The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-06
Minnesota Legislature.
A QUESTION
OF WORDING
Senate Inclined to Remove
Optional Feature of Gross
Earnings Tax.
The House Passes a COnstl-
tutional Amendment Bill
by Roberts.
Adjournment This Week Now
Rests Entirely With
the Senate.

= The senate has another proposition on
hand. recommended to it's consideration
by the lower house A CONSTRUCTORS
amendment bill passed the house TINS
morning by vote of IS to 40. Inc Dill
was amended at the last minute, on mo-
ton of Mr.. Roberts, so as to bring all
of it's language within one section. 1t is
practically the same as the Alley amend
ment, adopted yesterday, and Is wide
OPEN in it's character. The senate Is
sure to amend it. The bill prepared by
the judiciary committee is restrictive IN,
Its character and Is supported by most OF
the attorneys in the upper house.
The men who beat the Jacobson Dill
yesterday proposed to-day to change this
new bill so as to make gross earnings
tax on corporations mandatory instead OF
optional. These senators want to strike out
the franchise clause and insert the word
shall" instead of may making the
gross earnings system binding. They will
meet the house bill as they did the Jacob
son bill-with an ak. II constitutional
amendment bill is passed it will only be
houses.
House Nearly Through.
There Is only one important proposition
before the house. It Is the Anderson tax
commission bill, on general orders. MI
Anderson promised to call it up this
afternoon if general orders should be
reached.
,harc told h i'm q
senate will kill any tax commission bill
you send to them Mr.. Anderson rec
ognized that probability, but determined
to make an effort. In order to get 1t
through the senate, he is willing to sub
NIT to a radical amendment, creating one
tax commissioner to secure data for the
state board of equalization. Friends Of
the tax reform feel that if constitutional
amendments are passed, there should be
some one charged with the duty of draw
ing new tax bill for the next session.
The house will be ready to adjourn Sat-
urday night and it rests with the senate
when the legislature will quit. That body
still has the Anderson real estate tax
bill and the constitutional amendment bill
to consider, beside lot of other legisla-
tion.s
Senator Brewer introduced bill this
morning removing the state university,
the normal schools and the schools for
the deaf and blind from the authority of
the state board of control. Senator Hal
vorsen put in a bill fixing maximum
charges for carrying iron ore
In the house, Mr., Johnson, Of Hennepin,
had bill passed under Suspension of the
rules authorizing the public examiner to
examine the books of all corporations
which pay gross earnings tax.
An Educational Session.
AS far as tax reform is concerned, it is
evident that the principal result Of this
session will be educational. A new real
estate taxation law and constitutional
amendment will be about the only tangi-
BILE results worth mentioning.
The only important measure that has
gone through the senate is due to meet
opposition in the house. 1t is Senator
Miller's constitutional amendment provid-
Ing that amendments hereafter submitted
need only a majority of the votes cast
upon a proposition This was the case
until 1898 when an amendment was adopt
ed requiring a majority of all votes cast.
Mr.. Dunn, of Ramsey, introduced this
amendment In the legislature and will
fight the Miller amendment in the house.
There was report this afternoon that
a new tax bill was about to make its ap-
pearance, the result OF an all-night ses-
sion of several hard-working members.
The report could not beverifed. Since
the vote in the senate yesterday the
~1~txv ohDnn h0rvo r~s1r
all hope of tangible results at this ses-
sdon,