies. The i'll
crease of population is something that every
state should foster within It's borders 1t
builds up homes for the people and increases
values, and in every way contributes to her
prosperity and greatness. Another reason
why this mining industry should be encour
aged is, that owing to the fact that the
ore, ranges in tins state are stu
ated at the extreme northeastern
part of the state, the product of those mines
have, and il cannot be avoided. a longer rail
and lake haul than any other ore with which
it comes in competition. The iron ranges of
Cif1D md igrOlo hat Tarrr
ducers come in direct competition with the
ores of this state, and their more advantage
Gus position for transportation TO market
gives them natural advantage that miners
of Minnesota ores must meet in some other
way. On the nOrth lies Canada with cheap
labor and cheaper food products. and no
royalties charged on her ores. In the near
future she will be all active competitor in the
ore markets of this country.
The iron industry in this state is i'll its in
fancy. The repeal of this law will fall hard
est upon those who are now engaged in de-
YelOpment work there, bu: have not vet
shipped ores. What the state demands in
my judgment, is that mole capital shall come
into her borders to be expended i'll these
developments, and that it is our duty, as leg
islators, rather TO encourage its coming than
to say or do anything that will tend to drive
it away.
That is why 1 am opposed to The repeal of
the present law.
Another matter III connection with the pro- |
duction of iron ore in this state is the effect |
it may have on the establishment OF iron and |
steel manufactures in this state, and especial |
ly at Duluth. The production of cheap iron |
ore, so near the head of lake navigation, |
will tend to largely Increase the manu-
Iacture of iron and steel at that point. |
and thus save to the consumers |
in this state and the Northwest a large share |
of the cost of the transportation of the ore to |
Eastern furnaces and the return of the fin !
ished product to them. To-day nearly all of |
the structural steel that is used i'll building is |
traA INT l,aE oct
Minnesota are used IN its manufacture The |
ore must go q thousand miles by lake and !
rail TO be manufactured. and then the fin |
ished product must travel i'll return the same |
distance, until it finds a resting place in |
some building i'll st. Paul, Minneapolis or |
Duluth, only few miles from where that |
ore was mined from its native bed. In the |
near future there must be large iron and |
steel industry carried on, whereby the ores |
of this state will be manufactured within |
her own borders to supply the demand of |
the Northwest. Already capital is being in |
vested at Duluth in the construction of such |
works, and they Will soon become large con-
sumers OF this ore.
The mining aud transportation of this ore |
has also been of direct benefit to the con |
sumers of coal in this state The boats ell |
gagged in ore carrying usually loads with coal |
Oh the return trip up the lake. They seek it |
for ballast, and the result has been that coal |
freights to Duluth have been reduced to |
minimum If there was no ore to carry back |
to - cents per ton This would Of course be |
added to the present price and come out of
the consumers | was informed while at Du-
luth the annual receipts of coal at the head |
of Lake Superior are about l, 400 600 tons
Assuming that Minnesota consumes annu-
ally 100000 tons. an average advance in coal |
freights of go cents per ton would make a |
difference to the consumers of coal in this
state of $4,000 per year these figures are
not excessive and are believed to be correct)
Duluth retail prices on coal: Stove, egg
and nut, $3.50 per ton: CRATE, SG25 per tom
soft coal 1926, $50, $40: freight to St
Paul and MINNEAPOLIS from Duluth. S150 per
ton for hard coal and 81 for soft coal. 1t is
safe to say that if this iron ore industry is
fostered by the state, and nothing done to re-
tard its development, that she will receive as
direct benefits from it. more money in her
treasury within the next ten years than she
would receive BY repeating this law and
IL.