The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-05-19

l. H@0y ~ A0OOs~
Entered at the Post once at Virginia, Mimi,
| as second class mail matter.
Terms. 81 Per Year. in Advance
THERE was once time when the
citizens of Virginia had an oppor-
tunity of including millions of dol
lars of property in the city limits
by voting to include the surround:
ing mines in the territory embraced
in the city limits at the time of in
corporation. But that was in the
early days of the range and the ear
ly days of the mining industry in
Minnesota-in the days when the
mines paid to the state the sum of
one cent per ton on their output in
lieu of all other taxes. The citizens
of Virginia at that time voted upon
the proposition to include the terri
tory comprising the surrounding
mines in the corporate limits, but
only seventeen"poor deluded idiots"
as they were magnanimously term:
ed, of which number the Enterprise
scribe was one, voted for territorial
expansion while several hundred of
the loyal and far-seeing taxpayers
voiced different sentiment both in
public and at the polls. The reason
given by the opponents of expan-
sion was that the mining locations
might demand fire protection, light
and other municipal improvements
with no possibility of returns accru-
ing to the city in the form of taxes.
But in 1896 Robert c. Dunn, as state
auditor, commended that the mine
tax of one cent per ton~upon output
was unconstitutional, and instruct
ed county auditors to assess mines
within their jurisdiction the same
as other property was assessed. The
contention of the state auditor as
to the unconstitutionality of the
tonnage tax was upheld by the at
torney general. The question was
later thoroughly threshed by the
Legislature during the session of 81
and despite hard fight the tonnage
tax was wiped from the statute
books. Had the mines surrounding
the city been within the corporate
limits they would since that time
have paid into the city treasury hun
dreds of thousands of dollars in
taxes, instead of paying an equal or
greater amount through being as
sessed in the township. In such
case the city would have been free
from Indebtedness, would have own
ed all public Improvements and
more of them and have had ! pie
thoric treasury as we'll. It could
assuredly be no more expensive for
the mines 10 be included witiaisa the
corporate limits, and we believe
would be advantageous to them in
many respects. At any rate there
10 suggestion in this chapter on
ancient history which might profit
ably be picked up by the newly or
gained Commercial Club and an
opportunity offered for a master
stroke by drawing from the closet
the hidden and almost forgotten
ghost of territorial expansion as
promising the greatest single bene
fit derivable by the city through the
united action of all citizens interest
ed in Virginia's future welfare and
progressiveness.
THE good people of the village of
Bull have struck the right chord in
organizing for the building of a
church edifice for Christianity's
sake rather than for the spreading
| of doctrinal theories, and unite in
the erection and support of one edi-
fee where doctrinal teachings will
be subordinated to the true spirit
of Christianity. The cause of Chris
tianity suffers much in many of the
smaller cities through the unsuc-
cessful attempt to properly support
too many UNCONVENTIONAL edifices,
resulting in the assignment of Sec
ond to forty-ninth raters to fill the
respective charges.
SETTLERS on the lands about c.
dar Island or Ely Lake are rejoicing
over decision rendered by U. S.
Land Commissioner Richard which
they believe paves the way for a
final settlement of the long drawn
out controversy for possession in
their favor. The rights of the set