The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-05


ed demand, and this works toward still
larger charges, until the business be-
comes unremunerative on any basis
Hundreds of people who have put in
them out; Oil lamps would take the
place Of gas burners in many home;
and our people as a whole would suf-
fer. not for the benefit of the gas COM
pany, but in order that the city might
collect a few thousand dollars from
the particular class of it's people who
are obliged to use gas. The policy is
suicidal, however it may be viewed.
This is not the whole nor the worst
of the scheme for which the first ac-
ton of the board of equalization is the
entering wedge. 1t has been put for
ward simply to break the effect of pub
lie opinion by attacking two large cor
poratiOns, in accordance with the po-
litical programme that has been agreed
affairs in this city has moved the
board Of equalization, as last resort,
to make a play for public favor by in
creasing valuations largely all along
the line To court popularity, the first
move is upon the street railway COM
pany and the gas company. 1t is an
open secret. however, that this is to
be followed by increased assessments
upon the entire mercantile business
and enterprise Of st. Paul. The first
step has already been taken, in raising
the assessments Of five large retail
concerns to double, or more than dou-
bic what they were before. After this
is to come big addition to the valua-
tons upon stocks of merchandise car
ried by our jobbers. The wholesale dis
trict is to be covered by the board of
equalization in the same way; and these
commission men between the New
York importer and the country retail
er, are to be compelled to pay a tax
upon the value Of the goods which are
temporarily in their establishments in
transit from manufacturer to consum-
er.
Whether the present system of as
sessing the jobbing business is right
or wrong. we have to take into consid-
GRAFTON the fact that it is universal
throughout the state. st. Paul is not
the only wholesale center, and it has
to meet the competition Of Minneap-
oils and of Duluth. If the conditions
of business are made more unfavor-
able here than in those cities; if we i'm
pose upon any line of business bur-
dens which it can escape at :,
OF the lakes or in the city up the river
1t is not difficult to predict the result
NO business man who has expenses to
meet and capital invested, on which
return must be earned, would CONSENT
10 pay indefinitely a tax Of several
thousand dollars year for the privi
lege of remaining in st. Paul. However
devoted and loyal to this city. he would
e.
or later, to another city which offered
him good facilities and entire freedom
from this onerous and unjust discrimi-
nation. The increase of the basis Of
taxation for any business, wholesale
or retail, in one city above that in
other and competing cities in its own
territory can have no other result than
Its ultimate determination.
We have to warn the public, there
fore, that most dangerous attack has
been begun upon the very existence Of
st. Paul. There is nothing on earth. as
history shows, that can blight a COM
munity more surely than a system Of
taxation that is oppressive, unequal and
unjust. A beginning of it has been
made by the board of equalization, put
out in tentative way, as a feeler, and
baited with the popular antipathy to
corporations. The appeal is to be
made to show that the board is
on the peoples side, and that large
interests will be made to pay the peo-
pies bills. AS matter of fact. the
proposition involves, if fully carried
out, the confiscation of the peoples
property, the extinction of the peoples
employment and the certain decline of
st. Paul in business and in population
For two reasons, therefore, every
man who has anything at stake in the
future of this city. as we'll as every
man who believes in fair dealing
should learn that he is interested, di-
rectly and personally, in this matter:
and should raise his voice against the
destructive policy which it is sought to
set in operation. The two reasons are
that it is unfair and unjust in itself
on the face of the facts; and that it
will lead, with absolute certainty. not
merely to the reduction of St Paul to
cities of the country and of Minnesota,
but to it's erasure from the map; ex-
cept as a ruined village, where people
who have business that supports them
elsewhere can afford to live, if they
prefer the quiet and the picturesque.
If we are to look forward to that
future which the G 10 b so ardently
desires, and which it is laboring night
and day to bring to pass, we must
check at the outset, by the overwhelm-
ing force Of public opinion, the attempt
to introduce here the most unhappy