The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-04-29
LEGISLATIVE 400
MEASURES THAT WE'RE FORTUNATE
/. ENOUGH TO BE IN IT

MEAsuRss THAT WERE FORTUNATE
ENOUGH TO BE IN IT
When tn. Session Closed Only Few
Less Than Gotham's Swell Society
Lisr-A Goodly Number of Important
RilIs Passed, But Some Did N"t-Brie'
Review of the Work of the Session by
Correspondent Cowen.
| ST. PAUL, April 27.-[Speciall.- Tho
legislator has gone but the legislation
remains. and by it alone can his quail
ity be judged In the house there were
introduced 1,O34 proposed laws, and
the senate received $50. Altogether
800 bills met the approval of both
houses and were sent to the governor,
who vetoed half dozen and formally
approved the remainder. OF the bills
that reached the governor 100 had
originated in the senate and 2O5 in the
house. Among the LIZA bills intro
duced in both houses many of them
were duplicates, being introduced
simultaneously in house and senate in
order to advance them more quickly
toward their goal. This fact tends to
the overthrow of all suggestions that
either house favored its own measures
to the undue disadvantage OF bills
from the other body. The net
result of the session is the enact
1nent and approval of 800 more or less
important laws, and adjournment saw
the end of the work. This is very I'M
usual, for it has almost invariably been
the case that large numbers of bills,
often hundreds of them, were still
awaiting action when the statutory
hour for adjournment arrived. The
senate this year had a number of meas
nres still pending, but in the house the
calendar and general orders were both
cleared, several committees reported
that all bills referred to them had been
returned to the house with adverse or
favorable reports, and the work of the
session was completed. This was
largely due to the efficiency of the
clerical force.
With business, reasonably well
cleared up, the legislature has its
record to stand on, and it remains for
the people to decide whether the legis-
lation secured was what they needed
and desired. In real Importance the
tax laws would probably rank first
although in interest the reapportion-
ment law would first come to mind.
This latter law was, as has been sew
eral times stated, clearly matter of
compromise, but some form of reappor-
tiOnment was so necessary thas the
people will readily forgive so large q
Legislative body because of the general
desire for fairness indicated in the
passage of the law. With 63 senators
and 1l9 representatives, the old capitol
will be more than ever crowded, but
the newly settled counties will be bet.
ter able to secure future legislative
action, having greater representation.
The Reeves mine tax bill failed of
passage in the senate, after hard
struggle through the house, and Mr..
Reeves later attempt to crowd through
a second bill failed AS the old cent q
ton tax was repealed, the mining COM
panies will, for at least two years, pay
taxes on their assessed valuation. This
will bring in larger return than the
old plan, but Reeves, jacobson and
other friends of the tonnage tax prin-
ciple still maintain that the receipts
would have been greater had their pet
measure gone through.
All four bills for gross earnings tax
on express, sleeping and drawing room
Car, freight line and equipment and
telephone companies went through
both houses and were signed by the
governor. That one which was intro
duced by Mr.. Dyer, and was originally
a copy of part of the Ohio law for tax
alton of express companies, will need
to be interpreted by the courts, for
amendments were made by the senate
that bear various constructions. The
intention was clearly to provide for a
3 per cent gross earnings tax on all
express business done within the state,
after deducting amounts paid to rail-
road companies, this deduction being
needed to avoid double taxation, az
the railroads already pay tax on
their gross earnings, which inclnde
receipts from express companies. The
senate amendment made it read tax
on business between points within
the state" and some have taken this to
exclude business that goes out of or
comes into the state, while others
maintain that it will not affect this
business, but will be tax on all ex.
press matter carried inside the state
boundaries. 1t will be decided by the
courts. It is estimated that about
$4,000 will be annually received from
this tax. From the freight line COM
panies, which have heretofore just about
escaped taxation, about Sc, 900 will be Sc.
cured, but from the other laws it
is estimated that there will be no
change in the amount raised or else it
is impossible to estimate it. The Foss
inheritance tax, as finally passed, pro-
vides a per cent tax on large requests
to near relatives or 5 per cent on prop
erty otherwise bequeathed.
This legislature was easy on the rail-
roads, for few railroad laws were
passed, although the Douglas distance
tariff and few other somewhat dras-
tic laws were attempted. The Dyer
law requires the maintenance of sta.
ton agents where $4,000 business is
done annually the Miller law provides