The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-24
they would have seen that the tax
was collected in thousands of casSs.


HELPING THE FARMERS.
Those were sad times for farmers in
those days when Nelson was in the
fallen upon the peoples crops and de-
voured them; hail had in many in
stances ieveled what the grasshoppers
could not eat: and what both grass
hoppers and hail spared the Wheat
Rings and RAILROADS had stolen.
great cry of distress went up from all
parts of the state and especially the
western and southwestern counties;
the Red River Valley was but little
settled then. Mr.. Donnelly's feelings
were warmly enlisted and we read, on
page S3 of Senate Journal, Jan. 20,
1915, the following:
"Mr. Donnelly offer the following
resolutions:
Resolved, That the committee on
judiciary are hereby instructed to re-
port bill, to provide that in all cases
where citizens Of this state have been
actually unable to pay their taxes,
through damage by grasshoppers, or
hailstorms or failure of crops. or high
| rates of transportation, or low prices
Of their production, or any other cause
whatever, that all interest, fines and
penalties be remitted, and reason
able time given wherein to pay the
principal sum CT such taxes"
The roll being called, there were
yeas II, and nays 49, SO the resolution
was lost
Mr.. DoNNELLY voted aye: MIR. MEL
SON voted nay.
1t may be urged that this resolu-
tion was too sweeping; but it will be
noted that it did not propose to re-
lease the unpaid taxes, but only the
''interest, fines and pendujes," which
| amounted to nearly one-half of the
| original taxes. And the next day the
| governor of the state, G. X. Davis,
sent in message to the legislature,
! in which he showed that over 1000
had been paid in by counties and indi-
viduals to feed the starving people of
the western and southwestern coun-
| ties. The governor said in a message
to the commissioners of the several
counties OF the state:
''"These people and the very exist
ence of their property. and all their
beneficial relations to the state, have
been imperiled by a succession of ca
lamitics. which dictate now the stern
| alternative, either to aid these Suf-
| fercrs, or to permit them to abandon
this country to the reclamation of the
wilderness, canceling all of this value
as absolutely as if it were burned up,
and to lose the far more important,
the vital, human element of our pros
perity. Whole communities
have been reduced to common desti-
tuition. Actual want reigns supreme
in many houses. We cannot afford to
let this country lapse into wilder
ness"
In the face of this condition Mr..
Donnelly thought the fines, penal
ties and interest should be RENTED
and the settlers given additional time
to pay their taxes where they had been
actually unable to do so. And the can
didate of the Republican party for
governor voted no: he wanted the tax
sharps to get their ''a'emt pei, stem."
He had no bowels of compassion for
the very class of men who had jus t
elected him to the state senate. The
United States by act of Congress of
Feb 10, 1915, ordered the officers of
the army to distribute free supplies OF
food among the starving, but Knute
Nelson wanted the taxes paid up at
once, fines, penalties and SO per cent
| interest.
And yet, the day before. Jan. %,
1896 (p. Il of JournaD Mr.. Knute
| nelson lldu VOGcu lOf y. r. NO. 81, 1Q-
PRODUCED by the Pres ident of the Sioux
City Railroad Company "to extend the
time for the payment of taxes due the
state on gross earning Of railroad com
panies."' And the next day after he
had voted against giving the settlers
any time on their taxes, he %. 92)
voted against calling back S. f. No. II
(Which extended the railroads time to
pay taxes from the house so that it
could be defeated. The vote stood tC
bring back the bill 10 against %: and
the Republican candidate for govern
or was one of those who voted against
calling it back,
Within the space of "a hours tue
issue was squarcly drawn by these diff
ferent votes; and Mr.. Nelson opposed
giving the people the same relief he
was ready to give the railroad corpora
tiOnS
There was great uproar over this
unjust and cruel favoritism, and the
senate was compelled by the force O
public opinion to pass a bill giyine
partial relief, as to the taxes due fo
one year. and one year alone. 1t was
passed IL days afterward by nearly a
unanimous vote, Mr. Nelson voting
for it.
Mr.. Donnelly's zeal in behalf of the
farmers who had suffered by the grass
hoppars showed itself in many ways.
WHAT is USURY.