The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-11-14
In n. Pretty Pickle.

IN a. Fretty F1ckle.
There is no longer any doubt that
The constitutional amendments SUBJ
.mitted to the people at the late cleo.
ton have failed of passage. and by
large shortage of votes.
One of the principal results of the
special session of the legislature last
winter was the passage of bill pro-
viding for the submission to the people
of amendments to the constitution on
taxation, opening the doors to more
liberal policies of taxation than are
possible at present. Aside from the
repeal of the tax on dogs, there was
but little accomplished by the special
session other than the proposed amend
ments to the constitution.
And now the people have turned the
amendments down, and on the constitu-
tional provisions on taxation are the
same old, out grown, Anticipated and
hide-bound restrictions
The proposed increase from 8 to 4 per
cent IN the tax on the gross earnings Of
railroads, which also required a consti,
tut1onal amendment, has also gone by
the board. This measure raised storm
In the 1901 session Of the legislature,
going through by narrow margin
after a most tremendous fight. All that
fight has gone for nothing, because the
people have turned that amendment
down too.
The special session was really an
outgrowth of the bill for the increase
OF the rate Of gross earnings taxes.
one of the schemes put up to defeat
the bill was the plead that it would be
better to put the whole matter of tax
alton over to a special session, and in
the meantime have a new tax code
drafted. This idea of this measure was
to defeat the gross earnings bill, but
they both went through. One gross
earnings bill resulted in failure at the
election, and the bill for a new tax
code also met defeat at the hands of
the legislature.
Not much advance has been made.
therefore, in taxation, except in the
Education that the special session gave
the members of the legislature, and
only about forty of the members of
both houses have been returned, SO
they can give the public the benefit of
this education.
The passage of the amendments af-
fecting tho taxation system would
have meant that there would be all
sorts of tax legislation offered at the
coming session of the legislature, but
it's failure shuts off great deal of it,
though now the subject has once been
stirred up there will be plenty of new
tax schemes offered.
1t is estimated, though the returns
are not all complete, that the four
amendments failed by 10000 votes,
nearly as many as Governor Van SAINT
was elected by. The failure was not
from the votes against the measure
but from the neglect of many of the
voters to vote at all. AS a constitu-
|tional amendment requires Il majority
of all the votes cast to carry, failure
to vote is vote against the amend
ments.
Before this provision was made,
when all that was necessary to- carry
an amendment was majority of the
votes cast upon it, all of the amend
ments, whatever their nature, were
carried. Now none of them carry The
legislature last winter tried to pass a
bill changing back to the old system,
but it failed. If it had gone through
it would have undoubtedly failed at the
ELECTION along with the other amend
ments.
The constitution is bound by this
provision so that it is doubtful if it
can ever be changed again, and the
only remedy is a constitutional con-
vention, which is likely to be con-
sidered at the legislative session this
winter.
'The state of Minnesota is in nice
|pre6icament on this constitution said
a Duluth attorney. cit is saddled with
a constitution that is ancient and out
of date in many things, particularly in
it's restrictions of tax laws, and it is
impossible to change it.
This is due to the amendment passed
in 1896 providing that hereafter no
amendment could be passed unless it
received the sanction of a majority of
all the voters at the election Before
that any old amendment could get
through, and now no sort of an amend
ment can be made, because it is impos-
sible to get enough people to vote on
the amendments either one way or
another. During the late campaign
most of the speakers talked about the
amendments, said they were good
things and ought to go through. Both
parties favored them, and advocated
their passage. Yet, not more than half
of the people took interest enough in
them to vote at all.
THE constitution was cut to fit an in
FAINT state, and while many of its pro-
visions are still good, the state has
out-grown many others. The need of
more liberal tax laws is imperative, yet
it is impossible to pass them under the
present constitution and impossible to
change the constitution. Herald.