Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-01-16
GOV: LIMBS FAREWELL.
Inc Retiring Executive Congratulates tn,
feople Upon Work Accomplished
In the Past Two Years.

PEOPLE Upon Work Accomplished
In the Past Two Years.
. Gentlemen of the Senate and House Of
representatives: The history of Mime
sofa spans but half century. In that
Drlet time the persevering industry of our
with homes. Fifty Years ago our popu-
latlon was told in hundreds; we now have
sou yielded in the year 1900 not far from
135 600, 600 bushels of cereals. Our forests
produced 1000 Ooo.o00 feet of lumber. Our
the stock and dairy products of the state
exceeded $4,000, 600 in value Our manu-
ractGres, inc isSd flour and lumber.
carried over 6,794 miles of railway within
the state, and our banking capital, exclu-
S ipe, {, OF private banks is 2o,oooooo; Learn
ployed in 1908 school-houses, which have
zen sao erected ere at cost to the public of
Our past has been phenomenal. Our
present is great. I deem it conservative
to predict that within this century Min
nssota will have population of 10,OOO0OO
lation will, in a large measure, depend
upon our work and the work of this
Ef;e ans no Our state and our institu-
greatness that appeals to me and that
assures assn its permanency is to be found in
Just and equal laws. in policies that pro
III.
that build homes and conserve the indie
pendence and happiness of the people.
+,1 1t IS perfectly proper to speak of taxa
bution of wealth. At our present rate of
taxation, on the basis of the current as
Sf Sc fnnt, the taxes paid by the people
ssssed valuation of all the property in
the state. If account is also taken of
national taxation, which at present rates
;Supstantlally doubles the burden, the per-
lod allowed the taxpayer to redeem his
property from the state is reduced to
the peope it tu fdoas f fRat an1
injustice or inequality in the apportion-
ment of the burden is bound to exercise
tremendous influence upon the econom-
ic "a and social conditions Of the people.
The truth of the matter is that our
state is to-day exacting taxation on the
little stock, tools, implements-the means
zens who are struggling to support them
selves and their families, while thous-
ahos VINO possess great wealth escape.
such a condition to continue permanent
~. The remedy is in the adoption of a
policy that will distribute the inevitable
general laws governing the levy and en-
1orcement of realty taxes are probably
as Just and effective can be devised.
IN regard to the taxation of personal
property. which causes the greatest com
the difficulty is inherent: in the e' Subject set
eeNA, civ L OO IOl SEE no" lNdC Ql1l-
Guilty can be mere effectually solved by
additional legislation. For the purpose
OF 3du taxation: personal property naturally
called visible and invisible. The first
class cannot be concealed, and, therefore,
does not escape the assessor. The Sec
moneys, stocks and securities, is readily
concealable and rarely ever reached by
the assessors eye, To undertake to tax
these radically differing classes of prop
ectV DV the Of 1ctir
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
Weil-devlsed system of state income
taxation in place Of the present unjust
property.
The specific amendments to existing
law relating to taxation that I recon-
| mend and urge upon your attention are
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 to admit foreign corporations to the
state upon the payment of mere nomi-
nal sum, as has been done under the law
IN its present form.
second-Paragraph 1880 of the general
statutes of 1894, which relates to the as
of domestic, corporations. should, to pre-
vent confusion, be amended so as to make
| ITS language conform to the construction
case of the state. vs.: Duluth Gas and
| Water company. rs Minnesota, page sc.
The court by construction and in pur-
stitution, eliminated the fifth item in the
| section and holds that the indebtedness
is not to be deducted from the valuation
corporation; but, even with this import
ant modification Of the section by con
str99ction, it is stll DEFECTIVE in not at.
! of corporate property.
There is at least one instance, in this
state wi with WHICH nc , am familar-the
value of the entire franchise and assets
| of the corporation other than it's 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
! interest on the bonded debt, leaving the
| stock without dividends and without val
| ue. In such ease, it is evident that the
| franchise of the corporation cannot be
| capital stock. The section should there
| fore, be amended SO as to require the list
ing and assessment of the outstanding
| personal property to be- deducted from
| the sum so obtained and the remainder
| to be subject to taxation as now pre-
| scribed in regard to the stock alone.
Third-Under our law, as it now stands,
there is no provision for taxing foreign
| corporations doing business in this state,
except on such tangible property as they
| their 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
road taxation, so as to make that class
| of property contribute it's share toward
| the maintenance of the state government
| and the support of our public institu-
| lions.
"It cleary appears says Attorney
General Douglas, that the banks Of the
state whose taxes are estimated at the
| equal to so per cent of the face amount
! of their stock, pay nearly three times
the proportionate amount of taxes &C.
| their properties
In view of this and other facts, can
hardly conceive that this legislature will
| pie of the state in this matter.
The governor urged the adoption Of an
inheritance; tax law and the repeal of
the subject of education, speaking as fol-
lows:
The reports of the superintendent OF
State university and of the normal school
board exhibit most gratifying progress in
all departments of education. The
CROWN Oh our Stdle eiSiIy mas pdSSeu
beyond the point where there is occas-
ion for solicitude on that score. The
problem that now confronts the board
modations for the work Of the contin-
ually increasing student body and means
| to maintain the high standard of quality
| for that work which the times require
The estimates submitted by the board OF
regents are exceedingly conservative and
| should be allowed.
After reviewing the conditions existing
| in the state penal institutions and calling
| attention to the work of the commission
| sent out to investigate conditions in sim
| liar institutions in other states, Cover
nor Lind spoke as follows of the work
of the railroad and warehouse commits
sion:
Since the reorganization of the railroad
and warehouse commission a year ago