Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1892-10-12
NO POLITICS THERE.
Minaesotas Supreme Court justices
Are in No WAY Mixed Up in Polit.
zeal Matters.
No Servants of the State Have More
ConscientiOusly Performed Their
Official Duties.
They Are Men of Industry, Learning
and Integrity, and Should Be Con.
, tinued on the Bench.

There will be chosen at the election il
November next, three supreme cour
Judges as successors to those who's
terms will expire at the close Of thu
present official year. The present in
cumbents whose terms will then expir
are. Judges Mitchell, Vanderburgh ant
Dickinson.
The Republican state convention
actuated purely by non.partisan spirit
nominated these three gentlemen for re
election, without regard to their politica
utilization. Judge Mitchell is life
long Democrat and each Of the others il
Republican.
An impartial review of the work per
formed by our supreme bench is at one,
credit to the judges by whom it hal
been composed, and an honor to the
state. The members, Of that bench
have been, with scarcely an exception
- men of learning, ability and integrity
No servants of the state have more con
scientiously performed their official
duties than they.
True to Its Record.
In making non-partisan nominations
Of the supreme court judges, the Repub-
lican party has been true to its record.
With rare exceptions that party in this
state has acQuiesced in the wide spread
sentiment that the judicial ermine
should not be imperiled by the storms
of political strife. 1t has repeatedly
The Democratic party has evinced a
marked, partisan spiritin connection with
jEd:c!S! nominations, It has selected
as its nominees luen whose views and
associations are distinctively Democratic.
While no point is made against the
qualifications of the nominees OF the
Democratic party, it is
A Matter of Grave Concern
to the people of the state that it should
have selected the Honorable William
Mitchell as one of its candidates, because
he Is Democrat, and repudiated the
Honorable D. A. Dickinson and Honor
able C. E. vanderburgh because they
are Republicans.
There is well concerted movement
on foet to secure a change in the per-
sonnet Of our supreme bench, with
view to change in the many salutary
rules and principles of law which are
now faithfully observed by it, and in
line with this movement, and il further
ancs of it, the work of the court has
been viciorsly assaulted by unscrupu-
lous men who are willing to sacrifice
the interests of the people at large, in
order to attain to their own mercenary
purposes.
-. The Assaults SUNNI arized. -...
The assaults upon that court may be
briefly summarized as follows:
1t is urged that it has evinced an
undue friendliness to corporations; the
charge having been made, even, that its
decisions have at times been actuate1
by corrupt considerations. :
Now, what is the TRUTH
In the course of the past ten years, to
restrict the inquiry within moderate
bounds, many cases involving corporate
interests have come before that court,
and it is a very conservative estimate,
that in not more than three cases out Of
every ten where such interests have
been involved have corporations been
successful.
During the past six years questions Of
the taxation of railroad lands haYe come
before the court. Certain of these
roads, holding land grants, had at
tempted by means of trust deeds and
otherwise to avoid the assessment of
their lands, and succeeded for many
years in thus deluding the assessor and
defrauding the public. a number of
suits were instituted a few years ago
with view to determining the taxa
bility of such lands. The interests of
the railroads were ably defended in the
courts of the state, and were eventually
dsterm ined by the supreme court. AS
result of the final adjudication of
ose questions many thousands of acres
fland, which had Heretofore escaped
taxation, were ordered
Placed Upon the Assessment Books;
and, not only that, but the court
further held that the companies were
liable for back taxes. The companies
were therefore required to pay into the
treasures of several counties of the
state taxes amounting to many thou
sands Of dollars.
The st. Paul, Minneapolis and Mani
toba Railway company, purchased a
large tract of land situated in Todd
county, in this state. This land was
largely covered with valuable timber.
The railway company insisted that Sc it
was employing the timber growing upon
these lands for railroad purposes, the
lands were thereby exempt from specific
taxations; tnat is to say that inasmuch
as they were paying 3 per centum tax
upon their gross receipts, the lands in
question were thereby exempt from tax
alton. The matter coming before the
supreme court of the state, it was held
that the lands were properly subject to
taxation, and were not exempted under
the 3 per centum law.
This same company constructed a
large hotel at Lake Minnetonka, known
as Hotel Lafayette, and as this building
was constructed with view to the en-
largemsnt of the business of the COM
Dany. it was also claimed that this prop
.erty was exempt from taxation, but the
supreme court held that if the railroad
company wanted to engage in the hotel
business they must pay taxes upon their
property in the same manner as any TO-
diridual who engages in that business.
- The Milk Rate Cnse.
The legislature of this state passed
law in 1887 designed to regulate freight
rates established by common carriers in
this state. One of the provisions of that
law authorized the board of warehouse
and railway commission to review the
schedule adopted by such common car
r1ers and to make such changes therein
as would secure reasonable rates
over their lines. In pursuance Of
that law, an order was made by the