The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-05

With-one exception, the railroads eff
feeted by the Anderson law, providing
for the taxation of unused RAILROAD
lands, have allowed their taxes to be-
come delinquent. The Wisconsin, Min
nesota & Pacific is the only railroad
that has complied with the provisions
of the statutes, and only paid it's share
under protest
Every other road interested has al
lowed it's taxes to become delfnuuent,
All the official county papers in sec
lions where this >land is located are
publishing lists of delinquent taxes
this week. 1t is notable that fully
three-fourths of the delinquent descrip-
lions advertised are put in the name of
railroad corporations. In some cases
fully page of the railroad companies
holdings are on the advertised list.
Just what the outcome will be is a
difficult matter to predict. The con-
Stitutionality of the law has been car
| ried into the United States supreme
| court, but, in the ordinary course of
business, it usually takes about three
| years to get any decision from the
! nations highest tribunal. Meantime
penalties and interest accrue against
| the lands and the publication of the
! delinquent notices are also charged up
against its owners. 1t will not take
sum double the figure originally as
| sessed against the property.
State Auditor Dunn said yesterday
! that he had no direct knowledge of
| the matter, as he had no means of
| knowing what returns had been made
| to the county auditors, yet it was
common property that the roads had
not paid their taxes on their unused
lands, and had given it out that they
| would not until the case was passed
upon by the United States supreme
court.
Perhaps no law that has ever been
proposed in Minnesota was more stub
bornly contested by the railroads than
the Anderson bill. 1t passed the house,
was transmitted to the senate, and
passed that body only after a twelve
hour session, with just enough votes
to carry it, including the vote of Lieut..
Gov. Day. 1t was carried through the
lower courts to the supreme court,
which sustained its constitutionallty,
and it was placed on the statute books.
County auditors in Pine, Carlton,
Crow Wing, Aitkin and other North
ern counties assessed the land held
by the railroad companies by virtue
Oh their grants from the government,
and the taxes became delinquent last
March.
General Counsel c. w. Bum, Of the
Northern Pac1hc, yesterday SAID no
road taxed by the Anderson bill would
pay the taxes on its government grant
lands until the United States supreme
court decides that they must do so.
1T is stipulated in the charters
which the roads received he said to a
reporter for The G l O re, that none
of the lands granted to the roads
should be taxed separately, but that
the 8 per cent gross earnings tax
paid to the state should absolve them
from paying any tax on their land
grants. The matter was taken to~the
state supreme court after the passage
of the Anderson BILL and the court de-
cided against the roads, who thereupon
took the case to the United States SUI
preme court. This was done two years
ago, and we have not received de-
cision. Nothing can be done against
US until the supreme court has acted"