The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-12-10
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1896
TAXING r. r. LANDS.
The Result of the Election on the
Proposition.
From the Rock Co. Herald,

to tax the railroad lands, give an even
174,165 majority in favor of the bill,
and the number of votes cast in those
counties is more than majority of all
the votes cast at the election; so the
bill is safely passed. The remaining
counties will doubtless swell the major
ity to at least 100000.
Although this measure has been
thoroughly discussed both in the legis-
lature and in the public press, there
yet remains good deal of misunder-
standing as to the nature and purport
of the act. Some suppose that it is a
constitutional amendment, because it
was submitted to a vote of the people.
Such is not the case. This is the only
example of referendum we have ever
had in the State. The bill itself was
passed by the legislature in the same
manner as any other law is passed,
but before taking effect it was neces-
sary to submit it to vote of the peo-
pie, as provided in the constitution.
No further legislation will be neces-
sary in order to put the law into effect.
When the votes are canvassed and the
result declared, all lands held by rail-
roads in this State and not actually
used in the operation of the road, will
be subject to taxation the same as
other lands in the State, and at the
time of the assessment of real proper
ty in the spring of 1897 it will be the
duty of the various assessors in the
counties in which these lands are locat-
ed to place such lands upon the tax
rolls without any further authority.
There is no danger that the gross
earnings law, so called, has sheen re-
pealed. The railroads will still be
required to pay tax upon their gross
earnings in the same manner and
the same amount that they now pay.
They must pay the tax upon these
lands in addition to that amount.
There are between 100000 and A.
100000 acres of railroad land in this
State, mostly located in the northern
part, valued at between $15,OOO,OOO
and $2O,OOO,0OO. This means an in
crease in the taxes to be paid by the
railroads in this State of about $780,
600 annually.
The railroads have made a desper-
ate fight against the bill and succeeded
in defeating it twice in the legislature.
1t was defeated once by the aid of a
senator from this district M. Cros-
by and that, too at time when
there was large amount of railroad
land in this section which escaped
taxation. As result, the State and
the several counties have lost for many
years a revenue of from $35O,OOO to
100000 annually.
But the fight for the passage of the
bill has been persistently and vigor-
ously prosecuted, and at last, after
years of patient labor, under the lead
ership of A. Y. Merrill, Esq, of Min
neapolis, President of the association
having charge of the bill, victory has
been won.
At the last session of the Legislature
the railroad companies made no fight
against the bill in the lower house and
it passed that body without oppo-
sition. The railroad companies then
concentrated all their efforts on the
senate and made desperate fight to
defeat the measure. They confident
ly expected to succeed and felt certain
until the final vote was taken that the
hill would be defeated. But the bill
was passed by bare majority. One
vote less would haye defeated it. Here
was case in which one vote which
could not be bought or otherwise in
Auenced was worth to the State $3.50, )
600 annually. The result shows how
important it is to send reliable men to
the legislature.
The report has been circulated that
the railroad companies will contest
the legality of the act on the ground
that the vote of Senator Day was il
legal. The friends of the bill, how
ever, have no fear of the result of such
fight. They feel that the enormous
majority for the bill at the late cleo
ton will go a long way in sustaining it.
and that the railroads will hesitate
before they attempt to overturn a
measure adopted by such large
majority on mere technicallity
Moreover, the lawyers who had the