The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-10

an alternative provision providing that
any railroad company may. In lieu or TINS
direct method of taxation, commute 10y
paying such rate per cent on its g:-oss
earnings as the legislature may fix. Any
rate not higher than or per cent,
established. on the gross earnings, would
| pc SO much less than the taxes payable
| en- the basisl of valuation, as already
shown by the, citation from the attorney
generals brief, that we may assume
with absoluteI Certainty that the railroad
companies would choose the committed
method. If any company refused to do
SO, 1t would only, have heavier tax to
pay, and the tax would be covered into
| the state treasury and into the same
fund as 'hough payment We're made under
the communication. 1t has been urged
mat 1t Is not safe, to pass any new legis-
laNon on this subject, or to permit the
people to vote on the question, inasmuch
as the new legislation might prove uil-
constitutional and thus deprive the state
OF the taxes which 1t collects under eX-
lstlng law: Such arguments are the .ner-
est sophistry, With the aid of the recent
qqecislon OF the supreme court of the
De enacted without difficulty. But if
it should transpire that the act for this
P PUT were SO drawn that it were held
| course, IT would be void in toto and NOT
nave the effect of repeating existing law
NO court would hold that an act for the
iR s IIe3ss OF imposing an increased tax
IS rs; vand Tor the purpose Of repeating the
sAts sung Tax, and thus leave the state
without any taxation
INHERITANCE TAX.
on me ne, enactment of legislation imposing
an inheritance tax in conformity with The
eonselIqtlonal amendment authorizing the
I'lI siouid not be deferred. Sucla law
YOU'D produce considerable reve4f1e to
me state and would In many Instances
s 1uuJecI property to taxation that had
previously escaped
REPEAL OF SUGAR BOUNTY LAW.
10Y y ~
authorizing sugar bounties. The nractice
OF exercising the power of taxation for
me me Deneht Of individuals is vicious in
plitEgiiR}le and would not have been per-
iiiiis3lple under our constitution as orig
ttn ma formulated and adopted. Unfor
11 eaat;ey' the amendment adopted in 1892
t tIheGJlons 50 and "a of article .IV.) au-
eenorlzes it in express terms; hence
formal repeal Of the bounty legislation is
ffoqu I1 II the state is to escape liability
eof us payment. 1 believe also that the
portion of the amendment of tha -constit,1e
t tl9h referred to should be repealed. A
OIL should be enacted, submitting that
next election. a. INC
EDUCATION.
The reports iof the s,Inerintandant Of
pupllc lnstructfon;oof the regents of our
stdte university and Of the normal school
e eTfib; commend to your attention. They
apartments OF education T he efforts of
the state superintendent to build IN and
41pVdIice the common schools and to give
lILe Work IN thsm in a direction that.
while intoxicating learning, at the SAM
tiIne tends to Mt the pupils for the prac
; t1cal quues of life and of their surr5und-
lhgS, nave been productive of nucb 900
In this work he has had the heartS 70
operation of the state agricultural COZ
Iese and of Heading educators in the
hoped fSat It Se 5f rs % Rs ba sincerely
duiIIhs teachers TO be licensed by the
state superintendent is WORKING well and
- ao, aanllraoly calculated to secure better
a professional Spirit among the teachers
IN the common schools The growth Of
our our state university has passed beyond
the p0iS< where there is occasion for So
hcitude on that score. The problem that
now confronts the board of regents is to
secure adequate accomrnoda tons for the
work OF the continually increasing stu
9 Sf pody and means to maintain the
hlgh standard of quality for that work
when the times require. For these, lib
t1al. The estimates submitted bv the
board of regents are exceedingly con-
servative and should be allowed. Techni
t GSi trala9ing to enable. the generations of
coyerfes of the last, is the keynote To
industrial supremacy AS growing state
WIN an apunda2ee Of resources beyond
departments Of the university that la
yelop the industrial efficiency of the pEo-
PIE pc Money DEVOTED. to that purpose Is
the most profitable social Investment that
this generation can make.
STATE PRISON AND REFORMATORY. 1
The management of the reformatorv at
ST. Cloud, which on several occasions in
the past has been source of anxiety to
the state authorities, am pleased to re-
port IN a -fa1r way, under the manage
ment of the new superintendent, Mr..
Randall, to realize the aims Of the insti-
tutlon. The state prison at Saltwater
n / to +hac tot
publlc institution under the management
OF Gen. Reeve, as 1t was under Mr.. Wolf
er. The conduct of the Irvine plant is set
out IN detail in the report of the board
Since that report the board, availing it.
self of the low price of binding Irvine
maaIterlal, that existed for a tine in the
the amount carried over. there is now on
hand upwards pf 100000 pounds of sisal,
together with. some 600J,0y0 pounds of
manila, in twine and fiber. If there Is
no material increase in the cost of fiber,
it will be possible for the board to sell
sisal at from 6.to Z cents per pound and
with a fair margin of profit This in
sures protection to the farmers against
the exactions Of the cordage trust this
year, the same as they had las, with
the lower prices of Irvine than can be OBJ
tained elsewhere for the same quality.
The contract with j. B. Tarbox for the
facture of shoes on the piece-price plan
was terminated by the board last year,
with my concurrence In the absence of
other means OF employment or facilities
for Industrial training, the manufacture
of shoes, however, has been c0ntinu d
for Mr.. Tarbox's successors upon the
same terms and conditions as under the
original contract: but with the diStinrt
understanding that this arrangement
might be terminated at any time at the
will of the legislature or the pleasure
of the board. The successors to the Tar
box interests were very solicitous to have
new contract entered into for a speci-
fed length of time, but in view of the
fact that so large proportion of t,>a
present population is employed in the
Irvine industry, it was not deemed wise
either by the board or myself to enter
into contract of that character. While
the state is entitled to the labor of the
prisoners and has a right to utilize that
labor in production, it also owes them,
or at least society, duty to 50 employ
that time that those who are capable of
Improvement will be afforded an oppor-
equipped to lead a self-supporttng and
honorable life after discharge. Aside
from this, any production in a state in
stitution in the field of competitive In
dustry is more or less of menace -
free labor and disturbing factor in tie
market and is therefore opposed. and MT
without cause, both by organized labor
and by those who are engaged in the
production of the same commodities The
situation demands your most careful at
tention and proper legislation at this ses-
sion of the legislature. In order to pro-
cure reliable Information on the subject
for your guidance, as well as to aid the
executive, l appointed Prof w w. Fol
well and Senator'S George W. Somerville
and Charles O. Baldwin a committee to
visit the leading penal institutions in the
East and to investigate and report on |
INN a T1f h6i, o,-4 T