The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-02-08

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ings and equipments of any of the
schools of southern Minnesota,
which have been fifty years in the
building. This has been done with
infinite pains, with an infinite
amount of energy, with a steadfast
faith in the future. The people
have faced the hardships of pioneer
lite in new country with a rigor.
GUS climate. They have had faith
in the steadfastness of conditions
that have obtained in other parts of
the country and have gone ahead
and built up business blocks, school
houses, churches, substantial resi-
dences, paved streets, dug sewers,
and have done all things with the
understanding that there was to be
future to the country. Now at
one fell swoop, by vote in the state
Legislature which may be given on
the part of some uniformed, care
less reformers who are envious of
our prosperity, all this good work
is to be undone. We are to have
the sources of our revenue cut off.
We are to become poverty stricken
and bankrupt people, if this bill is
enacted and passed.
You ask me what effect, it will
have on our schools if this tonnage
tax bill is passed?
In the first place, if it is passed
we will be obliged to look about us
and see where we can cut down ex-
penses. Teachers salaries must be
Topped off. This will mean poorer
teachers. Free textbooks and sup
plies must go. The high school
department with it's libraries, lab
oratories, and special courses must
be dropped, because all this will be
too expensive, with our principal
source of revenue gone. The school
term must be cut from 10 to 5 or
months. Everything must be run
on the most narrow and economical
lines. The work of the schools
would grow less and less efficient,
and the splendid work, now being
carried on, of turning nineteen diff
erent nationalities into American
citizens would end in failure. If
:'Ela this tonnage tax bill ,is.passed our:
splendid cities of,the range will be
reduced to mere poverty.stricken
mining camps.
L am aware that a number of
southern Minnesota statesmen az.
sure us that there is no danger.
That our local tax will remain the
same and undisturbed even if the.
tonnage tax is passed. This is the
sirens song that lulled us to sleep
at the last election when the whole
range should have voted solidly
against the tax amendment clause
to the constitution, which I under:
stand carried. 1t is not the part of
common sense to believe that if.
tonnage tax is imposed on iron ore
that the same ore can be taxed in
the ground. This would be equiva-
lent to double taxation, which is un-
just and surely would not be allow
ed to stand by the supreme court.
Railroad corporations experience
ed in early days this attempt to tax
their property as personal and real,
and also to tax their gross earnings.
The courts have uniformly decided
that when property is taxed in one
way or by one method it cannot be
taxed again in a second method.
Hence it iron ore is taxed in the
stockpile or after it is loaded on the
car it cannot also be taxed in the
ground. SD 4
Therefore if the tonnage tax is
passed and is enforced I do not
have the slightest doubt that all the
mining com panies will be relieved
from all forms of local taxation
just as the railroads now are, be-
cause they pay on their gross earn
ings.
. The question now arises, what
can be done? One thing that can
be done is this. When the Joint
committee from the legislature calls
upon us, which they are very sure
to do, we must courteously but
none the less -strenuously labor
with them and try to make them
see the error of their ways. The
hungry horde of politicians in the.
southern part of the state imagine
they are getting after the mining
companies" they do not as yet zap.
'preciate the wrong they are inflict-
ing upon eighty thousand Of their
fellow citizens who are living on.
the range and developing it. This
fact we must bring before them in
the proper light. ] might cay in
passing that the mining companies
do not care and have no concern
whether they pay their tax on the