The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-24
zREAD! READ!
The State Robbed of Millions of
Dollars of its Wealth.
SCHOOL FUND PLUNDERED.

SCHOOL FUND PLUNDERED.
The Rich Escape Taxation and
the Poor have to Make it up.
Let Every Citizen Read the Facts.
| THE SENATE TO INVESTIGATE IRREGULAR
TIES IN THE SALE AND TAXATION OF
| SCHOOL AND OTHER LANDS.
To the Senate of the State of Minnesota:
On the first day of March, 1893,
your honorable body appointed the
following named gentlemen, Messrs.
Henry Keller, Ignatius Donnelly and
John Day Smith, a committee under
q resolution which read as follows: 8.
WHEREAS, 1t is generally known
and reported that large quantities of
land and of personal property in this
State belonging to private parties
and to firms, associations and cOrpOr-
atlons, heretofore and at the present
time. either escapes taxation alto
gether, or do not bear their just pro-
portion thereof; and
WHEREAS, 1t is known that in
certain cases the deeds to large
tracts of such lands which have been
! purchased from the COVE rnment and
the state, and especially from such
railroad corporations entitled to land
grants, have been withheld from rec
ord by the grantees therein, express
ly for the purpose of avoiding the
taxation of such lands, and
WHEREAS, In other cases such
exemption from taxation results
from the corrupt and unlawful action
of county officials, whereby the
homesteaders, settlers and other citi-
zens are unjustly charged with ex-
ceSSive sums of money in the shape
of taXes-sums far out of proportion
to the amount that should properly
be charged against them, and in ad-
dition thereto the revenues of both
state and county are annually de-
frauded of large sums of money
which rightfully belong thereto;
therefore,
"Resolved, That the president of
the Senate be and is hereby author
lied to appoint, without delay, a
committee of three senators. who
shall at once proceed to enquire into
and Investigate the matters and
things therein referred to, and such
other matters and things pertaining
thereto as shall be brought to it's no
tice, and said committee shall have
power to compel the attendance of
witnesses with records and papers,
administer oaths, and shall submit
it's report to this Senate not later
than one week before the final adj
journment of the legislature.
"Mr. Donnelly moved to amend the
resolution so that the committee be
authorized to employ a stenograp her
at an expense not to exceed SIS per
day"
Adopted.
This resolution was subsequently,
on the sixth day of March, 1893,
amended as follows:
''Resolued, That the secretary is
hereby instructed to draw his order
in favor of the chairman of the select
committee of the Senate, appointed
March /, $685. to investigate frauds
upon the state by the failure of taxa
tion of pine lands, ETC., for the sum
of two hundred dollars to pay for eX-
penses of paying witnesses and secur-
ing their attendance; and the said
committee is hereby authorized to
appoint clerk and thoroughly inves-
tigate all instances where the state,
and especially the school fund, has
been defrauded by the stealing of
pine from school land, and other
WISE"
Subsequently, by vote of the Sen
ate, Messrs. w. S. Dedon and S. w.
Leavett were added to the commit
tee.
Your committee so appointed has
worked industriously from the date
of it's appointment and reports here
with voluminous mass of testi-
mOny.
The result of it's investigation will
be a source of establishment to the
Senate and to the people of the whole
state. 1t is not too much to say that
no committee ever appointed by any
legislative body in this country has,
for the length of time it has been able
to give to the subject, exhumed such
mass startling evidence. This evil
dence establishes, in the Judgment
of your committee, the conviction
that the State of Minnesota has been
robbed of millions of dollars worth of
it's property during the past fifteen
years, and that the most gigantic
frauds have been practiced upon the
school fund, fund which every good
citizen has hoped to see preserved
undiminiShed for the benefit of the
present generation and posterity.
We find the laws for the collection of
taxes in vast area of the state
made farce and a laughing stock.
SCHOOL LANDS.
We will first turn to- the cOnsidera-
tion of the frauds upon the school
fund. This seems to be boundless
sea of inquiry. 1t is impossible to
tell how many million dollars have
been stolen from the school fund, for
we have not had time tn cOvar with