Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1908-05-14

tome from the wealth Of the privatsiy
swnsd Iron mines. The governor rec
smmsndsd a royalty tar on the output
sf these mines. He did not get Il, but
the United States Steel corporatioa
bound itsslf m substitute 10 establish
4 t20.o00.o0o stsel plant at Duluth.
The newly created tar eommissioa.
together wftk the state board of equal
lzation. which preceded II (ths msm-
bsrs q which were appointed By Gov.
srnor JohnsonD. have In the four ysars
" Governor Johnson's administration
increased the assessed valuation Of ths
steel corpoFation's iron ore holdings in
Minnesota from SS2.0o0.0o0 Do s1oo.-
oO0O 900.
The sleeping car companies of MA
assota had nsvsr paid taxes I'm Mime
sota In proportion to their sarntnUs.
The governor recommended O change
IN the system Of taxing these compa.
nies. and satisfactory law was On
acted. Similarly q rational law N D.
mortgage taxatiou was enacted.
Railway Regulation.
Taking up freight rates, Govsrnoe
Johnson In q powerful speech % On.
hausttsslyJ ana conciusivsly barred en-
lsting unequal and exorbitant rates
that the railway companies voluntarily
made q reduction Of 10 per cent On
grain rates on their lines In northern
Minnesota. By order Of the railway
commission. re-snforcsd by subsequent
legislation. this voluntary reductioa
was followed by a horizontal reduc-
hon In maximum freight rates cf about
l3 per cent, and there was crsatsd a
new class Of merchandise tarfR An
which the rates were reduced about 90
per cent The railways took these r.
ductions into the United States courts
by enjoining the attorney general OF
Minnesota frem enforcing the law.
This action has opened up some Of the
most important litigation involving
constitutional interpretation that has
come before the supreme court In this
generation.
The Tive Cent Law.
The enactment OF the two cent pas
senger tariff law was an example Of
Governor Johnson's CELEBRITY Of action.
Invited to address the Minnesota Edi.
torial association, instead of makine
the usual platitudinous address on such
occasions. "he exploded the two cent
bomb" and urged that an end be put "a
the giving Of passes. He talked on
the same subject to a convention OF
commercial travellers. Immediately the
state was afiame wtAh this innovation
In railway legislation. When the lssss.
lature met he asked for a law smbody.
Ing this idea. and the legislature quiak.
ly responded. Nsighboring states Col.
lowed with reductions, and now
throughout the middle northwest tha
two cent rate prevails
About the time Governor Johnsca
came into Office there was O wiae
spread agitation for reciprocal dsmux
rage laws which would compel ran
ways to allow shippers dsmurraes
charges for failure to deliver cars O.
time. Governor johnson, ever abrsas,
Of popular progress, recommended such
q law and got It
Thanks to his Initiative the ORDER
OF the Minnesota railroad and ware
house commission are now immediate
ly effective pending appeal
In Dsfsnss Of Labor.
Governor johnson. In consonancs
with his thorough democracy and be
lieving In equal rights. has not bssr
nsglectful Of the interests of labor. Ha
desired q free state employment bu
reau designed to eliminate the many
abuses that have marked private sm
ployment bureaus In the great labol
esnters Of Minnesota. Such bursay
was created and has been thoroughly
helpful and widely eficient.
Since time immemorial thAt yslse o,
feudalism. the common law doctrine oi
nonliability Of employer 10 employees
for injuries occurring through the negfi
gence Of q fellow servant has prevail
Cd In Minnesota es wen as In many
other states. This ancient rule Of ths
common law" said Governor johnson
coupled with the other rule generally
referred to az the doctrine Of the m
sumption Of risk by employees, hal
cast upon the individual laborer q risl
and responsibility out OF proportion Il
the wages he receives"
During his term Of ONCE 0ovsynol
johnson has had to deal with ont
great conflict between labor ana capt
tal-namely. the strike of the minsrs
On the Minnesota iron ranges By di
rect personal Intervention, by advics
TO the employers on the one hand and
the strikers ON the other. the governor
succeeded. without the use Of stat
troops. In preventing violence and
bloodshsd.
In the forests and prairiss Of north
eHn Minnesota are great sxtents ol
fertile lands which. owing 70 lack oi
drainage. have not been available tol
cultivation. Thanks to Governor John
son. additional legislation on this sub
ject was secured. and hundreds ol
thousands Of acres OF fertile land vii
bs added to the rolls Of the stats'i
wealth
Governor johnson believes In In,
municipal ownership Of public utilities
and. following his suggestion, q modi
fed form Of the Illinois Mueller Law
was adopted by the Minnesota lsgisla
ture. Under SITS provisions q municipal
ity may bond its street railways ol
other public utilities to pay the cost o'