The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1907-02-22
Would SHUT SCHOOLS
MINNESOTA IRON RANGES Ex
CITED OVER LAW.
FEAR THE TONNAGE TAX
Towns and School Districts on the
Ranges Protest Against Proposed
Law That Would Destroy the
School System.

structive of the public school system VI
the iron ranges of Minnesota, the people
of the mining country in st. Louis ana
Itasca counties have combined to make
an appeal to the legislature and the state
at large. The excited state of public feel
ing here is not comprehensive to the
people of the state generally. for In
urban and rural communities quesuons
affecting taxation have not the vital In
terest for people of every condition tnat
the same topic has here. Confronted by
the proposition now before the legislature
that a tonnage tax be imposed on iron
ore, the people Of the ranges are aroused
because by the operation of such tax
system practically the entire source or
revenue for the maintenance Of the pub
lie schools would be removed from the
local assessment rolls.
There is no difference of opinion on the
ranges regarding this tax proposition and
its effect. The range towns have been
wrought to the pitch of holding mass
meetings-not perfunctory affairs attend
ed by a few taxpayers, but gatherings In
which hundreds of people take part and
speeches and resolutions setting forth the
sentiments Of the participants are 1ndulg-
ed. There is a good deal Of bitterness
shown in some of the speeches, but most
of them deplore the ignorance of condi-
proposed taxation. The protest that has
taken form in these meetings comes alto
gether from the people The mining COM
panies have no material interest In the
proposed law, for it makes no difference
to them whether they pay their taxes 10
the county or to the state. They are but
incidentally interested in the matter by
reason of the fact that the maintenance
of the public schools contributes TO the
betterment of living conditions and pro-
notes the progress in intelligence or the
mining population. 1t is everywhere OBJ
servable that the resolutions passed do
not complain about the evident desire OF
the members of the legislature to secure
a larger state revenue from the iron
mining industry, but they do object to
change in the manner of collecting the
taxes The contention is made that If a
tonnage tax is imposed 1t will necessarily
carry with It the exemption of the mines
from the realty assessment, and thus take
away from st. Louis county 80 per cent
of the assessed valuation outside OF the
city Of Duluth.
The towns on the ranges do not repre-
sent any very considerable assessed val
uatIon, while some of the school districts
have an enormous assessed value.
Here at Hibbing is case In
point. In the school district here the
mines are down on the assessment roll
for nearly $27, 100000 while the total as
sessment, including the village OF Hib-
bling, is but 100000 more. The schools
are conferred at the town here and the
school population is out Of all proportion
to the taxable value of the property, with
the mines excepted.
Same Conditions Everywhere.
The situation at Hibbing fairly typifies
that on the ranges generally. AT Eveleth
s5s 900 is raised annually for school pur-
poses Taking the mines out of the as
sessment. the property left subject TO
taxation would yield $40 annually for
school purposes. At Ely, on the Vermi-
lion range, the Oldest mining community
IN the iron district. and where properly
values outside Of the mines might De eA.
pected to have attained maximum oI
value, SS per cent OF the assessment 20
represented by the mines. At Virginia 70
NO., cent of the assessed valuation Is In
the mines: at Chisholm SO per cent. one
third of the entire assessed valuation OF
Itasca county-which is not generally re-
rarded as a great iron county-is IN the
mines. and there is one school district In
that county where there Is an Soo,ooO
house. and only per cent of the assessed
valuation Is outside of the mines.
With these conditions, it is not to be
wondered at that the people on the
ranges are protesting and making prep
aration to assail the legislature by means
of delegations and appeal to the FAIR
mindedness of the people Of the state to
helm them to avert the impending calam-
ity. There is everywhere the feeling that
the enactment of such measure as the
proposed tonnage tax would not be pos
sible IL the conditions were understood OF
the people at large. There Is no attempt
at tax lodging, no disposition to say that
the state Is not entitled to the revenue it
wants from the mines; everybody Is
willing to subscribe to the proposition
that the assessment on the mines might
be increased and larger revenue had
for state purposes. The valuation Of the
mines in st. Louis county was raised to
S75, 600 900 last year, and the mining COM
panies would interpose no serious objec-
tion to a further raise. The people would
not lift a hand to prevent such an in
crease as the authorities might propose.
But there is a profound feeling of indig-
nation here over the possibility of the
legislature passing a law that will be
range communities must fall If the
schools are closed. and the schools must
close if the revenue from the mines is
taken by the state There Is no wealth
there is no hope of agricultural develop
ment. and there is a laboring population
that is held in check and is fast being
brought to the point of assimilation by
the education of the children. To stop
the work of education would throw this
vast body of ignorant foreigners back to
the state in which they lived in Austria,
Hungary Italy and other countries Of
central Europe. That would inevitably
bring about condition Of anarchy.
The people interested in the schools,
the district officials and superintendent,
have undertaken the enlightenment Of
the people Of the rest of the state as to
conditions here. These men represent the
best citizenship on the ranges. They have
created a. remarkably efficient and mod
ern system of schools They have build
ed largely and WELL and the schools are
of the best modern type. Now confront
ed by the probability that their schools
may be destroyed they have gone actively
to work to show the people of Mime
sofa that the proposed legislation would
be as perniciously tyrannical as any ever
framed for the destruction Of people
Their appeal will be. to the people
forts of the committees that have been
appointed to labor with the legislature
directly.
Charles E. Young who was widely
known in southern and western Mime
sofa in educational work before coming
to the range, is superintendent of the
Hibbing schools. He has sent out an
appeal and protest to the press of the
state in which he saws:
Hibbing's Protest.