The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-25
SPEAKERS At THE DEMOCRATIC RALLY
c. B. o'BRIEN

& - : e
said that he who makes two blades of
grass grow where but one grew before is
a benefactor;; he who turns swamps into
tor 1t is good business policy for the
/ state of Minnesota to convert this class of
land into farms for the Minnesota settler.
/ The question of good roads has passed
a theoretical stage and has advanced so
Tar that It is no longer an issue. The
question of good roads is a settled ques-
ton and only the. details remain Speak
| ing of tax Legislation, Mr.. Dunn says:
The operation of our present tax laws are
very unsatisfactory, large portion of in
/ gether." Upon this he and are agreed.
although he might have added that no
i system of taxation is just which compels
the cotter,s home to bear the greater bur-
den of taxation that corporate wealth
may enjoy special privileges. 1 believe in
constitutional amendment which would
class OF property which now escapes taxa
I commend his utterance In which he
praises the veterans of the war. To the
/ grizzled patriot who offered his all that
this country might not perish we have
only reverence and love. The nation can
owes him a debt that it can never repay.
The old soldier Is our first citizen and Is
emitted to that considerable at the hands
of the nation which will make his de-
ginning years both peaceful and happy.
Mr.; Dunn and will take no issue there.
It vii! be remembered that the conven-
/ TO snare this sentiment, however.
!, GROSS EARNINGS TAX
My opponent, in his Duluth speech, laws
| special stress on his approval Of the con-
st1tutional amendment increasing the
! gross earnings tax of railways from to
per cent The platform of his. party is
strangely silent upon this question and,
| speaking of this omission, he says: by
an oversight no reference was made in
! the platform to the per cent gross earn
| 1ngs tax. 1t is remarkable that con-
vention so deliberate in it's proceedings
and which followed carefully constructed
| plan of organization should have over
/ looked what the candidate for governor
| IN the present campaign.
| II that is the issue trust that I may
| declares to be the; chief point Of interest
! be pardoned for stating that, as a mem
| Der of the state senate in 1889 and 1901.
! l was loyal In my vote and support of
| tax to per cent. The record is there
/ and 1 trust that our opponents will make
| the most of it. I stood for it then, I
stand for it now because believe it
! unequally distributed, the greater burden
! being borne by those least able to bear it..
However, the question, while introduced
in this campaign, is vital only so far as
| it applies to the individual duty Of the
| voter, upon whom rests the responsibility
| of passing or defeating this constitutional
test so far as it will become the duty of
| the governor and the legal departments
| of the state to enforce the collection of
| the tax. should the amendment prevail at
| the polls.
| This brings US to another view of the
question, which must be somewhat en-
barrassing to our opponents. The main
| issue of the campaign was omitted from
| the platform by convention which stands
accused of having been dominated and
controlled by corporate interests. 1t NOM
| mated candidate for governor who
! favored the merger of competing railway
! lines: it defeated for justice of the SUI
| preme court the attorney general who
prosecuted the merger: it nominated for
| Sttorney general the one man In the state
(, OF Minnesota who contributed most to
the defeat of the Jacobson per cent
gross earnings tax bill in the senate of
| 1889, and who, as chairman of the jul
| dietary committee of that senate, SUBJ
| mitted and championed a report which
declared that the present law was ter,
ritorial contract, that the legislature had
no right to change that contract, that
| the bill was unconstitutional, that the tax
could not be collected by law If the
amendment was adopted.
Mr.. Young was the leader of the senate
opposition to the bill. He voted against
ana the measure WAS tb fa Vote ts stand
| ing 80 for and 81 against the
proposition to increase the gross earnings
toni tor The candidate for governor de-
clares the per cent gross earnings tax
the chief issue of this campaign; his
nominating convention remains 81 silent on
L
in railway taxes.
The candidate for attorney general was
the one man who defeated a measure on
the ground, as he argued, that 1T was un-
| constitutional; up to date we nave mad no
contradiction from him indicating
| change of mind about the legal complexion
of the problem. The question Of increas-
ing the tax rests with the people and II
+ afified by them the only question becomes
| one OF the collection of the taxes.
submit this question: VIII you entrust
the collection of that 100000 to man
who is on record with an opinion that
| it cannot be collected and that the propo-
sition to collect it is unconstitutional?
1t seems to me that, taking advantage.
of party prejudice, some one IS trying
to deceive the public sincerely hope
| that the people viii ratify the measure,
anyone and IL the people shall ratify that
action and IL they shall elect myself and
| INV colleagues on the ticket, we promise
| to enforce the collection of the tax, be-
lieving it to be just tax.
USE OF DISCRETIONARY POWER
If / am elected governor of this state,
as naturally hope to be, l shall abide
| by and enforce the laws as they are on
| they should be corrected, but no public
officer has a right to assume that his po-
sition or authority is greater than the law
| Of the land The constitution Is more
| than convenience. 1t is sacred tnstru-
ment; the law is more than mere
vehicle for the comfort and convenience Of
I any particular class. It Is the declared
viii Of the people. by which we must