The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-17

The omnibus bill. carrying a total
appropriation of S3,166,675, unanimous
ly passed both houses yesterday. Cor
rective and revisory amendments Of
fered by the committee increased the
total of the original bill $59,30194
The bill passed both houses without
an attempt TO amend after the COM
mittee's amendments were adopted
and the bill declared satisfactory by
the committee chairmen. 1t was
special order in the house in the morn
ing and in the afternoon in the senate.
Only one feature of the amended bill
aroused the slightest opposition. That
was the incorporation of an item of
$1,000 to reimburse Chisago county for
expenses incurred in the Kelly mur-
der trial. This item was fought IN
both houses, but in both instances the
committees recommendation We're
sustained by an overwhelming major
ity.
The changes made by the committee
were almost without exception in the
nature of corrections of items i'm
properly estimated and which got into
the printed bills solely because of tha
haste necessary in it's preparation for
consideration yesterday.
Changes Incre;Ee Total Slightly.
The changes in detail are the state
land and timber funds, $4,000 addi-
tional; capitol janitors, $1,000; rail-
road and warehouse commission,
$4,000; state parks, 500; refunding In
heritance tax of 1901. $226416; legis-
lative expense, $4,000; extra account
ant in auditors office $500; disbar-
npn
000 Cole at Moohead normal school.
$137.7S; sheriffs' expenses conveying
prisoners, $4,000; Chisago county mur-
der trial expense, $1,000. The public
examiner item was reduced $4,000,
leaving a net addition of $50, ,301 "a.
The states total revenue for the BIZ
ennial period will be $6,952,5O3, divided
as follows: Omnibus appropriations,
S3,166,675; standing appropriations, 81
35,S2S; special and extraordinary ap-
propriations, SS50,000.
The sources from which this revenue
will be derived, according to the audi
| tors estimate, are as follows: To be
| raised by taxation, 100000 annually,
or $1600000 for the biennial period;
/ gross earnings tax, $3,350,000; insur-
ance tax, S425,000; insurance fees, $780,
600; telephone and telegraph tax, $780,
600; incorporation fees, 100000; inter-
est on state deposits, $4,000; earn
ings state institutions. 5000 600; mis-
| cellaneous receipts, $4,000, or d total
| of $6,010.000.
Committee Estimates a Surplus.
The committees estimate differs from
that of the auditor in that they con-
| template a gross earnings surplus Of
| $500.000; unused balances. 100000;
| miscellaneous receipts. $250.000, max
| ing a grand total of $6,96O,00 which
| will leave a surplus of $4,000.
The passage of the bill by the house
| was accomplished in a manner entirely
unusual and which in itself was the
! highest compliment that could be paid
the magnificent work done by the ap-
propriations committees. The COM
mittee' corrections completed, the usual
formality of considering the bill item
by item was omitted. 1t was read the
| third time and passed as a whole.
The work of the subcommittee, con-
sisting Of Representative Deming,
Tighe. Hawley, Fulton and Putnam,
and Senators McGill, Lord. Ward,
Brown and Comstock, besides giving
the state the best omnibus bill ever
presented to Its legislature, demon
strates how thoroughly the taxpayers
were gold bricked" for a period Of
years by a so-called watchdog Of the
| treasury"
! The deficiencies which the commit
tees were compelled to take care of are
| enormous and the result of the nail
l"paring policy which Jacobson prac-
ticed for years under the guise of econ
omy. The reduction of the tax levy
would have been possible last year,
thanks to the efforts of former Auditor
Dunn, If the minimum had not been
| fixed at L 1-3 mills by the revenue bill.
The 1903 revenue bill viii fix the mini
! mum at l mill, the lowest rate in the
history of the state
Representative Lightly's bill creating
| a special tax to raise $250,00O for build
| ings and equipment at the agricultural
callege passed both houses.
The bill, as originally drawn, pro-
posed tax levy extending over a Pc
riod Of four years which would have
| produced 100000. AS amended by the
appropriations committee the levy ex-
tends over two years and will produce
S25O,OOO. The bill was made a special
order following the omnibus bill