Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1899-03-31
St. Paul Letter.

burdens decreased aud Justice done
by raising railroad taxation
tu its jas, share is tnA buruin q YES
ZION ~ Ill: ~t-n. y, ro III 60, eli,
uation oi the measure proposing to
Increase the gross ear ming tax l per
Mr.. Jacobson OF the house. in con-
fbrmltv with the earnest remarks
OF Governor Lind in his inaugural
message. 1t met the fire OF the rail-
road ioohy from tn. start, but WAS
able - DO no more than delay the
bill. which was No. 80. one Of he
early ones. for it marched through
the house trumphant|y 1t WAS
threatened with death in the senate
ho*evpr. wher" the lobby has its
ma" hIn"ry III far better shape, ami
tn" smaller bod to deal with.
Il should not need a word to
arouse the people to the importance
OF action. The reasons for raising
tn" railroad tax were SO clearly set
out in Governor Lind's message. and
tn" matter has been so Well presented
by the press. that it would seem that
al! that would be necessary would 5e
TO Inform the people OF che situation,
AMI THE determination OF the corpor-
atoms to defeat the measure if in
4 Il
ffri"nt effort to wake up the senate
and $r,:!ire the law beyond all oues-
ton.
This j. the case in a nuts hell, rot1-
u"1'~"! from Governor Limbs mos.
sag. ne rn>s'i4 Of the state paid in
1887 SILL % 900 on some thing over
5000 miles vi road. With the low
valuation OF $4,000 per mile the
taxable railroad property would be
500 1000, 900, and at the rate other
property is taxed, ~ mills on the
dollar. would have paid 81 40, 900
Tor that year, or Il loss to the state
OF over $3OO,DOO, which il paid
would reduce the peoples taxes just
that sum.
But another aspect Of the case ap- !
pea]s with greater force, to wit, our
relation to the other states in the !
Northwest group, in which the lines
interested also operate. those Of Wis
cnnsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and the two
Dakotas The roads are not oper- !
ated with reference to state lines, but |
the gross earnings are apportioned |
among the states in proportion to
the mileage in the state. Now those
states Of the Minnesota group all
have greater gross earnings tax than !
our own-Wisconsin ha'. ing + per
cent, Iowa; +, Illinois I per cent. !
The average rate collected in those
states was 4.3, VI more than one
thltu higher than the rate in Mime !
sofa. That is, if we had rate as
high AZ the average Of these neigh !
AUr> we Shout, have increased the |
railroad taxes, and thus reduced the
amount necessary for the people to
pay, more than $GOO,OUO. But as
railroad taxes are simply a part of
their expense account and thus ap-
ply in the net totals on which earn
inEs and dividends are based, it fol
lows that We get no benefit OF lower
freight or passenger rates by a low
gross earnings charge, and it follows
that our neighbors by the higher tax
do get the lower rates. Our people
simply help to pay taxes in the other
states.
Speaking Of the commiss toner's, it
would have done farmers good to
have seen Chief Inspector Clausen in
spect wheat before the jacobson
committee Not one sample did be
make the same grade and dockage
as had been certified to by his Jeff
Client and scientific subor!:inates at
the terminal elevators. In each case
Clausen declared that if the grades
were given as stated, they were e. oss
wrongs That is what's the matter.
Not one charge as made against the
grain department in the last cam
pajgn has been disproved, but wi
denct' has accumulated that the de-
partment is rotten from head to foot.
especially about the head: say rotten
at the head and smells badly at the
foot,