The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-30

January 9Th, 1901, and on the same
day these roads applied for a rehear-
Ing, upon the ground that the COM
mission had no jurisdiction over the
matter. becase the traffic in iron ore
was interstate.
"A rehearing was granted and the
proceedings thereafter adjourned from
time to time until Nov. II, 1901, nearly
year having elapsed, when an order
was made by majority of the com.
mission, directing the roads to file
tariff schedules for transporting iron
ore from their several stations on the
iron ranges to the docks at Two Har-
bors and Duluth, destined to points
within the state. That order fixed no
rates and said nothing in regard to
what they should be. About December
lst, 1901, the companies filed new rate
schedules, being the same as those in
force at the time the investigation was
begun, except, as l understand, they are
expressly made applicable only to
shipments OF ore from the range to
points within the state of Minnesota.
The particular point in this order.
and the schedules filed Hereunder is
that the rates are made to points in
Minnesota beyond the docks, when, as
a matter of fact, there is not an ounce
or ore shipped to any point in Mime
sofa beyond the docks. The order. and
the schedules filed Hereunder, are fakes
pure and simple. If any one desires
to investigate these cases more fully,
they can be found in the report of the
railroad and warehouse commission for
1900, PIP. 1853, and for 1901, pp.28-59.
Railroads condition. business Of all
kinds. Discrimination may build up or
destroy individuals or communities. To
prevent such discrimination have adj
Vocated state control. Many of our cit
liens believe, however, that the only
ultimate solution lies in government
ownership If that is to become a prac-
teal question, it seems to me that we
much approach 1t as 1 have indicated,
by constantly increasing control, to
such an extent that it will not be a
revolutionary advance, but simply an
additional step in the evolution
REMEDIES FOR TAX EVILS MUST
BE CoNSERVATIvELY APPLIED.
The question of Importance is taxa
ton. This has been the subject Of con-
slant agitation since the foundation Of
organized society and will continue to
be In the future. 1t should be approach
ed In a, conservative spirit, curing the
immediate evils and attempting to
make constant progress. Society does
not advance by leaps and bounds.
SSNSo1ACAAO ILLS hIIlQ cannot De set
tied by abstract reasoning. There
is an element which enters into all
economic questions that it is hard to
reckon with, and that is human nature
Inere are so many interests to be
taken into consideration, so many sell
nsh motives to be met, that the safest
plan, it seems to me, would be to make
our advances slowly but surely.
For the past six years the Democrats
of this state have had a plan for cor
reeting the most glazing evils of our
present tax system, and If the legisla-
ture of 1901 had not been blinded by
partisan prejudice and the desire to
make political capital, rather than to-
legislate for the interests Of the people
there could have been no possible ex-
cuSe for calling the extra session of
the legislature.
The legislature of 1901 authorized
the appointment of commission which
should present to a special session the
IoIIoWfng year complete revision of
our tax laws. The system formulated
by that commission met with so much
opposition and was SO radical in many
of its features that it could not receive
the approval Of the representatives of
the people. The minority members Of
the legislature presented complete
program, in harmony with Democratic
IDEAS. That program our party plat
form 1ndorses, and by it I am willing
to stand.
1t provided for amendments of our
present law, the effect of which would
nave been to eliminate it's most glaring
wrongs and inconsistencies, and it also
provided for a simple amendment of
the constitution which would permit
the imposition Of state income tax
and the exemption of such property as
would be necessary to bring about
equality of taxation. It is still true that
our state is exacting taxes on the little
stocks, tools, implements-the means
OF subsistence-of numbers Of our cit
liens who are struggling to support
themselves and their families, while
thousands who possess great wealth
escape.
DEMOCRATIC INsISTENcE
FORCED TAX LEGISLATION.
: BY Democratic insistence, the legis-
lature Of Minnesota was compelled to
pass bill for the increase of the rail-
road gross earnings tax, and to sub
init that question to a vote of the peo-
pie of the state this fall So much of the
program outlined has been accomplish
ed. The foreign corporations are still
untaxed and do not contribute to the
support of the state government, which
grants them the right to do business.
and whose courts of justice they invoke
to enforce their claims and protect their
property. That simple amendment to
section 1870 of the general statutes of
1894, providing for the taxation of
franchises, did not receive the appro-
val of the majority members of the
legislature, although this law had been
submitted to them at two sessions.
1.-THE difficulty of reaching invisible
personal property, has convinced our
best thinkers that the only ADEQUATE
way OF forcing the persons whose
wealth consists largely of this class of
property to bear their just share of the
burden is by means of the income tax.
With the adoption of a per cent
gross earnings tax, a tax on foreign
corporations and domestic franchises.
and the imposition of an income tax
upon the class of persons who escape
taxation almost wholly, the taxes of
the state would be reduced to so small
percentage that they would hardly
be felt by the people.
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP
HAS PROVED PRACTICABLE.
THE Democratic platform declares
that we favor the municipal ownership
OF public service corporations. The cities.
and towns of the state, as a rule, own
and operate their waterworks, and in
every instance with better results than
where that ownership is private. Nu-
merous towns and villages own their.
own electric light plants, and have Sc
cured better service at lower rates than
under the old system. An investigation
of the subject proves that in a great
majority of instances this public own
ership is perfectly satisfactory and
public thought Is rapidly advancing
along these lines. The municipalization
OF all lighting plants and other public
utilities, such as street car systems and
telephone lines, will be issues of the not
distant future. How far this process of
state QINnArShira Sholl ho- n.