The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-23
Cruelty to a Commissioner.
The Pioneer Press solennly publishe

the following this morning: @t - - .
During the past year it appears that
the department Of public examiner and
of the railroad and warehouse commits
sion have both spent considerable time
and labor in investigating the books of
the railway companies for the purpose of
determining if any earnings which are
properly taxable have been unreported
by the said companies.
The two departments have worked in
dependently, but seem to have reached
practically the same result the amount
Of back taxes reported by each as being
due having been but little in variance.
This reminds us of the hired man who
quit because he. was discharged ''The
two departments have worked indepen-
IDENTIFY. but seem to haze reached prac-
ticaly the same result" What rare hui
NOR! OF course, they worked indepen-
IDENTIFY. Every time Mr.. Johnson found a
deficiency land induced the railroads to
pay up, return of the same was made
to the railway and warehouse commits
sion, and that body recorded it on it's
books. In that harmonious way practi-
cally the same results were obtained. ::
This revelation was procured for the
public by a Pioneer Press reporter, whose
curiosity had been aroused by the friend
~ emulation between the public exam
iner's department and the railway com
mission, and he called at the office of
the commission to get a detailed report
OF the success of the two departments in
collecting taxes from the railways. A
member Of the commission was caught in
the rooms. He begged for mercy and
tried to get away and piteously referred to
the "impropriety of getting into any
| newspaper discussion or controversy
But the reporter was memorable. Upon
the altar of news the trembling commits
sioner was sacrificed. Without the slight
est conjunction the reporter forced the
poor member into the commission Of the
improperly. Once the dastardly deed
was done the commissioner was helpless
in his torturer's hands.
: Being pressed for further information, -
the poor victim gasped that it, was not
true that the railways had wilfully lodged
paying taxes. Oh, dear, no. These back
taxes were merely such minor items as
! the tax on $S50,OO0 of income annually
given back as rebates to shippers-hee
pardon, 1. com missions paid for securing
business as the commissioner politel,
| puts it. W%.
Another compression Of the sweat bo,
brought out the information that during
1901 the commission was getting ready tt
go into these minor matters In June
1902, their expert, having suddenly be-
come energetic, not at all on account O.
the fact that MI. Johnson's expert wa:
delving into the books of, the companies
made a full report after two weeks O.
work. Strange that Mr.. Johnsons ex
pert should take months and then admi
that he had not got clear to the bottom O.
the books! ..z* Il -, - -
: And so step by step as the merciless re-
porter prodded him, the commissioner re
luctantly proved that Mr.. johnson 1at
) done nothing that the commission ha<
| not done, was not doing or would not do
And, of course, the commission has no in
) terest in the Wilson bill to pull Mr.. John
) son off. That's absurd #g-:A