Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-08-17

LII 0t' LOUIS county Shall De reOuCeQ
to a figure which will allow shipment
by independent mine owners. Thous-
ands of acres of rich iron lands have
been made worthless because of extor-
tionate rates charged by these syndi-
Gates and all competitors of the two
great iron companies have been driven
from the field through the Indifference
or instrumentality of Republican ad-
ministration.
We condemn the railway and ware
house commission appointed by repub-
lican governors as the subservient in
strument of interested railway and ele-
vator companies, and demand the elec-
ton of such commission by the people,
We denounce the combined railway
and elevator ring of this state which
controls the location and building of
private elevators and prevents the free
erection of competitive elevators when
ever it chooses so to do.
X.
We condemn the state labor commits
sioner for the prostitution of his Office
to partisan purposes and the issuance
of political reports on "the purchase
power of gold'' at the
expense of the taxpayers of the state
without authority of law, and to the
neglect of the labor interests of the
state, which he is sworn to subserve.
We condemn the public examiner for
permitting the operation of banking
and trust companies in fragrant viola
ton of law, and the governor forwith-
holding the reports on such institu-
lions from the courts and the public; |
and we charge upon said executive Off
Gals through such protection of I'M
lawful financiering no small response
bility for the era of bank-wrecking
which has robbed the people of the
state during the past five years of so
many millions of dollars of hard earn
ings deposited in these institutions.
XII.
We condemn the state auditor for
refusing to place upon the tax rolls of
the state the deed of 260,000 acres of
swamp lands selected by his predeces-
sOr and decided to the Great Northern
railway, and we denounce the attempts
of republican officials to annul said
deed and give this powerful railway
corporation the power to select for it.
self from the states public domain.
XIII.
We condemn the extravaganza and
looseness which has characterized the
administration of the present secreta-
ry of state and of many of the state
institutions, and we pledge ourselves
to do all in our power to give the
state an administration of economy
and retrenchment such as is forced
upon the homes and places of business
in this period of financial stress.
XIV.
We condemn the state administra-
ton in the appointment of oil inspec-
tor and surveyor generals of logs, and
we demand that these Offices be placed
upon salary basis and that the hea-
Wy fees now derived and used as a COR
ruption fund shall be turned into the
state treasury.
We commend the recent decisions of
the state supreme court in regard to
the fixing of railroad rates and the
taxation of railway lands, md we spe-
cial'y approve of that principle laid
down by Justice CAVITY, that the rates
charged. by public franchise corpora
tions shall be based on the actual
cost of reproduction of the plant, in
stead of upon the watered stocks and
bonds of said corporations.
XVI.
We believe in the principle of home
rule and selfSgovernment and it's ap-
plication to the subject of local taxa
ton and to the drafting of municipal
charters; but We demand that the pres
ent law creating city charter commas
sioners shall be amended so as to
make said commissioners elective by
the people for reasonable term, in
stead Of appointive for life. :
" w.. -. XVII. 49,
We demand the direct election of r..
S. senators by the people,. We de-
nounce the action Of United States
senator Cushman K. Davis, who,
while holding the position Sof public
servant Of this state. acted as the paid
retainer Of the Rockefeller iron syndi-
cate, the defender Of the Great North
ern and n orthern 2 acitic railroad con-
solid alton scheme, and the attorney
of the Duluth 8 Iron. Range railroad
against the State Of Minnesota.