The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-25
Minnesota Legislature
A RUSH
Proposition to Vote on Tax Bill De-
feated Yesterday.
THE TIME WAS UNPRoP1TIoUs
The Opposition Recognized the Fact
and Tried to Force
Vote. 81 0 ,a&s

4
! Opponents OF the tax bill failed in their
attempt to force a vote yesterday after
| noon. Their democratic allies deserted
them, and the bill got a lease OF life.
There were ten absentees. and without
them the bill would have failed to muster
! the sixty votes necessary for passage.
| Mr.. Laybourn, the parliamentary leader
Of the opposition. moved the previous
| question shortly before o'clock. He
said: = So t.'-s' - -
5"Mr. Speaker, this tax code has been
| before the house now for three weeks It
has been debated up and down At length:
/ It is time now that we take q vote, and
| move you the previous question:
! Mr.. Jacobson protested He said the
bill Itself had only been under discussion
| for an hour or SO. and there were others
who wanted to be heard. Mr.. Laybourn
insisted on his motion, and on q division
the previous question was lost, 81 to Sc.
| Mr.. Larson then moved an adjournment.
and the opposition demanded roll call
on the motion. Adjournment carried with
La rush by a vote Of 81 to 80.
t Talking Against Time. "a
| From 3:l5 to 5 o'clock the house litened
| to 'oratory. Friends of the bill talked
against time, to throw the vote over until
l
speeches. The bill was supported by
Messrs Peterson. Jacobson, Bowling,
Burns and Larson. :. ~ -
The solitary speech against the bill was
made by Mr.. Anderson of Winona. ora
torically it was the most ambitions effort
of the day, but its effect was rather TO
/ help than to iniure the bill. <~
! Mr.. Anderson announced that he had
bills in his desk, which he would introduce
if the tax bill were voted down. which
would suit everybody. This sounded Well,
land the members pricked IN their ears.
Mr. Anderson said his bill provided Tor
permanent tax commission, and for the
rea; estate features of the code. He had
also constitutional amendments providing
for an income tax and for gross earnings
I tax on public service corporations
| This last hit the populist members VINO
We're against the tax bill right between
the eyes They preferred franchise tax
infinitely to gross earnings tax, and
| when they saw what their allies were
Heading them to, they at once began to
mutiny. and several declared that they
would vote for the tax bill and hgnt the
amendments.
! =. Mr.. Anderson made another faux pas IN
discussing the Wallace amendments. ne
declared that the farmers would never
| stand for them, and that one OF his farm
err constituents had inpplored him, not to
vote for them. Farmer members OF the,
|house knew that Mr.. Anderson was ORR
1 ginally one of the parties to the com
promise, and that he himself voted for the
! wallace amendments. Speaker Downing,
| who followed him, rubbed this point IN -.
| Peterson Leads Discussion.
! Reading of the bill and it's amendments
took Just fifty minutes yesterday after
noon. "-r- -
! James A. Peterson then took the floor
in support of the bill He said it was for
the greater part re-enactment OF the
present law. The main changes were the
fpermanent tax commission, the taxation
Of franchises, and the improved system OF
real estate taxation 80 = . - -
l. Mr.. Peterson SAID that friends Of the
bill had been placed I'm a position where
they had to amend the bill as "a "sop to-,
Cereberus" He believed that some OF the
amendments adopted would have better
been defeated; but argued that they We're
necessary, nevertheless. go He then pro-
eeeded to discuss the effect of the amend
ments. denying that the SO called inquisi-
torial features of the bill had been done
away with, but stating that the inquisito-,
Trial powers had been taken away from
local officials by the amendments only to,
be entrusted to the state board. He
thought the law would compel the rich to
tpay their full share of taxes and would.
thus relieve the comparatively poor from
At this point Mr.. Peterson's voice again
[gave out. a.f~ .-:' /. ..E 80
Mr.. Jacobson came to the rescue. He
called the attention of the house to the
fact that the special session had been
called by the governor at the request of
the legislature, and said. the legislature
would be- held responsible by the people
for the results. The responsibility, he
thought, could not be charged to the gov
ternor, to the tax commission, the state
constitution nor to anybody or anything
Except the Legislature itself He said that
opposition to the bill had arisen not be-
cause it was bad, but because it was de-
signed to reach all interests; even inter-
ests that had escaped taxation heretofore.
He charged the opposition with playing
an iconoclastic role without offering any
thing to take the place of what they
would destroy; and predicted that the
! men now opposing the tax code would also
even if the constitution would permit it ;.
despite their plea for delay until such a
tax law could be legalized. @
The bill, he said, would mean that the
honest tax payer would have to pay less
taxes THAN ever before; while the tax
dodger would pay more. - 20 80
i Anderson's Promised Panacea.
Representative Anderson followed Mr..
Jacobson and said he proposed to cast his
vote against the bill. ~ He rather resented
MI. Jacobson's insinuation of underhand
influence and remarked .causttcally that
all the honesty, all THE ability of the state
OF Minnesota was not wrapped up in the
person OF 'tthe gentleman from Lac qui
Parle." He argued that action should
be delayed until the proposed constitu-
tional amendments had been submitted to-
the people and. quoted the words OF the tax
commission itself in support Of his con-
tenEion. Said he: - s. ~" -
I cannot be moved from my position by any
amount OF vituperation, by any aspersions
upon nv motives: and sincerely hope the
house will resent these slurs and insults en-
anating from the gentleman from Lac aui
Parle, resent them once and for all-for they
1 are no new experence--by standing by their