The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-10-19

/ complex machinery Of our state gov
eminent, so carefully and wisely con-
structed by the Republican party, is
| to them still incomprehensible, and
their ignorant experiments, If not pre-
vented, may throw the machine out OF
gear and work serious injury.
Lind Not the Author.
/ The Democratic state platform pro-
ceeds to indorse what it terms Gov.
Lind's proposition to the last legisla-
ture for tax reform, by which the cost
of state government would be betrayed
from corporate taxes only. Let me
draw your attention to the. fact that
| this proposition was not original with
Gov. Lind, by any means. I find, on
| page of the biennial report of the
Republican auditor of state, the Hon.
X. Z. Dunn, which was laid before the
legislature when it convened, in jan
uary, 1897, the following recommends
ton:
The modern tendency in taxation by
states is to lessen the tax rate upon
| realty and derive increased revenue
from taxes upon corporations, inner
ltances, etc. This, it seems to me, is
the proper time for our state to make
| an advance toward this system of
taxation"
And, furthermore, Republican legis-
latures have acted upon the state au-
dtor's recommendation, by passing
laws imposing tax upon inheritances
and foreign corporations. and there lis
no doubt that before very long the cost
of state government will be entirely
betrayed by such taxes.
The Democratic state platform con-
| cludes by demanding that 1.-The gross
earnings tax on railroad earnings be
increased to per cent, as recommend
ed by Gov. Lind to the last legisla-
ture.''
Not Even Recommended by Lind.
AS matter of fact, Gov. Lind's mes
! sage to the legislature of 1899 contains
no such recommendation; but I find Oh
| page 20 of the state auditors report,
submitted to the legislature of 1899,
several days in advance of the govern
ors message, a recommendation that
the legislature increase the gross
earnings tax to per cent. 1t is true
that the governor recommended an in
crease in the tax, but he made no such
| specific recommendation as is claimed
In the Democratic platform. No one
to-day denies that the plan of taxing
the gross earnings of railroads is the
| best and most convenient that could
| be devised. The Republican state
platform indorses the plan and urges
| that the rate of such taxation be
maintained at such a figure as to
make the tax annually collected from.
the railroads equal and uniform with
the taxes imposed on other property
| throughout the state
| While on this subject of taxation,
| let me draw your attention to another
matter which I would not be surprised
to hear had also been appropriated by
our Democratic friends I refer to the
Taxation of Mines and Mineral
| Lands
| in the northeastern part of the state.
| Formerly this class of property es-
| capped all other taxation by paying a
state tax of cent per ton on the gross
output of the mines, and the total
amount of tax for any one year ranged
from $S,930.0O, in 1891, to s24, 721 90, in
| 1885. In 1896 Attorney General Childs
furnished the state auditor with his
opinion, to the effect that the cent
tax per ton was unconstitutional: and
all mines and mineral lands were,
therefore placed upon the assessment
rolls of the different counties, to be
assessed and taxed the same as the
property of other corporations and in
dividuals.
! Prior to that time the counties In
which the mines were situated had not
received a cent of taxes from this
wv o,o1 -.
ing the county government. admins
| trative, judicial, etc, was borne by the
small property owner. The legislature
repealed the law providing for the 1
cent per ton tax, and in 1885, and since
that year, the property of the mine
owners has been taxed upon an as
sessed valuation, like other property.
Each year the valuation has been in
creased, and for this year the amount
| of taxes paid by the mine owners is
about $230,000.00, and it must be re-
| memtered that nine-tenths of this tax
goes into the treasury of the county in
which the property is situated, the
state receiving the other tenth. The
result is that the burden of taxation
upon the people has been decreased at
| least one-half in the counties affect
ed. I might also mention the fact that
| Republican legislature gave to the
state board of equalization the power
| to raise the individual assessments of
mining and other corporations, a pow
err which has aided greatly in the
| equitable distribution of the burdens
of taxation.
Democratic Claim Ridiculous.
may safely and truthfully say
| there is not and has not been a wise
and beneficent legislative or official
act or recommendation in the interests
of the taxpayers of the state that has
not had its initiative with a Repub-
| lican legislature or Republican state
official, and as it has been in the past
the people may reasonably expect it
will be in the future. For our political
opponents to lay claim at this time to
the credit of initiating any of these
acts or recommendations is not only
ridiculous but it is untruthful and dis
honest. The question of taxation has
always been given the deepest and
most careful consideration by our Re-
publican legislatures, and If radical
action has not been taken as rapidly
as some may have desired, that is, in
my opinion, an evidence of that care.
full conservatism which should always
be manifested in dealing with public
questions of the greatest Importance
Rash or hasty action is but too often
productive of disastrous consequences,
and the people of Minnesota may feel
confident, judging by the past record