The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-02-03
MCkERCAER WOULD BE. "
BADLY HANDICAPPED
AS Employee of Northern Pa
cific Railroad Company 4 in
Doing His Public Duty.
Interests of Railroad are Con:
tinually at Issue With City
One Way or Another.

Our opponent r. D. McKercher, Re-
Fifth ward is an employee of THE
| Northern Pacific railroad company.
This fact when called to the attention
of Mr.. w. G.. Joerns., of this
| city who has been active in the fight
| against the railroads and in behalf
Of their standing their share of the ex-
pense in public improvements brought
out the following review of the North
ern Pacific's interests in the govern
ment of the city of Duluth and the part
| it might play in influences the action
| Of the council:
! Railroad Escapes Assessments.
"One of the most fragrant cases Of
taxation iniquity is found in the man.
ner in which the railroad corporations
| Of the state have managed to escape
| the payment Of special assessments
for street improvements and to shift
| their proper share Of this burden upon
the already heavily burdened general
! tax payer. We have a particularly
| notable example Of this in Duluth in
case Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
! which owns large tracts Of lands along
! some OF our principal thoroughfares, as
for example: Michigan street and Gar
field avenue was the recipient of in
valuable grants and privileges, as. a
gift, at the hands of the people of
Duluth and has steadily refused to pay
any part of the paving and other as
sessments levied for improvements in
| front of its property"
Holds Back Garfield Avenue.
fHA
paving this amounted to thousands Of
dollars and the tax payers have been
! additionally burdened on account there
of. The. Garfield avenue paving is
held up simply because the railroad
interests will not pay it's equitable
share thereof and seeks refuge behind
! the fniquitous provisions Of the So
called earnings tax which was cunning
ly worded to help the railroads out Of
| this particular evasion in their Just OBJ
| ligations.'
improvements May Be Stopped.
1T Is true that the railroads have
recently contributed to the re- paving
| OF South Fifth Avenue west. In their
first contribution in: this regard, how
ever, and they have only responded
Ibeca,lse the 2cpuIic Iss paunaic
spirit md tbfeatensd the rraills. q.
roads withthe app Heat ton of the ."'NWfn-
| nipeg plan, ;" which means, that unless
the railroads: are willing to do their
! just and proper share, no more i'm
provements will be made in front of
! thsir property"
lW Lake Avenue Viaduct Case.
Another important question for the
tax payer at this time is, are the rail-
roads obliged to build viaducts and
bridges over their tracks and danger
GUS crossings and to maintain them at
the1r own expense; will they be held
to strict account in this regard, or will
this case, as in so many others, the
burden be shifted to the general tax
payer? The Lake avenue viaduct
Is In need of immediate repair.
Through the disintegrating effects of
the smoke from the railroad locomotives
the iron work of the viaduct has been
so eaten away that it has become a
positive menace. The railroad company
will do nothing until compelled to take
action by legal proceedings. Through
the action Of the city council these leg
al proceedings were duly brought
against the railroad company. and :as
the city's right in the matter seems as
plain as the nose on a mans face, an
early favorable decision is looked for"
Where Tax Payers May Suffer.
"The question comes up, however.
as to how the tax payer would stand
If, both as to the Fifth avenue paving
and the viaduct matter, the council had
failed to act-if favors received or ex-
pected, or intimate business relations.
or perchance the relation of the en-
ployer and employee had tied the
hands of the City Fathers: How will
the tax payer stand as to future oues-
tions Of like import unless the coun-
Gil is kept right" on the proposition r'
Its Influence Over an Employee.
rs it not plain that no man how
ever meritorious his private character.
has the right to expect the support Of
his fellow citizens for a seat in the
council If he Is an employee of anv of
the great corporate interests that are
continually at issue with the citv in
one way OF another? He must he
handicapped in the performance of his
public duties from the start. It is so
plain that he who runs may read"
A CHECK Upon