The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-07
ROBERTS BILL is PASSED
THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
MEASURE GOES THROUGH HOUSE.

The house yesterday morning substf-
tuted the Roberts bill for constitutional
amendments for the majority judiciary
committees bill, as amended by Mr.. AL
ley, and passed it by a vote of 65 to As
Under suspension of the rules it also pass
ed bill bringing railway companies and
other corporations paying a crosses
ings tax under the provisions of the act
authorizing a public examiner.
The Roberts bill for constitutional
amendments is the wide-open policy pro-
posed by the tax commission, but drawn
in a manner which makes the policy in
telligible. The Alley amendments were
calculated to secure the same end, but
were in several sections, while the Rob
erts amendments are encompassed in one
section Their substitution for the Alley
amendments, adopted Wednesday night,
was a comparatively simple task, but
when an attempt was made to railroad
the whole proposition through under
call of the house, there was trouble for
a few minutes. Wednesday night Mr..
Kelly, Mortified, sent up an amendment
to the majority committees bill, relating
to the taxation of mortgages. The
amendment received no consideration, and
did not appear in the journal as having
| been offered. Mr.. Kelly was away, and
| made no attempt to conceal his anger.
I He said he did not propose to subscribe
to the railroading policy adopted by the
! faction which has attempted to force
| through the bills relating to taxation.
! The speaker ruled that Mr.. Kelly's
amendment could not be considered after
| the motion for the previous or main
question. Mr.. Laybourn insisted that Mr..
| Kelly had been unfairly treated, and
| Kelly left the floor. The entire house was
| in an uproar, and finally unanimous con-
sent was given for hearing on the Kelly
| amendment. Mr.. Kelly was called back.
| He told the house that his amendment
| had been disposed of by the adoption OF
| the Roberts amendments and that While
he wished to withdraw his amendments,
he wished to be understood as protesting
most emphatically against the railroad
ing policy to which the house is COM
mitted.
The passage Of the bill for the wide
open policy can hardly be considered
victory for the champions There were
numerous explanations of votes, and had
it not been for those members who voted
in the affirmative avowedly for the pur-
pose of getting the bill out of the way
of the senate bill. it would have been
beaten by default.
Text of Roberts Bill.
The Roberts bill, with the exception
of the clauses providing for the form OF
the ballot on which the amendments
are submitted, is as follows:
Section l. The following amendment TO
sections one d, two ~ and three 90,
of the constitution of the state OF Mime
sofa is hereby proposed to the people
of the state for their approval or re-
lection, and the same, after adoption,
shall be known and designated as section
one % of said Article TX, that Is to
1.-THE power of taxation shall never be
| surrendered, suspended or contracted
away, and all taxes shall be uniform on
the same class of subjects and shall be
levied and collected under general laws
| for public purposes, but public burying
grounds, public school houses, public
hospitals, academies, colleges, universe
ties, and all seminaries of learning, all
churches, church property used exclu-
sively for religious purposes, institutions
of purely public charity, public property
ana personal property to an amount not
exceeding three hundred 900 dollars to
each indicidual shall be exempt from tax
alton, but such personal exemption shall
not be allowed to more than one mem
Der of the same family: Provided that
nothing herein contained shall be con-
strued to affect, modify or repeal any law
providing for the gross earnings of rail-
roads"
Sec. 2. Such proposed amendment shall
be submitted to the people for their APP
prevail or rejection at the general election
for. the year one thousand nine hundred
and two Q902), and the qualified electors
in the state, in their respective districts,
may at such election vote for or against
| such amendment by ballot, and the re-
turn thereof shall be made and certified
within the time, and such votes can
vassed and the result thereof declared
| in the manner described by law with
| reference to the election of state Of
ficers, and if it shall appear thereupon
that a majority of all the electors voting
at such election shall have voted for and
/ rauHed and amended, as provided in
the, next section, then the governor shall
make proclamation thereof, and such
amendment. so ratified, shall take effect
!
tuition.
johnson Bill Passed.
Inc practically unopposed passage of
the Inhtnccr,