The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-20
HOUSE DISCUSSES PROPOSED MEAS.
URE IN COMMITTEE OF THE
WHOLE
MANY AMENDMENTS PROPOSED
Prospects Now Are That bat
Little viii Be Left of the
the Commissions
Work
EXEMPTIONS PLACED AT 5000

II the house continues the work on the
tax code at the clip it maintained yes
terday afternoon, the bill will be through
the house, and ready for considera ton
by the senate Friday night or Monday
night. But if the same clip is maintain
ed, the bill passed by the house will only
slightly resemble the code recommended
by the tax commission.
BY the way the house started out when
II got down to work yesterday afternoon
the bill that will pass the house may in
ciude the provisions for the public sery-
ice franchise tax, the permanent tax
comm ssion recommended by the commits
slon, and re-enactment of the present
laws covering personal property tax,
with the exception of $500 exemption
IN lieu of the $25 exemption proposed by
the commission. The exemption has al
ready been raised. All of the drastic and
anquisitorial features of the personal
property tax code are practically wiped
out. These carry with them the rnooted
taxation Of grain in elevators, technical
ly in transit, and the real estate clauses
are due to get a shaking up today.
There are over fifty sets of amend
ments on the clerks desk to be taken
up this morning, and notice of nearly
as many more has been given. The lead
ers OF the friends admit that a major
1ty of the objections raised will be sus-
: many radical and beneficial changes will
be made in the present law, and that it
VIII all be over in two or three days.
They have not given up hope of thrash
ing the corporations, and are entirely sat
tsfied that they will land their pet aver
sions, the public service franchise cor
porations and the mining interests.
The manner in which the house settled
down to business in the afternoon after
the oratorical pyrotechnics of the morn
ing session was an agreeable surprise.
The speaker announced the special order
and Mr.. Roberts at once sent up his Sc
ries Of amendments. The first one fixing
the personal property exemption precipi-
tated sharp skirmish and resulted in the
ADDITION of a substitute fixing the exemp-
ton at the constitutional 1imft-$20o. The
substitute was offered by Mr.. Nyquist,
of Blue Earth, the antagonist of the dog
tax. Mr.. Roberts said he at first wished
to make the exemption $500, but leared
the temper of the house. George Ahm-
strong, of Hennepin, and Gorge Mallory,
of Duluth, defended the Nyquist sub
stitute on the ground that, if property is
to be taxed at its full cash value, the
exemption must be raised to give the
poor man the same privileges he now
enjoys. Mr.. Ward, of Alexandria, said
the farmers are in favor of abolishing the
exemption, as in the farming communi-
ties the personal property of families is
divided up among the children for as
sessment purposes and the tax evaded.
Argument Gets Too Warm.
The argument became general and
heated when Mr.. Nyquist again secured
the floor. Mr. Nyquist was warm under
the collar and made no attempt to con-
ceal his anger and his hot shots told.
The vote against the substitute brought
out the strict strength of the friends,
who polled thirty-one votes against sew
enty-two for the Nyquist amendment.
The attempted further discussion of
the Roberts series of amendments brougnr
on a skirmish between Laybourn and ia
cobson. Laybourn demanded that the bal
be taken up section by section and
amended as the committee went along.
He insisted that such had been the pro-
cedure in consideration Of every other
important bill and demanded that the
friends make their fight fairly and
squarely' above board. Mr.. jacobson
strenuouSly objected to a thorough read
ing of the bill. He contended that amend
ing by series would be far preferable
and that reading of the bAll and its
consideration section by section might
result in the defeat of some Of the sec
tions which the friends wished retained
Mr. Jackson, of Ramsey insisted that
consideration section by section was the
only fair and sensible method to pursue
and the friends" received another de-
cisive whipping.
The little skirmish amounted to little
more than a demonstration of sentiment
on the main question, however. as in a.
very few minutes it had returned to fba