The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-01-12
GOV. LIMBS FAREWELL.
The Retiring Executive Congratulates the
People Upon Work Accomplished
In the Past Two Years,

In the Past Two Years.
| Representatives: The history of Minne-
SOFA spans but half century. In that
brief time the persevering industry of our
has no ed Of an Da adas
with homes. Fifty years ago our popu-
anon was told in hundreds; we now have
soil yielded in the year 1900 not far from
5,0o0OO0 bushels of cereals. Our forests
| produced 1900, 900 feet of lumber. Our
mines turned out 10000 900 tons of ore and
| the stock and dairy products of the state
exceeded $4cooo,0oo in value. Our manu-
features, including flour and lumber. APP
carried over 6,79l miles of railway within
me state, and our banking capital, exclu-
ployed in 1903 school-houses. which have
be been ~ erected ere at cost to the public of
Our past has been phenomenal Our
present. is great. ] deem it conservative
to predict that within this century Min
The comfort and happiness Of that popu-
| lation- will. in a large measure, depend
upon our our, work and the work of this
tions are yet in the formative period. The
greatness that appeals to me and that
assures its permanency is to be found in
duce an equitable distribution of wealth,
that build homes and conserve the inde-
pe pen e. and happiness of the people.
| 1T Is perfectly proper to speak of taxa
ton as one Of the factors in the distri-
button of wealth. AT our present rate of
on the basis ns Of the as
ssssssed valuation Of all the property in
the the ,o state :. II account is also taken of
substantially doubles the burden, the per-
100 alowed 9TH the taxpayer to redeem his
! wears.
drain on the people, it follows that any
,njnsti Ice OF. or inequality in the apportion-
icn and social conditions Of the people
The truth of the matter is that our
little stock tools. implements-the means
OF subsistence--of numbers of our citi-
zeves who na are th strugglng to them
ands who possess great wealth escape.
a free people cannot afford to permit
such Sal ma condition to continue permanent
policy that will distribute the inevitable
burden more eauitably and fairly. Our
general laws governing the levy and en-
as just and effective as can be devised
IN regard to the taxation of personal
the difficulty is inherent in the subject
matter, and I do not see how that diff,
Of taxation, personal property naturally
c fa1s INTO no;h two n easses Which may be
class cannot be concealed, and, therefore,
does not escape the assessor. The sec
ond class, which consists in the main Of
moneys, stocks and securities, is readily
concealabe and rarely ever reached by
the thes assessorS eye To undertake to tax
by the Eae of sn Of
valuation is simply absurd, and can only
result, as it does, in the practical exemp-
| ton OF the latter class.
In my Judgment there is only one rem
edy for this evil and this is to substitute
j. Weil-deylsed system of state, income
and Intellectual method of taxing personal
| property.
The specific amendments to existing
| law relating to taxation that. I recon-
as follows:
Tristan amendment to the law enact
ed at the@last session and known as the
Somerville bill, SO that it will not be in
the power of an indifferent secretary of
state upon the payment of a mere nomi-
nal sum, as has been done under the law
III it's present form.
statutes Of 1871, Which ' relates to the asl
sessment and taxation of the property
of domestic corporations, should, to pre-
it's language conform to the construction
given it by the supreme court in the
ease Of 1.-The the state Is; Duluth Gas and
The court, by construction and In pur-
stitution. eliminated the fifth. item in the
is. not to be deducted from the valuation
of the property and franchises of the
corporation; but, even with this imports
struetion. It is still detective . in ny not eo ar
fording a proper basis for the taxation
There is at least one instance in this
state. with which l am familiar-the
stree IF tSe Of which the
Of the corporation other than its real
estate and tangible personal property. is
represented by outstanding. bonds and
that, though the income Of the corpora
ton IS large, the earnings are almost
wholly REQUIRED for the payment of the
stock without dividends and without val
ue. In such case, it is evident that the
FRANCHISE of the corporation cannot be
capital stock: The Section Should, tn there's re-
fore, be amended so as to require the list
bonds as we'll as the stock The real and md
the sum 50 obtained and the remainder
scribed in regard to the stock alone.
;Third-Under our law, as 1t now stands
there Is ,d no proyision for taxing foreign
except on such tangible property as they
may have. A law should be enacted for
!nelr taxation. the assessment should
be made by the state board of equaliza-
ton and the tax paid into the state treas
ury
Fourth-In my message of two years
ago I urged upon the legislature the i'm
portance Of revising our system of rail-
road taxation, so as to make that class
Of property contribute it's share toward
the maintenance OF the state government
tions.
at cleary appears" says Attorney
General Douglas, that the banks of the
rate Of as an a,
equal to so per cent of the face amount
Of their stock pay nearly three times
the ,proportionate amount of taxes ac-
their properties"
In view of this and other facts, I can
hardly conceive es that this legislature will
pie of the state in this matter '0
The governor urged the adoption of an
Inheritance tax law and the repeal of
the sugar bounty law. and then took up
lows:
The reports of the superintendent of
public instruction. of the regents of our
board exhibit most gratifying progress i sin in
all departments Of education. The
growth Of our state university has passed
beyond the point where, there is occas-
problem that now confronts the board
of regents is to secure adequate accom-
modations for the work of the contin-
to maintain the high standard of quality
The estimates submitted by the board Of
regents al are exceedingly conservative and
After reviewing the conditions existing
In the state penal institutions and calling
attention to the work of the commission
institutions