Morris tribune., 1900-09-29

company refused to pay the amount Q
the policy In many cases, especiall.
/ if-the party who sustained the loss wa
poor and unable to indulge in the lux
ury Of an expensive lawyer and cour
fees a compromise would be effectet
and the company would pay from one
third to one-half of the amount of thu
policy.
q The Republican legislature of 1895 en-
acted a law which requires and compel!
insurance companies doing business II
this state to pay the full amount Of the
face of the policy if loss is total. (See
section 25, chapter It's, Gen. Laws Of
4 1885,
Taxation of Mines and Mineral
i Lands
Until 1895 the mining properties in
4 the northeastern part of the state did
not bear their just proportion of the
i burdens of taxation. When the mining
of iron ore was in its infancy the leg
i islature in order to encourage the
opening and development of the mines,
i provided for a tax of / cent per ton on
/ the output in lieu of all other taxation.
4 In 1897 the 1-cent per ton law was re-
/ pealed and mines and mining property
was assessed and taxed the same as
! all other classes of property, but prior
! to action by the legislature Attorney
1 General Childs, in response to an in
| quiry by the state auditor, had held the
| 1-cent per ton tax to be unconstitu-
tional. Prior to 1895 the highest tax
paid in any one year under the 1-cent
per ton law amounted to less than
$4,000; this year the mining corpora
no " TO yn 10 on ioor RI
$23O,O00. Chapter 235, Laws Of 1899, pro-
vides severe penalties for the removal
of timber on mineral land before the
current taxes are paid, and that law is
being rigidly enforced. 1t seems to me
as if our legislatures had taken every
precaution to compel the mining and
lumber corporations to pay their taxes.
Taxing Unused Railroad Lands.
The law for the taxation of unused
railroad lands has placed upward Of
1000, 900 acres of land upon the tax rolls
Presenting that these lands are as
sessed at So per acre, the average rate
of 8 per cent would produce $4,000 in
taxes annually. The validity of the law
has been passed upon and sustained by
our state supreme court, and in all
human probability the supreme court
of the United States will uphold the
decision Of our state courts. The en-
actment of the law taxing unused rail-
road lands is sufficient answer to
those of our political opponents who
unblushingly assert that the Repub-
lican party of Minnesota is dominated
by railroad influences.
Red River Valley Drainage.
The drainage of the low, wet lands of
that great wheat producing district,
the Red river valley, is one of the i'm
portant works for which the farmers
of that district have to thank the in
telligent and self-denying labors of
Republican board of commissioners.
This board of which the Hon. Ezra G..
Valentine of Breckenridge was presi-
dent, consisted of three members who
served without salaries and whose ag-
gregate expenses during the whole of
the nine years when the bitches were
being constructed, only amounted to
$1,555.41, or about $5S per year each.
For this work the state appropriated
$157,50 and the Great Northern
railway edonated $4,000, a total Of
$1S2, 500. Eighteen bitches and four
extensions of the same, 117.47 miles
in length, were constructed in the
counties of Kittson, Marshall, Polk,
Norman, Clay, Wilkin and Trav-
erse, draining in all about 100000
acres of land. 1t is highly cred
liable to the board that SO 5-10 per cent
of the $1S2,50O at their disposal was
spent in actual work, 90 10 per cent
being paid to the different contractors,
and $40 per cent to the engineers. For
securing the right of way 5-10 of 1 per
cent of the appropriation was expend
ed; for advertising for bids and for
printing the percentage of cost was
2-10 of per cent and the expenses of |
the commissioners were $40 of l per
cent. This is a splendid record and |
cannot fail to be highly gratifying to
the taxpayers Of the state. BY this
work it is estimated that 2,000,0 900 acres
of the low lands of the Red river valley |
have been benefited, its value has been
and, the danger to the farm
ers' crops from spring freshets and wet |
seasons has been largely decreased.
The state bitches are now under the
control of state drainage commits
sion and the construction of cross
bitches is under their supervision in
order that the best results can be Sc
cured by systematic drainage work.
State Board of Health
Republican legislatures have not over
looked the care and preservation of the
public health. Our state to-day has one
Of the most perfect health departments
to be found in the United States.
Owing to the high state of efficiency
hat exists in the department infectious
diseases are carefully guarded against
and promptly and vigorously handled.
In 1885 the legislature added to the USE
sulness of the board of health by Gre
ating a department to prevent the
spread of contagious diseases among
cattle, horses, swine and other domes-
.ic animals, and the intelligent efforts
If the board in this direction has saved
he farmers Of the state many thou
sands of dollars.
The New Cap toll.
The people of Minnesota can take
oardonable pride in their new capitol
building, the construction Of which was
authorized by the legislature of 1893.
It's cost will not exceed the amount APP
,ropriated, namely. $2,00O,OOO, and it is
being honestly and substantially built
This work affords a pleasing contrast
% the experience of some other states
which have suffered from the extrava-
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