The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-07
LABOR ON ASSESSMENTS.
State Federation Calls for Punish
meHt OF Dishonest Assessors.

meEt OF Dishonest Assessors
The State Federation of Labor at Its an
nual meeting in Winona adopted the follow
ing resolution relating to assessment and tax
alton of property in this state
Whereas, The constitution of the stale of
Minnesota provides that all taxes to be raised
IN THIS state shall be, as nearly equal as may
De, ana ali property on which taxes are to be
levied shall have a cash valuation and be
equalized and uniform throughout the stale:
and
Whereas, The laws of the state of Mime
sofa provide, that all property shall be as
sessed at its true and full value in money.
and In determining the true and full value of
real or personal property, the assessor shall
not adopt lower or different standard of
value to serve as basis of taxation; and
Whereas, The assessors of a majority of
the counties in state fagrantly and per-
sistenuy violate the letter and spirit of the
constitution and laws by failing and neglect
ing to assess large portion of property in
the state at its cash" value; but on the
contrary, in violation of the constitution and
laws, such assessors establish lower stand
ard OF valuation upon property, to serve as
basis OF taxation which necessarily results
in unequal and unjust taxation and comoels
the Industrial and farming communities to
pay the taxes of the wealthy people; and
Whereas, The constituted authorities who
are charged with the administration of the
tax laws in the more populated counties in
this state, notably In the counties of Ramsey,
norance, or for other reasons, undervalue
great many tracts and parcels of real prop
erty and large quantities CT personal property;
and In the cities of st. Paul, Minneapolis and
Duluth, the corporations in control of street
railways, telephones, gas and electric light
and the water power of st. Anthony Falls
have procured valuable privileges and con-
cessions from their respective Municipalities
without compensation ard they are in control
of such public utilities and will exercise con-
troll OF the same for many years in the future
and either through fear or favor the assessors
of said municipalities do not enter the fran
chises, rights, privileges acquired and taxable
in such communities upon the assessors
books for purposes of taxation, as it appears
from the records of the tax assessors, and if
such franchises and privileges were properly
taxed many thousands of dollars would be
added annually to the county and tax funds
and thus the burden of the overtaxed farming
and industrial communities would be made
lighter; and whereas, such vicious system
Of administration of tax laws is for the benefit
OF few favored corporations and to the detri-
ment of the masses of our people, therefore.
be 1t
Resolved, That we demand that property in
this state shall be taxed as provided by the
constitution and laws OF the state of Min
of the counties where the tax laws are ad-
ministered contrary to law, investigate the
tax records of their respective counties, and
the officials guilty of maladministration, to-
gether with those who profit thereby, be in
dfcted, and prosecuted; and, that property
omitted from the tax rolls be entered now for
taxation for six years last past as provided
by the statute enacted for that purpose, which
was upheld by the state and federal courts.