St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-11
TIME FOR PLAIN WORDS.

The bill which proposes to place on
the tax lists the lands given by the state
to railroad corporations during the
reign of paternalistic madness is just
bill. No one disputes that.
1t is in the interests of the common
people, and adverse to that of the rail-
roads having land grants. The first
! statement needs no argument; the ar
guments of the railroad attorneys prove
the latter assertion. Taxation of the
lands will yield but paltrY revenue,
they say, ana it will reduce the gross
earnings tax to a couple of hundred
thousand dollars. Does it occur to any
one that if this were the case these same
companies would be hot for the bill?
1t will not affect the gross earnings
tax. The courts have said so in the
Hotel Lafayette and other cases. The
attorney general, the law adviser of the
senate. says so. The continuous pay
ment of that tax by companies having
no exempt lands is the strongest pos
sible proof that it will not. These COM
panies are not philanthropists. They
pay nothing they are not obliged to pay.
If these latter companies could reduce
their taxes to the state earned traffic
only, they would be quick to do it.
Why don't they? For the simple and
sufficient reason that they know that
they pay less tax under the gross earn
ingS than they would under the direct
tax method. Senators need not be so
solicitouS Tor the gloss earnings tax.
The GLOBE predicts that before five
years the people of the state will be
demanding its repeal, and the COM
panies will be resisting it.
SO much for reason; now for some
facts. The interested companies are OPP
posing the bill bitterly. They are work
ing by their accustomed methods. They
deliberately decided not to fight the bill
in the house. because that would be too
expensive. The vote in-the house shows
how the bill is considered when men are
left free to decide unInfiuenced by rail-
road persuasion or dietation. The GLOBE
does not know that money has been
used; if it did, it would not hesitate to
give the facts. 1t is the common talk
in the Hobbies, the hotels and OH the
streets that money is beng used where
a cheaper influence will not prevail.
Names and amounts are banded about.
The GLOBE does not believe all it hears.
1t knows that these men do not hesitate
to use money; that they believe every
! man has his price, and not high one at
that 1t knows, too, that money has
sometimes been obtained by boodlers on
hot tn lu oil tn
! legislator who remains innocent of
| bribery while the money is kept by the
boodler. 1t does not need to tell SEN
ators of the pressure that is brought to
bear from another source to compel
votes against the bill. 1t is pretty well
known what that is.
The GLOBE addresses itself to the few
Democratic senators vino are opposed
to the bill. 1t feels that it has a right
to speak freely to them. 1t is aware
that some of these are influenced by
! honest motives: they fear for the safety
| of the gross earnings tax. They are
sincere. The GLOBE sympathizes with
| them, for ii held at one time the same
views just as sincerely. 1t is convinced
it was mistaken. 1t is sure they are.
1t asks them if they, as DEMOCRATS, can
afford to resist Democratic measure,
Democratic in principle if not in origin?
1t asks them if they are so sure that they
can escape the, as to them. unjust and
unmerited suspicion. which will attach
to the opponents of the bill, of undue or
improper influence? Is it necessary
that they even subject themselves to
the suspicion? The GLOBE trusts they
| will NOT