The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-01-22
LEGISLATORS NOT AVERSE TO Ex-
PRESSING OPINION ON TAX
COMMISSION REPORT
IT is GENERALLY APPROVED
Differences of Opinion Are Chiefly
on Points of Minor ImpOr-a
tance-SOme Views
Quoted.

DSIS continues 10 De almost unanimous
in favor of the bill as it now stands, and
| all seem to be in favor of a short seS-
| sion.
Senator Larson says: ST believe we
can finish up the business of the session
IN twenty days. l am willing to pass the
bill just as it stands, to try it this year,
and let the next regular session amend
it if it is needed. There will be con-
siderable discussion, of course, and we
ought to have a caucus the night before
we meet. We must agree to limit the
session and agree on a course with ref
erence to the bill. It ought to go right
on general orders, without going to the
tax committee at ALL
Some I have talked to are opposed to
the permanent tax commission, and
want to see the board of equalization
retained. I haven't quite made up my
mind on that proposition
Senator julius A. Collier of Shakopee
was at the Capitol yesterday. Mr.. Collier
is not 50 strongly in favor of the bill
as some of his colleagues. cit does not
strike at the cause of the inequalities. 1t
should eliminate the town assessor and
create the county assessor appointed by
the district court. This would remove
| the Office entirely from political influence
Election officers should not sit on the
county board of review. I think the
| ably. think the session will hardly ex-
coed thirty days.
Senator Sam Sweningsen, of Austin
says: "A consensus of the Republican
| members of the legislature shows that
! the opposition to- the party caucus on
Monday evening preceding the opening
! OF the extra session is pretty general.
| Speaker Bowling voices the general SEN
| tlment of the members when he declares
/ that if will no TINA 10 ho1
| Gus after the governors message is pre-
| scented to the legislature, so that the
| members may know just what business
| is officially mapped out for the extra
| session. A caucus can be held at any
| time the members deem one advisable. .
| Senator c. B. Buchanan, Of Morrison
| county, leading candidate for congress
! in the Sixth district, says:
| eve cannot afford to protract the
| work. The time may be limited by res
| olution but l hardly think that is neces-
4 Sary. l think there is a general dispo-
| sition among the members to get through
as soon as possible.
1.-THE new tax code is a good bill so
| far as I have found time to look it
over. 1t may need some slight changes,
| but as general proposition it ought to
| go through. Auditor Dunn's suggestion
| that we secure the attendance of the
| members of the tax commission Is a
| good one. We cannot afford to turn out
! patchwork bill, and the commission
| should be consulted about all amend
ments. The work of the session should
not go much outside of the tax report
| We should make an appropriation for
| the st. Louis fair, and some other minor
| matters may have to have attention.
Senator George W. Somerville, of
| Sleepy Eye, was at the Capitol yester-
| day. and expressed his entire satisfaction
with the work of the tax commission
Il think We can dispose of it speedily,
although we will probably amend it
| slightly, and without injuring the con-
| text. We should conf1ne ourselves to the
| tax law and the appropriation of money
| for the governors railroad fight
One Tax Commissioners.
| Representative D. L. Riley of Jackson
| county, says: ''There is one change l
| would make IN It, ] would have one tax
| commissioner instead of three One man
| can do the business much better. The
| railroad and warehouse commission
| proves the truth Of this. 7 am not in
| favor of taking up any other question
at the extra session. The railroad rate
| problem must be taken up soon, but not
at this extra session"
| Representative A. e. Scherf of Kr3
| Wing, says: 81 am 4 short session man.
| I want to get through our work just as
| soon as possible. I would be willing to
vote the bill through just as it comes,
| with the possible exception IF the S25
| exemption clause. The members Of the
| tax commission know a good deal mere
about the subject tnan any Of rs, and I
am willing to take their judgment"
P. G. Deming, of Minneapolis, member
| of the house from the Thirty-ninth dis
| trict, thinks the commission went too
| far in trying to reach everything, and
| that the bill is unnecessarily drastic 1t
| sets the exemption too low. He thinks
| the provision requiring, lists of assess
ments to be mailed to all taxpayers will
be stricken out. There are prying peo-
pie who will use the information to make
| mischief. Mr.. Deming says: 1.-The state
has a right to know what a man owns,
| but it is going too far to give that in
formation broadcast"
Senator c. P. Reeves of Glenwood does
not believe that the legislature should
convene for the mere purpose of ratify-
ing the work of the tax commission ''If
it is worth while to call an extra session
for the purpose of taking up this sub
| ject," said he, sit is worth while doing
the work we'll L think the special session
mistake, but as one is to be held, the
| only tking to do is to use all the intelli-
| gence at our command in considering
| the work before us. We could get along
| with a session of ten days. 1t could be
| cut down to twenty-four hours for that
| matter. but, while favor as short a ses-
| sion as possible I do not anticipate that
| it will be over in less than thirty days. -
I'VE ought to get through in from
| twenty to thirty days." says Capt w w.
Rich of the Ramsey county delegation.
| 1.-THE new tax bill is a good one and I
| want to see it thoroughly considered i
don't believe in taking up any other leg
| islation, except to appropriate money for
the st. Louis exposition. 1t would be
| economy for us to appropriate at least
| half what we are going to spend this
winter, so we can get our building up
before the rush, and be prepared to make
a good display.
ut won't hurt to permit a lot of gen.
eral bills to be introduced. I know a
good many of the boys have bills pre-
| pared which they don't expect to get
considered. They would like to introduce
them so as to get them before the peo-
! pie, and have them talked about between
now and the next session. 1 suppose
there will be a caucus"
| Senator George P. Wilson, chairman of
| the Hennepin delegation, says that at
| least eighteen of the twenty-three mem
bers from Hennepin favor the new tax
code practically as it stands He has
! been urged to call an advance meeting
| for the purpose Of discussion, but does
| not consider it necessary. 1t might
arouse some antagonism in discussion,
which can be avoided by not getting to-
gether.