The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-13
The Hennepin Member Outlines a
Scheme for Amending the
Constitution.
More Moves Made Under the Denis
Schedule Gen. Childs Ad-
dresses Senators.

Another plan for amendment of the
constitution was introduced in the house
this morning, and sent to join the other
schemes in the hands of the judiciary
committee.
P. Roberts of Hennepin. He wipes out
the cumbersome section II Of article 8,
with it's elaborate regulations for the tax
ing of various corporations.
The Roberts amendments follow, to
large extent, the plan submitted by the
tax commission, but each of the four sec
lions drawn by Mr.. Roberts stands alone.
He permits county option in exempting
classes of property, and fixes an exemp-
| ton of $500 on personal property for each
head of a household.
The first section he proposes is sub
stitute for article 1, section 8, up to the
words personal property, and section
II. The second section is a substitute
for the present section 2, the third for
the remaining clauses of section 3, and the
fourth for section 4 The four sections
drawn by Mr.. Roberts read as follows:
1 Section 1-All taxes shall be uniform upon
the same class of subjects within the terri
| torial limits of the authority levying the
taxes and shall be levied and collected under
general laws for public purposes,
| The legislature may by general law or
| special act. authorize municipal corporations
to levy assessments for local improvements
upon property fronting upon said improve
ments or upon the property to be benefited
by such improvements, or both, without re-
gard to cash valuation, and in such manner
as the legislature may prescribe. !
Sec. THE power of taxation shall never
: be surrendered or suspended. =.
That that portion Of section three (3) of
said article, relating to, exemptions and begin
ming with the words personal property
where used the second time in said section,
shall read as follows:
Sec. 3-Personal property to an amount not
exceeding in value the sum Of five hundred
(5OO) dollars to every head of a household.
shall be exempt from taxation.
Sec. 4-The legislature may by general laws
provide for the apportionment to counties OF
the amount OF revenue to be raised therein
for state purposes, and may in any law pro-
viding for such apportionment authorize
counties to select the subjects upon which
revenue is to be raised therein for state IL
county purposes, and to apportion such rev.
enue among the cities, villages and townships
of the county
Petitions against the passage of the tai
, law were received from TwoHarbors, Owa
, tonna, Big Lake, Carver, Tyler and Gran
tie Falls
Charles Wanderman was added to th,
list of pages.
On motion of Mr.. Pennington, his con
stitutional amendment bill, H. F.. 81, wal
recalled from the committee on taxes AM
tax laws and sent to judiciary.
A Tilt Over Rules.
Mr.. O'Neill tried to get suspension o
the rules for the passage of his bill turn
, ing the proceeds of some timber sold from
Itasca park into the park fund. Mr.. Dunn
chairman of the committee on rules, calle'
a halt. He said the new rule had beel
adopted by the house for purpose, an
the new committee created to sift bills
He wanted the house to decide whethe
the rule was to be enforced or not
; Mr.. O'Neill withdrew his motion, blu
Mr.. Grass renewed the attack on the rul
Immediately, for his bill correcting mis-
take in the appropriation of last winter
affecting Murray county.
Mr.. Dunn again protested. Mr.. Jacob
son said that in the case of such bills
: the Grass measure, it would only saw
! time and trouble to put them through
: under suspension.
5 Purely local bills did not need to g
3 to the committee. Under this idea tn
, house voted to suspend the rules an
passed the Grass bill
: John. Pennington introduced bill tax
Dem. Program Explained.
ing foreign corporations, identical wit
: the one introduced in the senate by Sena
: tor Baldwin, and the third in the demo
. cratic program After the session h
= said:
The bill I introduced to-day is part of tn
program It was recommended by. Governo
Lind in his message, but the suggestion wa
not acted upon last winter. The bill aim
to get at foreign corporations the same as "
now propose to tax domestic corporations.
: Is claimed that the Somerville law gives thes
corporations immunity from taxation afte
. the payment of their license fee. If so, til
: law is bad one and should be repealed
. The three bills I have introduced are agree
= able to all the democratic members Of th
house, I believe. How they stand in th
: senate am not entirely informed. We had
- meeting, attended by most Of the Democrat
:, members, who agreed to support these bill
: Governor Lind was consulted with in refer
;. ence to them.
These bills are introduced IN good faith 8
a practical way of settling the problem
taxation as far as we can at present. w
do not, however, give away our rights to tai
I a hand in framing the proposed tax cod
into better bill. We will vote on tn
= amendments with the idea Of making the bi
as good as we can. We have no intention {
: lkilling the bill by amending it, or by iefeat
a ling amendments to it.
il
s VARIED INTERESTS HEARD
- <
g Gen. Childs the Chief Speaker Befor
;, House Members.