The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-30
SENATE MUST TAKE / Up
JACORSON'S GROSS EARNINGS BILL
GOES THROUGH HOUSE WITH
A WHOOP
ONLY SO VOTES AGAINST 1T
Armstrong, of HenneDin, Would
Levy Direct Tax on Property
OF Railroad Com
panieS.

Representative Jacobson has at last sue
ceeded in forcing mis- biennial gross earn
ings bill through the house The vote
which was taken Just before the noon
recess yesterday, resulted in IS yeas and
Sc nays. The measure went at once to
the senate.
During the tedious forenoon while the
debate was pending, Mr. Jacobson receded
from bold position taken last week. At
that time Mr.. Dobbin, of Minneapolis,
said that as the author of The bill him
self had admitted the possible inadeQuacY
of the per cent rate, dis proposed by
his bill, and had intinated that or 512
per cent would suit him better If ne
thought either would stand d show of
passing, it was inconsistent 20 urge bill
at 3 per cent. Mr. Jacobson then stated
that if an amendment of this character
were proposed he would support it. Yes
terday Mr.. Dobbin introduced his amend
ment fixing the rate at per cent. This
raised Mr.. Jacobson's rate l and the old
rate 2 per cent. But the author of the
gross earnings bill did nos approve of
the amendment, and voted with 100 others
against it. Messrs. Dobbin and Berg
voted for it.
In discussing the matter Mr.. Jacobson
said he had been wrongly quoted regard
ing the Dobbin amendment. lie said his
reasons for quoting the figures based on
short 3 per cent comes of being an ade-
quate rate.
Mr. Jaybourn the leader of the oppo-
sition to the bill, called upon RS follow
ers to vote down the Dobbin amendment
and also the bill
&c. w Armstrong, of Minnea polls. broke
into the monOtony of arguments by offer
ing something entirely new.
He was opposed to any rate of gross
earnings tax, for the reason that he be-
lieved his system of taxation to be pal
pably wrong" According to his idea rail-
road property should be subject to a di-
rect tax like other property.
Mr.. Jacobson was on his feet at once,
and proceeded to disclose what he deem
ed the fallacy of Mr.. Armstrong; posi-
ton. He conceived that under such a sys
tenn of taxation two-thirds of the proceeds
would go to the large terminal points
and the country districts would be left in
the cold.
J. A. Peterson took occasion to inform
Mr.. Armstrong that ''if you think you can
fool your constituents as to gain opposi-
ton to this bill by such a pretenSe, you
are mistaken
In the course of the debate Mr.. Lar
son and Mr.. Berg said the passage of
the Jacobson bill would form a very Sc
rious obstacle to securing reduction In
freight rates, which residents of all parts
of the state are clamoring for.
Representative ]. r. Hickey, of st.
Paul, who has devoted a great deal of
time and thought to the matters involved
in the bill, made a very effective speech
against the bill He said the rate pro-
posed by Mr.Jacobson was unfair and not
for the best interests of the people of the
state.
Mr.. Umland, also of ST. Paul. said he
favored the gross earnings bill, but would
not vote for it so long as the charges of
bribery which were made by the author
and Mr.. Washburn remained unproven.
The effect of this bill, if passed by the
senate and signed by the governor will be
to submit to the people at the next gen
eral election a constitutional amendment
proposed to raise the railroad gross earn
ings tax rate from to per cent.
Mr.. Jacobson, while delighted at his vic
tory, displayed less emotion than when
the measure was taken from the table.
There was a crowded house during the
entire proceedings.
The members voted as follows:
Ayes-Aanenson Afford, Allen, Alley,
Anderson, Armstrong, j. A, BabcocK,
Bean, Benson, Bosworth, Burns, Bush,
Butler, Cooke, Cumming, Deaiy, Demin9,
Dorsey, Feeney, Gainey, Gait Gandrud,
ricks, Hllmond, Hinton, Hunt, Jackson,
Jacobson, Johnson, Johnsrud, Kelly, Lar
son. Lee Lemke, lommen, Mahood, Mar
tin, Morley, Morris. Nelson, II. K, Mich
lis, Nolan Norman, Cookbook, Ofsthun,
Cppegaard, Pennington, Peterson. G., Pc
tersOn, J. A, Peterson, S. D., Plowman,
Potter, Rider Riley, Roberts, Ryan, Sa-
geng, Sander, Schultz, Schwarg, Sikorski,
Stark, Sites Swanson. Sweet. Torson,
TORY, Won Valid, Ward. Washburn,
Wells, Whitford. Wilder, Speaker Dow
ling.
Nays-Armstrong G. w, Barteau,
Berg Brubaker. Bury, Dagget, Do5bin,
Dunn, Ferris, Fust, Hemstead, Herbert,
Hickey, Hillary, Hogan, Holm, Hurd,
Hymes, Lane, Laybourn. Mallory, Mark,
Miller, Nelson, W.. Neubauer, Moves,
O'Neil. Phillips, Pope. Pugh Rich,
Scherf, Schurman, Smith, Stevenson, UNI
land.
Absent and Excused-Nyquist, Rapp,
Wallace and WilcoX-5.
UneXcused Observation-Disclosures.