The Minneapolis journal., 1901-04-04
It Goes Through the Upper House
by Vote of So For to
s Against.
Explanations Are Frequent by Those
Who Scramble to Get on the
Band Wagon.

state. The life Of the state is long and the
people are the sovereign power. We may
hinder or obstruct the policies which would
rebound to the commonwealths veal. but we
cannot prevent their final accomplishment.
Jones Wants Action.
Senator ]. D. Jones as an amendment
moved that the bill be recommended to
pass and that the rules be suspended to
give the Dill its second and third reading
and to put it on final passage at this time,
Senator Young seconded the motion.
A Long Wait.
Then came long, dreary wait as a call
| or the senate disclosed that almost a score
OF senators were absent, not knowing that
the hour for cOnvening the senate had
been changed from 10 a. m. to 9.
FINALLY after patient wait of over half
an hour, during which the sergeant at
arms and his assistants were busy plying
the capitol telephone connected with the
hotels and downtown offices, there were
| only four vacant seats, those belonging to
! Macarthur, MCGOWAN, McNamee and Stock
we'll. Macarthur and MCGOWAN were ex-
cused on account of i'll health, but the for-
! mer arrived before the vote was COM
| pleted, as did Senator McNamee.
1t Was Very Tame.
|
offer some oratory President Smith or
dered a roll call on the final passage of
/ the Dill. The call was unusually tame.
NOT until Secretary Langum reached the
name Greer was the stream of s'ayes''
stopped. Uncle Allen simply wished to
| state that he had been opposed to the in
| crease OF the gross earnings tax two years
! ago and had heard no convincing argu-
ments to warrant the changing of his vote.
Horton and Hawkins recorded pair OF
negative votes. Senator ]. D. Jones ex-
planned that when he voted against SINH
lar Dill two years ago the validity of the
Anderson. tax law had not been decided.
Inc decision on this law sustained the
position he had taken. But he said,
am satisfied that the people want this
| Dill passed at this time. Whether right or
J wrong, just or unjust, legal or Illegal,
they demand that their representatives
! vote for it and | am willing to heed their
] wishes. l am afraid that the objects of
| thls Dill can not be attained, but that Is
| another matter.
Mccarthy Explains.
| Mccarthy and other senators. who voted
| against the gross earnings bill two years
| ago, explained that that was a very diff
ferent proposition from the one now pend
| ing. The old bill contained an alternative
| provlso that if the railways refused to ac-
| cept the increased rate then their property
| should be taxed as other property is taxed.
! The present bill contains no such proyi-
| sion.
Potter Simply Voted.
Senator Potter made no explanation Of
| his negative vote.
! Senator Ryder announced loudly that he
was opposed to the bill II take the po-
sition that Minnesota should encourage
| railways, he declared. ''They are a de-
cided benefit. We know that railways are
supporting thousands Of people and thou
1 sands Of families. | am not going to be
one of the corporation baiters.
My opinion as to the gross earnings
| bill has not changed declared Senator
| Schaller. II don't think that the pro-
visions of this bill can be carried out, but
| am representing a great many people in
| Dakota county besides myself and l am
| obliged to listen to their commands In
voting aye 1 voice the convictions of my
| constituents and not my own"
The States True Friends.
This proposition, in my humble opin-
| ion, will be only waste paper" said Sena-
| tor Schellbach. Not only will ii be de-
| clared unconstitutional, but it will tie up
| millions and millions of the states rev.
| enues. This bill is a measure to tax in
| terstate commerce, and the men who
! drew it ought to know that this state
cannot tax interstate commerce. I vote
| for the bill with the understanding that
| 1t is vicious measure but those who
! opposed IT two years ago from honest mo-
| tives were blackguarded on all sides. 1
am willing now to get out of the way and
| let the people say for themselves what
| they wish to have done. Some time they
will find out who are the true friends of
! the state in the legislature"
Sheehan Seeks Distinction.
| Senator Sheehan declared that he would
| vote against the bill if he were the only
one, as he would like to have the dis
| tinction Of being the only member whose
] opinion was indorsed by the supreme
| court of the United States. The decision
| of that court on the Anderson law showed.
| he said, that the territorial roads had
! contract with the state, which this law
| could not affect Not a single member
| had given one reason why the bill should
! be passed. For his part, he was convinced
| that the railroads were paying more in
! proportion to their value than any other
property, and that they were paying more
| than the railroads of other states
Senator Sivright stated that he had had
| the pleasure Of voting against the Ander-
| son railroad bill and had never regretted
| it. He was not in favor of the present
bill. but would yield to the popular de-
( mand.
Snyder's Figures.
| Some figures were quoted by Senator
! Snyder to show that even if the railroads
| paid a 4-per-cent tax they would still
| have an advantage over other property.
| Taking the average value per mile OF
railroads in this state at SAB ,000 based on
| the proportion of the stocks and bonds Of
/ the railroads, and assessing it according
| to the usual rate Of about so per cent OF
the actual value, the average state rate
of taxation would yield $2,575564 This
| is the sum the railroads would pay if as
sessed as other property. An Increase
of the gross earnings tax to per cent
would yield about 81, 900. 900.
| "Full of Danger"
| Senator Underleak believed that the
| bill was full of danger, and that the state
would find itself the loser at the end.
Senator McNamee feared that the in
crease in the tax would come out of the
pockets of the railway employees, but at
the earnest solicitation of his friends and
constituents he had decided to vote for it.
l Senator Ives stood where be did TIVE