The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-04-22
THE GROSS EARNINGS BILL.
Defeated by the Republicans in The
State Senate.
Reform Press Bureau,
G. Del All

The last few days OF the legislature
have been a record breaker Tor the
making up OF issues, and OF estimates
OF what has been done by the states
representatives, first for the general
public good, and next for the general
credit OF the parties in power respective
ly, the Republican majority, house and
senate, and the Reform administration
represented by Gov. John Lind. 1t had
not required the closing days to make
UP the general verdict that the aore-
time inscription, "Mene Meme Tckel
Upharsin," was the only one to fit the
case, but that all of sudden. in the
closing hours, events should at once
make up the issues for next year, a full
year in advance, was complete sur-
prise. To almost the last moment emf
nent Republicans expected that in some
manner this cup might pass" and the
defeat of the gross earnings bill be pre-
vented for party's sake. But ii came,
and under circumstances to overshadow
all other legislation bearing in any man
ner on partisan success next year.
In former times when there has beer
more open throttling of the legislatures
by the corporations, and when open dis
graces were practiced, such as doing
out to members and senators envelopes
containing the pittances of cash each
was to receive, and such as the de-
post OF money in the beds OF legisla-
tors, as was practiccd on the Duluth
and Winnipeg land grant bill, ii seemed
that storm would result the following
year; still there was then some really
important legislation accomplished,
which in the end overshadowed the dis
graccs. and the result was that members
and senator's came back again as if
nothing had happened. But then there
was a Republican administration and
machine to break the popular indgna-
ton. In the following party convcn-
tions the shortcomings were covered up
with loud professions, and the advocates
OF true reforms, despairing at the noun
tain OF Republican majority, in the main
laid down and did nothing. Now, with
,a different administration and the ma
chine broken, the people take heart,
and thus are ready to seize OH ...
which the record presents.
At this time, while the final score is
being made UP, the gross earnings bill
is the all engrossing topic, and never
in the history OF the state has there
been such unanimous condemnation OF
the defeat of a state measure demanded
by the people. This is shown by the
state press. In attempting 10 collect
these for presentation, the bureau has
simply been swamped. Our reform
press without exception condemn the
Legislature, while large per cent OF
the Republican press does likewise.
Foremost of the latter has been the
Minneapolis Journal, in both its editor
ial and political news columns. When
the bill was first placed in the hole in
the senate by vote OF more than
majority OF the Republican senator's, the
Journal said editorially:
eve believe the bill to be fair and
reasonable, and that even under an in
crease from to 4 per cent, the railroads
would still be favored regarding taxa
ton as compared with other kinds OF
property, and we wonder what explana-
ton the Republican majority in the SEN
ate is going to make the people Of Min
nesota for the position they have TAX
en-"
Previously, in its political news COL
umns, the Journal has made the impor-
lance Of passage OF the legislation as
emphatic as possible. When the final
effort on the bill was about to be made,
the Journal devoted column to it ed
itorially, saying in introduction:
"The reasonableness of the measure
cannot be questioned, and is not. That
many Republican members OF the SEN
ate are conscious OF the dangers which
threaten the Republican party from the
defeat of this bill is shown by the eff
fort to enact in place OF it so-called
antitrust bill, which is relied upon to
make political capital sufficient to coun-
teract the manifest loss OF public conf
dencc through the defeat OF the gross
earnings bill"
Further, of the antitrust bill trick,
the Journal said:
"1n the judgment Of lawyers and
business men, regardless OF politics, the
trust measure is political bait thrown
out to divert attention from the unac-
countable failure on the part of the Re-
publican senate to provide a reasonable
railroad tax law, which in operation will
bring into the state treasury in the
neighborhood of 100000 a year more
than is now received from the railroad
companies"
And the Journal said in conclusion:
"The Journal is thoroughly in SYM
pathy with any proposition which will
cffectually protect the public from the
ravages OF monopoly, but it does not
propose to stand idly by and see such
measure as the. gross earnings bill
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