The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-20
about for more than two weeks.

about for more than two weeks.
Mr.. Roberts. JacobSon's other chief-of-
staff was constrained to take issue on
the dust throwing proposition. Mr.. Rob
ertS attempted to head off the Winded de-
pate that the house seemed about to be
embroiled in. He asked that the house
start the work by taking I'D his pro-
posed amendments to the code, which he
said, started in with the personal prop
erty exemption clause and followed log
ically through the BILL He made a strong
plea for the code in the main basing his
argument on the alleged desfrability of
it's form.
DObbin Defends Bankers
Mr. DobPin got the floor as the spokes-
man of the conservative element He
protested vigorously against shutting off
debate after the ''railroaders'' had had
their chance to discuss the bill and the
Dobbin said.
Il was ready to go to work ut once
after the PRONUNCIATION of the special or
der. believed that the time for action
had arrived, but the gentleman from Hen
nepin has said SO much about the merits
of the bill and the motives of the social
ed friends and opponents of the measure
that feel that it would be an injustice
to shut off debate at this time. l do rot
wish to criticise the tax commission or
the friends of the bill the tax commission
has prepared, but the charges made by
the gentleman from Hennepin force me
to state another side of the case. 1t is
evident that neither he nor the commits
s1onerS read carefully the act which ere
ated the commission and authorized the
tax code. Neither the legislature nor the
people have changed their minds as sug-
gested by Mr.. Peterson, but both he and
the commits SiOnerS seem to have placed q
new construction on the intent of the leg
islature and the letter of the act II you
will refer to the act which you have be-
fore you you will find that it specifically
states that it shall be the duty Of the
commission to prepare a complete code
for the just and equitable taxation of all
property and that 1t shall prepare the
constitutional amendments necessary to
put that code into effect. AS I under
stood the English language, / thought
the commission was not limited by the
constitution. The commission has, how
ever, given us a code complying with the
present constitution We have not chang
ed our minds We all want just and
equitable law, but the commission has
not given us one.
Some of you gentlemen have referred
sneeringly to the delegations of bankers
and other business men who appeared
before the committee to protest against
the bill You charge sneeringly that they
have suddenly developed into philan-
thropists, and say that their interest in
the widow and orphan IS altogether an
UNIQUE role for them to appear In. 1
want to call your attention to the state
ments made by those bankers. Their pro-
test was not so much in their own be-
half They told you this law would af-
feet the small depositors The man with
lots of capital can escape taxation, and
he will escape.
ENACT all the inquisitorial features you
please, the rich man may send his money
into another state for investment and
bid YOU defiance. The widow and the
orphan to whom you sneeringly allude,
and the poor man with his little savings.
must give up half or all of the income
derived from them. 1 represent a district
composed largely of working people. l
do not work for any corporation, either
on the floor of the house or In privatc
life. No corporation pays me a dollar,
and l am ready to make them pay their
lust share of the taxes but. gentlemen,
YOU want to hesitate before you begin
to grind the poor. The rich man, who has
not the brains to escape taxation, I am
sorry to say, can hire counsel of suff1-
Gent brains to assist him, and when you
assist the rich man In escaping taxation,
you strike at the poor man, who cannot
escape. This talk of faction, friend and
foe Is folly. I say let us get to work and
do the best we may with this code. Do
our duty fairly and honestly, without fear
or prejudice. Let every man act for him.
self and his constituents. Recognize no
| leader Let every man be his own leader
and let us get to work