The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-04-08
to pay a few thousand dollars more

v % LOU y.R gE8Ss:fs IS. w 5'gs%
to pay few thousand dollars more
taxes.
!.
The iron ore tonnage tax bill which
passed the house a few days ago is still
hung up in a senate committee. / pre-.
dict that if the bill passes the senate,
the rate will be reduced from FIVE cents
to two or three cents per ton. The
house will refuse to concur in the
senate amendment. In that event the
direct valuation tax will have a fair
trial. If the tonnage system of tax
alton is adopted five cents per ton is
low enough. =
I,fail to see why there should be
such a deuce of a row kicked up over:
the bill which provides for read
justment of the Biermann swamp land
deed to the Great Northern company.
I do not care a fig whether the deed is
revoked or is permitted to stand.
Here are. I'll 900 acres Of land which is
not owned by anyone-the State has
decided it to the Great Northern and
that company refuses to accept the
land. Most of the land is worthless,
still there are some good forties. be-
lieve that the Great Northern should
be treated fairly accorded the same
treatment as other railroad companies.
The Great Northern should not be
decided all the worthless swamp land,
neither should that company be per-
mitted to: select the best. The worth
less lands should be distributed around
and the Great Northern should get it's
proportionate share of them. T. do not
believe in whipping. the devil around a
stump; if the Biermann deed is re
voked let the act expressly state that
fact. If this matter is left as it. is, by
and by the counties in which the bulk
of the 271, 1000 acres of swamp land is
located will seek relief at the hands of
80 ..:.:. H.
The claim of the Minneapolis Times
that the land the Great Northern
wished to select was worth Sc, 900, 900 is
all bosh. If the land was worth S25
per acre, or one quarter of that amount,
Mr.. Biermann was remiss in his duty
in not selecting itsfor State institu-
tions. But Mr.. Biermann knew, and
everybody else who is conversant with
facts knows, that there is very little
valuable swamp land in the possession
Of the State to-day. All the swamp
land Of any value, outside Of ST. Louis
and Lake counties, has been gobb1ed
by the railroads. And, as a matter of
fact. if the Biermann deed is cancelled
I do, not think the Great Northern
company could better itself much in
the way of new selections, even if the
company was permitted to make its
| selections. \.
-. ~%~>'*~ 80 .:...H:,'>.: 49, @s", =
There are plenty of good honest men
in both branches of the legislature, and
there are others who are not so very
good. It is invariably the case. that
members of the latt err class are loud in
their pretensions of honesty. One OF
these fellows said to me the other
morning: II voted for Clough under
protest last November. He was not
my kind Of a man, There is more
honor and honesty in a joint of one Of
Gov. Clough's little fingers than there
is in score of such men as the fellow
who made the remark above quoted.
~ !. 4 = '.,a's~s
While returning from lunch to-day
met a prominent Sixth district Repub
lican and among other things he said
IF this legislature does not mend its
ways and get down to business, a yeal
from next fall candidates on the Re
publican ticket in this State will find
themselves several thousand votes
shy" Remarks like. the above are
heard frequently in and around the
capitol. There are too many ''lead.
ers" in the legislature.
s..s. I. i. !. ~
The county option bill was killed in
the house Tuesday. There is. no cry
ing need of any further temperance
Legislation just at present. The pres.
ent high license law is working we'll.
r. G. D.
| SUMMER SCHOOL.