St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-11
THE REDUcT1o AID ABsURDUM.

The senators who have become
convinced that it would be a mon
strous injustice to make the lands
the state presented to the railways
pay a share of the local and general
burden naturally want some sort of
a preteXt that will have the SEEM
ing of sweet reasonableneSS for their
vote against the Anderson bill. The
Pioneer Press kindly supplies them
with what it is pleased to term a
reason" for such votes, and this,
joined to the other and more SUBJ
stantial reasons supplied in such
cases, will, we have no doubt, pro-
duce the usual majority against the
bill.
The reason, however, is probably
as attenuated a one as was ever
put forth to excuse a fragrant act
of jobbery. The absurd conclusion
it runs logically to is so palpable
from the start to finish that it is
surprising that it should be offered
seriously to intelligent men, Or that
any senator should think he could
impose it on his constituency for
his refusal to do what they have
commanded him to do. If ever a
voting population spoke to their rep
resentatives with unmistakable di-
rectness it was in the unanimous ac-
ton of the state conventions of all
parties that these lands should be
made subject to taxation.
The argument made for the SEN
ators who vote against the bill runs
after this fashion: The state can
tax only the gross earnings made
on freight whose initial and terminal
points are within the state. The
state cannot tax earnings from
freight either originating in the
state and carried out or which comes
into the state from other states,
such freights being earned in inter-
state commerce. That hitherto and
in consideration of the exemption of
their land grants, and not at all be-
cause it was obligatory upon them,
the companies have voluntarily paid
this tax on earnings from interstate
commerce, but will cease paying if
ingS from interstate freights consti-
tute three-fourths of the gross earn
ings Of the railways, and the gross
earnings tax will consequently fall
to one-fourth. of its present amount
if the companies refuse payment of
the tax on this portion of their earn
ings. That against this loss the
state will derive 'the paltry sum of
$125, 600" from the taxation of the
lands. Ergo, don't tax the land
grants.
This argument" assumes one of
two bases as being unquestionable,
either the railroads are managed by
Doesticks used to term damphools
Stripped of it's thin gauze, what
does it signify? That these com
panies voluntarily pay taxes aggre-
eating 100000 annually, and to in
crease in the future, three-fourths
of which, or 100000, they cannot be
compelled to pay: that they pay it
voluntarily and solely in order that
some of these companies, which have
yet unsold land grants, may escape
paying the state $125,OO0 of taxes, an
amount that will decrease to the
point Of extinction as the lands are
sold.
There is one other assumption in
volved in this argument" and that
is that the public, to whom it is adj
dressed, are a set of chumps, in
capable of intelligent thought or
reason and standing open-mouthed,
ready to gulp down indiscriminately
anything their good masters may
toss them. We advise the senators
who may vote for this bill not to
rely too confidently on the assumed
ignorance of their constituents which