The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-17
TAX FERRET PLANS
FINALLY THROWN OUT
House Kills Thayer Measure
by a Decided Ma
jority

Inc mouse n committee of the whole
yesterday afternoon finally dispatched
the Thayer tax ferret bill, after spend
ing almost the entire afternoon in de-
batting 1t and affixing a few amend
ments to it.
The vote on the motion to indefinite
~ postpone the bill was not counted.
put more than majority of the entire
mouse voted in favor of the motion, so
the bill, which was killed once before
In committee of the whole, can be con-
sidered as no longer a factor at this
session.
George w. Armstrong Of Hennepin
was the author of an amendment,
which was adopted, limiting the work
Of tax ferrets under the bill to looking
up and placing on the tax rolls mort
cages and other securities on lands not
located in the county in which the fer
ret is employed. Another amendment,
by Elias Rachie of Lac qui Parle, cut
the maximum percentage to be paid
the ferrets from % to 20 per cent of the
amount collected through their en-
deavors.
Burdett Thayer of Fillmore. author
OF the bill. did not talk at length in
opening the debate, but contented him
self with stating that it was not aimed
at anybody who pays taxes, and it is
optional with county boards, so the
bill would not force the ferret system
on any county that did not want it.
Drive Out Capital
w. d. Washburn Jr. of Minenapolis
opposed the bill and said that while it
was true that the ferrets had dug up
some property in Iowa, he knew some
thing about conditions there and it
was also true that it had driven $780,
100000 to $40,000,000 of Iowa capital
out of the state to escape taxation
Besides, 1t had cost Iowa 40 per cent
of all the taxes collected under the
system to reimburse the ferrets
A. ]. Rockne of Zumbrota moved
that the bill be indefinitely postponed,
and said that a tax on credits such as
the system would impose would eat up
the income on mortgages and part of
the principal as well. The bill should
not be considered until the constitu-
ton is so amended as to permit the
legislature to adopt a fair system of
taxation. Then IL anybody shirks let
the tax ferret bill come in. Now it
would only hit small capitalists, while
the big ones with lawyers to help them
conceal their wealth would still escape.
Anyway, he did not favor a bill that
stamped the people of the state as tax
dodgers.
w. A. Nolan of Mower said that it
was impossible to escape the fact that
some of the people of the state are tax
dodgers and that the ferret system is
needed to get at them.
A l.. Cole of Walker, referring to
Mr.. Rockne's last statement, said that
the state had laws against thieves and
murderers, but nobody claimed that
they stamped the people of the state
as thieves and murderers.
Demoralizing Influence
w. B. Anderson of Winona argued
against the bill and said that in the
states where similar systems had been
adopted they had proved demoralizing,
and besides they had failed to accom-
plish the end desired.
Carl l. Wallace of Hennepin said
that the bill ought to be entitled IAN
act to encourage perjury and black
MALL
w. p. Roberts of Minneapolis said
that the present constitution ties the
state to an abominable system of taxa
ton, but the tax ferret scheme would
not help, for it is an absurd and pre-
posterous proposition. 1t does not
work anywhere, except to drive capital
out Of the state in which it is en-
ployed.
The question being put on Mr.. Rock
mes motion to indefinitely postpone the
bill 1t was adopted nearly two to one.
When the committee arose Mr..
Thayer had his bill excepted from its
report, and w. A. Nolan demanded a
roll call. Some OF the members who
did not wish to go on record, appar-
emily, got him to withdraw the motion,
and then w. d. Washburn Jr. insisted
that the roll be called.
Mr.. Thayer ended this dispute by
Withdrawing his motion and permit
ting the action of the committee of the
whole to go unchallenged.