The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-03-20
WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE REPORT.
BY John III. Burke,


of the leaders come under one or all
of these heads, if we be allowed to form
any opinion from the actions had in
Indiana, whereby murder was nearly com
mitted to prevent veto from reaching
the legislature, and from the action of a
state official of this state in attempting
to suppress charges by violence-which act
OF violence has recently been sustained
by the Minnesota house of representatives.
There may be those who are of the opinion
that this state has for many years been I'M
der the control of as honest set of scoun-
drels "as ever cut throat or scuttled
ship, but we fear they are sadly at
fault, because the old-time pirate had
some redeemng traits that are not possess
ed by the average Minnesota politician.
We regret to be compelled to state that
in our op Mon the present house is by far
the worst ever assembled in this state.
1t is true there ere men the floor of
it who not naturally inclined to evil,
but the reverse; but it is equally true
that few of them men of moral
age who can and viii stand up and de-
fend the right, even when in the minority.
The Anderson bill to tax railroad lands
has finally passed the senate and is now
in the hands of the governor. A good
fight was made for it by Senators Shee-
han, Allen, Thompson, Barr, Ringdal,
Reshus, Sevatson and others.
Senator Thompson, of Fillmore, made
the following points:
The total taxable value of all property
in this state by the last assessment was
$G42 651; and the total tax collected, al
q $40 mills was $l4 645, ia.
At the same time, the railroad companies
of the state. by their sworn statements,
claim to be the owners of property, within
this state excluding lands, of the value
oil $228 AIS, 1886
Including lands-2,S00,o00 acres at
IS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. S,4CO,0oo
Total railroad property $236, SIS, 1886
Computing the tax thereon at 90
mills and they would pay. So, 2l0, so
Their gross earning tax was.... S6S,6l712
They escape per year. 81, 341 ,5iS.S0
Again. take the of three roads,
which by their own statements:
Had. Paid Tax would
be.
Great North. $40 272 $220 2.O7 1884, 4O5 IS
st. p. & D.. 12,669546 O6e3.74 27S, 1901
$99 lO7 $4O9, 4O5.12 1926, 1903 "a
Add tax on lands. 1874, 10000
81, 400, 9OS. 81
This, then, shows that the railroads claim
to be possessed of property equal in value
to nearly 40 per cent of all the other prop
erty in the state; yet they pay in taxes
only about one-sxteenth as much as that
exacted from all others
Also, that the three roads above named
alone if assessed on the property as repre-
sented by themselves, would pay to the
state three times the amount of tax now
collected from all the roads in the state;
and If assessed a only half this alleged val
ue these three roads would still pay 50 per
cent more than is now collected from all
the roads in the state.
Senator Sheehan scored a good point
when he knocked the tar out of the rail-
road argument by showing up the facts on
which certain cases cited from the supreme
court of the United States had been de-
cded.
The bill finally passed the house by a
vote of "a Republicans and four Populsts.
the whole Democratic delegation and 90
Republicans being against it, while our
Populist senator, Cronkhite, absent.
The bill had been lost on Tuesday, but
came up for reconsideration on Wednesday,
when call of the senate was ordered, last
ing for eight hours awaiting the finding of
one senator.
1t will thus be seen that while the plat
forms IF bp rtiac in of
the measure, it opposed in the SEN
ate by % Republican senators and by the
solid Democracy, while one Populist was
absent. 1t passed by "a Republicans
and four Populists.
The bill for a hard Irvine plant at the
state prison has passed the senate.
The house has reported favorably on
bill to punish chicken thieves but still
seems to be under the hypnotic influence
of the bank, timber land and railway
thieves, and thus far has defeated about
every measure to put stop to stealing in
large Jumps or to punish the big criminals
bill to provide a bounty for the arrest
of chicken thieves is favorably reported
and a resolution showing that one company
had stolen $4,000 in lump, and that
other companies are swindlers and have
been aided in their swindles by state Of
fcals is knocked galley west
Mr.. Meilcke has had a hard fight on his
freedom of market bill to carry out the
provisions of the state constitution.
The committee mortuary exercises
have gotten in some deadly work, as will
be seen by the following list of
BILLS ASSASSINATED.
Relating to filing claims against estates
Relating to probate records.
Tiers patent medicine bill.
For taxation of mortgages.
For payment of taxes by installment
For collection of taxes.
TO create office of county assessor.
To abolish boards of public works
To protect creditors
Relating to taxes on personal property.
To amend the tax laws of 1878.
For relief of taxpayers.
Relating to pools bets and wagers.
To appropriate $4,000 for purchase of hard
Irvine plant.
Amend the Sunday law.
Relating to mechanics liens.
Making juries sole proofs of questions of
fact.
Relating to fees of town officers
Relating to entry of judgments.
recovering deposits in insolvent banks
Election of street commissioners
requiring mortgages to exhaust security
before commencing suit for debt.
Limiting recovery on mortgage sale to