The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-01-10
GOV. J0HNS0N'S MESSAGE.
Remarkable for It's Verbosity==C Some
Good Recommendations and Some
That Are Not So Good
The Union Offers Few Suggestions, Among Them
One to Create an Annual Road and
Bridge Fund of S., 500, 900.

vision of state and county expendi-
lures, but outside of St. Paul and
Minneapolis and perhaps one or two
other cities, there is no check whatever,
other than local, over the financial
operations of the minor political sub
divisions; especially is reference had
to school districts and townships. If
it is impracticable to make an exam
lnation of the fiscal affairs of school
districts and townships there should
be at least publicity. The taxpayers
OF each town or school district should
be Informed of the exact financial con-
d1tlon OF their town or school district
by publication or by printed circular
atsleast ten days prior to the annual
town or school meeting. The cost of
publicity to each town or school dis
trict would be triAing, but it would
mean a great deal to the taxpayers.
IS Should Not he Sold Below Par.
Several million dollars of the per-
manent funds of the state are invested
in the bonds of Massachusetts,, Vir-
ginia, Tennessee, Alabama and other
states. There is no disposition on the
part OF the present state board of in
vestment to dispose of any of these
bonds at less than the par value of
the same. But it would be we'll to
provide by enacmtent that none of the
securities of other states in which the
permanent funds of Minnesota are in
vested should ever be sold for less
than par. Recent decisions of the
supreme court of the United States
have made the securities of the states
in which our permanent funds are in
vested as good as gold.
Wipe Out Standing Appropriations.
The 23-lO0 of a mill tax levy for the
university and all standing appropri-
atsGhs mould be wiped out. The
legislature should appropriate at each
session whatever is necessary for the
liberal support of the university and
all other state institutions. To enable
the members of the legislature to act
intelligently and to prevent confusion
there should be direct appropriations
for all state departments and state in
situations at each regular session.
The Laborer is Worthy of His Hire
The per diem of members of the
legislature should be increased to at
least $3.50. There should be no mock
modesty on the part of members in this
matter. The laborer is worthy of his
hire. The compensation of the JUS
tices of the supreme court should be
increased to 81, 500 per year, and dis
trict judges should receive 5000 per
annum.
Timber Should he Husbanded.
The state should husband it's pine
timber. Every tract of pine timber
that is not actually endangered should
be withdrawn from sale for ten years
at least. In ten years the timber
will enhance in value from so to 100
per cent. Occasionally it might be
necessary to dispose of a tract of tim
Der to protect the state from loss, but
the danger should be real and not i'm
aginary. The law governing the sale
Of pine timber should be amended.
The state can we'll afford to hold and
protect it's pine timber.
Where lands are chiefly valuable for
the pine or other timber growing
thereon in every instance the timber
should be sold separately, but it is
mistaken policy on the part of the
state to denude land chiefly valuable
for agricultural purposes of it's timber.
The timber should be sold with the
land. The state cannot expect to ad-
vantageously dispose of land to actual
settlers that has been completely de-
nuded of it's timber.
$1,5OO,OOO Annually for Highways and
Drainage.
State development that we heard so
much of in the last campaign can be
summed up in two words-GOOD
ROADS,. Good roads necessarily
imply drainage. In order to have
good roads there must be money to
build them, in order to reclaim the
swamp lands of the state there must be
money provided for reclamation pur-
poses. Under the constitution as it
was a tonnage tax on the output of the
IL
opens tax amendment removes any
constitutional objection to tonnage
tax on iron ore. A tonnage tax of rs
cents per ton would be confscatory,
and would not be sustained by the
courts. But tonnage tax of five
cents per ton in addition to the direct
valuation tax as now imposed would
be reasonable. A tax of five cents per