The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-06
COMMISSION VS.. LAW
TRAINERS OF TAX CODE QUOTED
AGAINST THEIR OWN
BILL
CIRCULAR FOR LEGISLATURE
immediate Passage Serious Mis-
take and POstpOnement
of Action Is
Urged.

When the legislature convened yester-
day the members found upon their desks
little pamphlet entitled rs Immediate
Action on the New Tax Law Wise?'
which has been circulated by Twin City
Jobbing interests. The circular argues
against the proposed tax law by quoting
from the report of the tax commission
itself, and it is surprising how many
times the tax commission actually con-
dennis the bill itself. There are twenty
Of these quota tons from the tax report,
among them:
No marked reform in the taxation of
personal property can be effected until
the legislature is afforded greater free
dom of action III the matter of legislating
upon the. subject. Page 8.
I'm providing for the taxation of the
mining interests of the state, the commits
sion was seriously handicapped by the
provisions of our constitCtion.-Page 43.
while it is not permissible to impose
an income tax under the present consti-
tuition, the subject is too important to be
disregarded in the deliberations of the
commission or omitted from this report
Page 40.
Whatever the commissions views as
to the true policy of the state upon sew
eral features of taxation, they had to
yield to the mandates of the constitution.
The code which it was appointed to frame
was to be given form and be effective, if
at all, under the existing constitution
Report, Page 4.
1.-The commission is after careful con-
slderation, firmly Of the opinion that the
early abandonment Of the present policy
of taxing credits would be wise as the
revenue derived therefrom is, and will
remain, too inconSiderabie to counterbal-
ance the injustice and immortality Incl
dent to such measures. If it is found
that public sentiment will not at present
sustain so radical a change in the rcva-
nue. policy of this state, then some meth
cd for the taxation of credits, less unjust
than the enc now existing, should be
adopted. Page s.
The circular then says:
1t would be difficult to frame a
stronger indictment against this proposed
tax law than that contained in the fore
going extracts from the tax commissions
report:
The proposed law is confessedly not a
Just and equitable system of taxation,
and whether the results of the working
of this imperfect system will be for good
or evil no one can tell.
Under these circumstances, the ques-
ton for the members of the legislature
is whether it is prudent and wise legis-
| latioE to experiment with this lmper-
feet system of taxation.
Is it not the wiser course to pass
proper law submitting to the vote of the
people the proposed amendments to the
constitution? Then recommit this tax
law to the tax commission with lnstruc-
tons to prepare a new lava Just ana
equitable system of taXation-as 1t
| The matter can then be taken up at the
next regular session of the legislature,
and if the proposed amendments nave
been adopted, a proper law can De pass
| ed and f the amendments have not been
| adopted, the proposed law can be dis
! cussed and enacted with such amend
| 1nents as may seem proper. IN the
| meantime, the people Will nave an OPP,
portiInity to consider the subject ana
form and express an opinion as to the
| law which they desire.
A striking. illustration of the probable
dangers from such nasty actloh IN TINS
matter Will be 1ound IN their own It.
The law which they have drafted for
submitting these amendments to the peo-
| pie is clearly unconstitutional in PROVO
: ing that the amendments shall take ell
feet if a majority of the persons voting
| on them vote in favor Of them, while
the constitution requires that a majority
of all the votes cast at the election are
| necessary to make valid any amendment
| to the constitution.
If the tax commissioners have made
such a serious mistake as this in so i'm
portant a matter as drafting proper
| bill for submitting to the people amend
ments to the constitution of the state. is
it not at least probable that they have
made similar mistakes in thte compli-
Gated provisions of the proposed tax
| law?
The particular error above adverted to
| can be easily corrected by the legisla-
| ture. but similar errors in the tax law
cannot be corrected until possibly GER
persons have suffered serious losses
which can never be made up to them
Is it wise for the legislature to rush
INTO such hasty. and inconsiderate legis-
| lation upon so important subject as a
permanent system of taxation for this
| state when. within a year or two it
may be possible to enact a system which
VIII be just and equitable: and in any
event the subject can then be carefully
and fully considered.