The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-11
DuLuTH.s DILEMMA.

st. Louis county's auditor calls the
attention of thesscounty board to the
fact that the county and Duluth will
get the worst of a bit Of a deal it's dele
cation in the legislature put UP with
the state. When Duluth's pneumatic
tire ran over a tack and let the wind
out, there were a ct of wild riders who
found themselves with quantities of
dirt on their hands with actual values
scandalously out of proportion to the
values they had pumped into them.
Added to this disheartening condition
they saw the taxes, state, county and
municipal, piling up annually on their
dirt with no funds in bank to meet
them. The delinquent tax list waxed
fat and the treasury lean. Then, as
usual, the state was appealed to for
relief. No special legislation was pos
sible, so a general bill was devised that
would just fit ST. Louis county and no
other. Any county, whose delinquent
taxes amounted to certain percent
age, might have a general clearing up
sale of the lands remaining delinquent
after advantage. had been taken of an
offer to remit interest and penalties to
those who would, meantime, pay their
back taxes.
But there was a provision-not new
one, for it has been in all the clearance
sale acts-providing that at the sale the
lands might be sold for the amount
due the state alone, if no higher. sum
were bid. That resulted as might have
been expected No delinquent would take
the bait of remission of interest and
penalty if, by a little delay, he might
get off with paying only the quota due
the state. How much this difference is
can be estimated in dollars and cents
when we know that the tax levy for st.
Louis county is 1855 mills for 1895, while
the state tax is but 1.8 mills. Duluth
taxpayers, who get delinquent for any
cause, are not any more patriotic than
taxpayers elsewhere are, and it is not
to be expected that any of them will
pay 26.6 mills on the dollar of his as
sessment if he can get off with the
payment of Is mills. Human nature
is not built on that line at the present
stage of it's evolution. Consequently
there has been practically none to pay
the whole levy, less interest and pen
atty. They are waiting until the sale
when they will go in and bid the state
tax and have all the remainder of the
incumbrance wiped off the slate.
But there are remnants of the days
before the puncturing of the tire that
cannot be eVaded, along with sun
dry immediate demands upon the coun-
ty treasury. There is that unwieldy
pile of bonds, issued when public spirit
was hunting up all sorts of chances for
Improvement, whose interest falls due
with Implying regularity. Then there
are the demands for salaries and the
maintenance of a municipality inflated
by the boom. 1t was to meet these de-
mands that the larger part of these
delinquent taxes was laid to meet and
if the million and more dollars due can
be liquidated with the fraction due the
state an ugly deficit will confront the
| county. This unpleasant situation is
presented to the board by the auditor,
and he wishes to know what the
fathers are going to do about it. At
last accounts they were scratching
their heads vigorously, but failing to
elicit any way out Of the dilemma. 1t is,
| however probable that they do not en-
terrain as high a conception of the wis
dom and beneficence of the state as
thew did