St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-04

Crosse, or from Tower to Sioux Falls.
would not be business wholly within
the state. The law should be amended
SO as to include this class of business
and the rate increased to 8 per cent. 1t
seems to me that the ex press companies
should also be taxed OH their gross
earnings.
The State Debt
consists of two classes Of bonds:
Minnesota Avg per cent railroad
adjustment bonds. -. ......... SO, 965, 600
Minnesota ! per cent revenue and
building bonds. ........ 400, 600
Total ......................... 81 1, 365, 600
The adjustment bonds bear date July
l, 1881, due in twenty years, and are
redeemable at the states own option
after ten years.
Revenue Laws.
| have but few suggestions to make
regarding our laws for the assessment
and collection of taxes. Radical changes
cannot we'll be made during session of
the legislature when so many other
questions engage the attention of MEM
bers. The time is too limited and the
question of too much importance for
hasty action. Whenever revision of
our revenue laws is deemed necessary,
the labor should be confined to COM
mission created for such purpose, who
could frame and present to subse-
quent legislature fol- adoption, such a
system of assessment and taxation as
our needs may require. In the mean
time. change from the present system
of assessment by town assessors, to as
sessments made by county assessors,
seems every way desirable. The diff
culties attending the equalization OF as
SeSSment by over |, 400 assessors are too
great to be overcome.
En Nine Years.
Mr.. Braden reviews the changes that
have occurred in the department during
the nine years he has been at the helm,
in the course of which he says:
The leasing of iron or other mineral
lands, on royalty, in preference to sell
ing them by the acre, is perhaps the
most important change that has been
made in the administration of the land
department from its organization to
date. A heavy and reliable income for
the school and university funds may
with confidence be anticipated from this
source in the near future.
No material changes have been made
in our system OF assessment and taxa
ton. Ony such amendments have been
suggested from time to time as would
smooth the working Of the law, and OBJ
Viate unnecessary frictionS. The states
assessment in 1881 was little less than
$500, 100000. To-day it is a little over
$500, 100000. The school fund was then
little less than $5.OOOOOO. To-day it is
over 100000 being more than double
haf Of fafa in, thA IIninfa fTAXAG
and Kansas alone excepted, and much
larger than either of them. A recent
writer in the Statistical Societies
Monthly, alludes to our school fund as
being ''abnormally large" Every citi-
zen may we'll contemplate such mag
niticent endowment with satisfaction
and pride, TO our
Distinguished Follow
citizens Gen. H. H, Sibley and ex-Sen-
ator Alexander Ramsey, who still re-
main with us, full of years and h0nOrS,
belongs the credit of laying the founda-
lions of this splendid Inheritance on
such a secure basis. Oregon had re-
ceived a grant of sections IL and So for
the supporter her common schools. The
states east of the Rocky mountains had
received only section IL. 1t is TO the
persistent efforts of Gen. Sibley. when
a delegate in congress, that Minnesota
owes her additional grant of section sc
in each township. The general himself
tod me some months ago that he was
having hard fight i'll the committee
over the proposed addition a
member of congress from Michigan
came to the rescue, and urged that 1.-The
country to be organized into territory,
was wild inhoSpitable hyperborean
region, only suitable for hunters and
trappers, and that it was plainly the
duty of the government to foster, en-
courage and aid in ever possible way"
Unfortunately the general could not re-
call the members name, or would
gladly insert it here III grateful ac-
acknowledgement.