The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-10-18
THE PRINCETON UNION: THURSDAY, ooroBER 1s 1905.

Section /. The power of taxation shall
traeted away. taxes shall be Uniform IN
upon the same class of subjects, and
shall be levied and collected for public
purposes, but. public burying grounds,
academies, colleges, universities, and ali
semlnaries of learning, all churches,
church property, and houses of worship,
institutions of purely public. charity, and
public property used exclusively for any
public purpose, shall be exempt from tax
alton. and there may be exempted from
taxation personal property not exceeding
vidual or head of a family, as the legis-
lature may determine: Provided, that
the legislature may authorize municipal
corporations to levy and collect assess
ments for local improvements upon prop
erty benefited thereby without regard to
a cash valuation: and, provided further,
that nothing herein contained shall be
any existing law providing for the taxa
ton Of the gross earnings of railroads..
The purpose and effect of this
amendment would be to greatly en-
large the power of the legislature
with reference to the subject OF
taxation. Section one o. as 1T now
stands provides that oil taxes I'M
posed shall be equal-as near a may
be-on all forms of property, and all
property upon which II tax Is Inn
VALUATION equalized throughout
the state.
Section two as 1T now stands re-
Guires the legislature to levy the
necessary taxes annually to defrAy
the expenses of the state. That Is
the duty of the legislature without
any constitutional direction.
Section three as it now stands pro-
vides that oil real and personal
property, including MONEYS, CRED
ITS and INVESTMENTS IN BONDS
AND STOCKS, shall be assessed &c
cOrding to their true value In
money.
Section four as 1T now stands pro-
vides that property employed In
equal to that imposed on other
property. This Is only a repetition
of the requirements of Sections one
and three, as no rational person
would claim that banking capital
should be exempt from taxation.
Section seventeen as 1T now STANDS
is not easy to understand, but 1T was
intended by that section to relieve
from the operation of sections one
and three, above quoted, property
of the classes therein enumerated,
so that q gross earnings tax cOu11
be applied thereto instead OF direct
taxation.
o"AAS u GAc pHOSAeAOAAS ~
lions one and three of the present
Constitution many amendments
were from time to time added SO as
to permit taxes to be Imposed ON
specific kinds of property other
wise than upon cash ,valuat1on
equallzed throughout the state. We
have among these exceptions rail-
road gross earnings taxes: munici-
pal frontage taxes; Inheritance
taxes; and the gross earnings taxes
authorized by said section seven
teen.
Several exemptions from taxation
are also provided for, but as these
exemptions are not changed by the
proposed amendment, I Will make
no further reference to them.
The amendment which, If adopted,
would take the place of all of the
sections and amendments above re-
ferred to, is simple and plain. No
provision of the Constitution is
necessary to authorize the i'm
position of the taxes necessary for
the support of the state and Its
various political subdivisions. The
power of taxation is inherent In
government. This proposed amend
ment declares that this Inherent
power of taxation shall never be
surrendered, suspended or con-
tracted away; that taxes shall be
imposed for public purposes and
shall be uniform On the same class
of subjects. Should this amend
ment be adopted all property of
every kind in the state would be
subject to taxation. according to
the method the legislature saw fit
to adopt. provided only that the
tax was levied for Il public purpose
and was uniform ON the same class
of subjects. Under this amendment
every tax law we now have Oh the
statute books would continue to be
valid, because under this amend
of the Legislature would be taken
away.
The adoption of this amendment
would, as indicated, repeal the so
called inheritance tax anne DIM emf,
and the grOss-earninEs tax amend
ment adopted in 1896 as contained
in said section seventeen, but In
give the Legislature greater author
ity. Under this amendment the
power to impose Inheritance taxes
would be unlimited, and any form
of gross earnings tax would be
valid. The gross earnings tax on
railroads would not be affected by
this amendment, as the Constitution
provides that 1T can not be changed
without a vote of the people. But
with this amendment various new
forms of taxation could be imposed,
notably an Income tax and a regis
try tax on mortgages. Under the
present Constitution we can impose
no tax on mortgages owned by nom
residents. A registry tax, which
would be valid under this amend
ment, would reach all mortgages
alike. While all subjects of taxa
ton are required to have a cash
valuation with the tax equa1ized
throughout the state, no proper In
come tax could be imposed. Such n
tax, if imposed, should be pro-
gressive. which would be valid
under this amendment.
SECOND PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
The second proposed amendment is
contained in Chapter PIP of the
Laws of 1905. 1t is sought by this
amendment to repeal Section 16 of
Article of the Constitution, which
is as follows:
Section 16. For the purpose of lending
aid in the. construction and Improvement
of public highways and bridges, there is
hereby created fund to be known as
the State Road and Bridge Fund Said
fund shall include all moneys accruing
from the income derived from invest
re- in fIn into 81 s,~,A To-