The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-10-24

IutlOn or the state OF Minnesota as pro-
posed by the General Laws of the State
or Minnesota enacted at the General Ses-
sion of the Legislature in 1901 and the
Extra Session in 1902, as well as a synop-
sis of Chapter $50 of the General Laws of
1901, being an Act involving the taxation
or railroad property, to be submitted to
the electors of the State for adoption or
rejection at the next General Election.
Yours respectfully,
w. B. DOUGLAS,
Attorney General
SYNOPSIS OF AMENDMENTS TO
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE
OF MINNESOTA PROPOSED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE SAID STATE
AT THE GENERAL SESSION IN 1901
AND THE EXTRA SESSION IN 1902.
AS WELL AS A SYONPSIS OF CHAP
TER $50 OF THE GENERAL LAWS
OF 1901. PROPOSING AN INCREASE
OF THE GROSS EARNINGS TAX
UPON RAILROAD PROPERTIES.
pursuant to the provisions of Section
82a, of Article " of the State Constitu-
ton, the Legislature by Act approved
April 6. 1901. known as Chapter 100 of the
General Laws of 1901, present to the cleo
tors of the State for rejection or approval.
the following, to wit:
section /. That every railway company
owning or operating any line of railway
situated within, or partly within, this
state shall, during the year 1903, and an
nuaily thereatter, pay into the treasury
OF TINS state, as taxes upon all property
WITHIN this state owned or operated for
railway purposes by such company, in
cludlng equipment, appurtenanceS, APP
pendageS and franchises thereof, a sum
or money equal TO four az per cent of the
gross earnings derived from the operation
OF Such line OF railway within this state.
and the payment OF such taxes shall be in
full and in lieu of all other taxes upon the
property and franchises so taxed. The
lands acquired by public grant shall be
ana remain exempt from taxation until
sold or contracted to be sold or convey ed
as provided in The respective acts whereby
such grants We're made or recognized.
Sec. 2. The term the gross earnings
derived from the operation of such line
of railway within this state" as used in
section one "a of this act, is hereby de
claFed and shall be construed to mean all
earnings on business beginning and end
ing within the state, and proportion of
earnings on all Interstate business passing
through, into or out of the state as the
mileage operated within the state bears
to the entire mileage operated by such
company.
Sec. 3. All acts and parts of acts not
inconsistent herewith regulating the pay
ment, collection, time of payment, en-
forcement, or reports involving the
amount of taxes upon the gross earnings
VI companies WlGHln state, OE
providing penalties for the non-payment
of such taxes, are hereby made applica-
BILE to this act so far as may be; and all
acts and parts of acts inconsistent with
the provisions OF this act are hereby re-
pealed.
Sec. 4. Upon failure to pay the amount
of such taxes legally due upon the dates
heretofore provided by law for the pay
ment thereof, in addition to existing rem
edies, collection may be enforced IN a
civil action brought in the name of the
State of Minnesota in the district court
of any county.
Sec s. This act shall be submitted to
the people of this state for their approval
or rejection at the next general election
for the year 1902.
CThe omitted provision refers to the
method of printing the ballot and submit
ting the act for ratification)
THIS act provides for an increase
of the amount of taxes collected by
the State upon the property of the
railroads situated within the State,
from three per cent upon the gross
earnings derived from the operation
of such lines of railway within the
State, to q sum of money equal to
four per cent upon the gross earn
tngs derived from the operation of
such lines of railway therein.
Under the terms of the COnstitu-
ton above referred to, this Act of
the Legislature must be submitted
to legal voters of the State, and will
become operative IL adopted by a
majority of such electors voting at
the next general election.
II.
BY an Act of the Legislature of the
State of Minnesota, approved February
%, 1901, and known as House File No.
100, it is proposed to amend Article
Eight (S), Section Six CO. of the Consti-
tuition.
This Section as now existing reads as
follows:
Section 6. The permanent school and
university fund of this State may be in
vested in the purchase of bonds of any
county, school district, city, town or
village of this state, but no such invest
ment shall be made until approved by
the board of commissioners designated by
law to regulate the investment of the
permant MT school fund and the perma-
nent university fund of this State; nor
shall lch loan or investment be made
when the issue of which the same in
part would make the entire bonded in
debte6 ess exceed seven per cent of the
assessed valuation of the taxable real
property u the county, school district,
city, town or village issuing such bonds;
nor shall such loans or Indebtedness be
made at lower rate of interest than
three per cent per annum nor for short
err period than five 90 years nor for q
longer period than twenty COO years, and
no change of the town, school district,
village, city or county lines shall relieve
the real property in such town, school
state at the time of issuing of such bonds
from any liability for taxation to pay
such bonds.
It is proposed by said act to amend the
same SO as o read as follows:
Section o. The permanent school and
university fund of this State may be in
vested In lne bonds of any county, school
district CITY town or village S OF TINS hs
made until approved by the board of
commissioners designated by law to reg
ulate the investment of the permanent
school fund and the permanent uniyer,,
sity fund of this state; nor shall
such loan or investment be made when
the bonds to be Issued or purchased
ness exceed fifteen QO per cent of the
assessed valuation of the taxable real
property of the county, school district,
city, town or village issuing such bonds;
nor shall such loans or Indebtedness be
made at a lower rate of interest than
three 90 DER cent per annum, nor for a
shorter period than five (5) years, nor
an Og no cRenge of the town
district, city, village. or of county lines.
shall relieve the real property in such
town, school district. county, village or
city in this state at the time of the issu-
ing of such bonds from any liability for
taxation to pay such bonds.
The eject of the above amendI m emf,
N adopted, VIII De TO uuthOr1ze the
Investment of the permanent school
and university fund of this state for
a period of not less than five 90 or
more than twenty COO years, at an
interest rate not less than three (3)
per cent per annum. i'm the bonds of
any county, school district, city,
town, or village of this state, when
the bonds to be issued or purchased
Will not make the entire bonded
In lRfn Il Of m nIalII nA
exceed fifteen (15) per cent of the
assessed valuation of the taxable
real property contained therein.
The substantial change proposed
by said amendment is to authorize