The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-10-30

St. Hdul, MIMI, May ISL, lSUo.
Hon. Julius A. Schmahl, Secretary Of
State
Sir: AS required by Section 25 Of the
Revised Laws, as amended, ! have tho
honor to furnish you herewith state
ment Of the purposes and effects of the
respective amendments proposed to the
Constitution of the State OF Minnesota by
the Legislature Of 1907, and which are
to be submitted to the electors of said
state at the General Election of 1908.
FIRST PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
The first proposed amendment Is con-
tained In Chapter ATT of the Laws Of
1907. BY this amendment 1t is sought to
repeal Sections one ~, two (2), three
(s), four ~ and seventeen (17) of Article
nine 10y of the Constitution (the latter
section being the amendment to said Ar
tlcIe nine (9), adopted in 1880, which
sections now read as follows: 49,
Section l. All taxes to be raised in
this state shall be as nearly equal as may
be. and all property on which taxes are
to be levied shall have a cash valuation
and be equalized and uniform throughout
the state: Provided, that the legislature
may. by general law or special act, au-
thorize municipal corporal tons to levy
assessments for local improvements upon
the property fronting upon such improve
ments or upon the property to be bene-
fitted by such improvements, or both
without regard to cash valuation, and in
such manner as the legislature may pre-
scribe: and provided further, that for the
purpose of defraying the expenses of lay
ing water pipes and supplying any city or
municipality with water, the legislature
may, by general or special law, authorize
any such city or municipality. having a
population of five thousand or more, to
levy an annual tax or assessment upon
the lineal foot of all lands fronting on
any water main or water pipe laid by
such city or municipality within cor
porate limits of said city for supplying
water to the citizens thereof without
regard to the cash value of such prop
erty and to empower such city to collect
any such tax, assessments or fines, or
penalties for failure to pay the same. or
any fine or penalty for any violation of
the rules of such city. or municipality in
regard to the use of water or for any
water rate due for the same: and pro-
vided further. that there may be by law
levied and collected a tax upon all inner
itances devises, requests, legacies and
gifts of every kind and description above
a fixed and specified sum, Of any and all
natural persons and corporations. Such
tax above such exempted sum may be
uniform or it may be graded or progress
i've but shall not exceed maximum tax
of five per cent.
Section .. The legislature shall pro-
vide for an annual tax sufficient to de-
fray the estimated ordinary expenses OF
the state for each year, and whenever it
shall happen that such ordinary expenses
of the state for any year shall exceed the
income of the state for such year the
legislature shall provide for levying a tax
for the ensuing year sufficient, with other
sources of income, to pay the deficiency
Of the preceding year. together with the
estimated expenses of such ensuing year.
But no law levying tax or making other
provisions for the payment OF interest or
principal of bonds denominated Mime
sofa State Railroad Bonds shall take
effect or be in force until such law shall
have been submitted to vote Of the
people of the state, and adopted by a
majority of the electors of the state vot-
ing upon the same.
'Section 5. Laws shall be passed tax
ing all moneys. credits, investments in
bonds, stocks. joint stock companies, or
otherwise also all real and personal
property according to its true value in
money; but public burying grounds. pub
lie school houses, public hospitals.
academies, colleges. universities, and all
seulinaries of learning, all churches,
church property used for religious pur-
poses, and houses of worship. institu-
tons of purely public charity, public
property used exclusively for any public
purpose, and personal property to an
amount not exceeding in value two hum
dred dollars for each individual. shall. by
general laws. be exempt from taxation.
Section A. Laws shall be passed for
taxing the notes and bills discounted or
purchased, moneys loaned, and all other
property, effects, or dues OF every de-
scription, of all banks and of all bank
ers SO that all property employed in
banking shall always be subject to tax
alton equal to that imposed on the prop
erty of individuals.
Section IT. The legislature may i'm
pose. or provide for the imposition OF, up
on the property within this state of any
and all owners or operators, whether cor
porate or individual. or otherwise. of any
and all sleeping, parlor and drawing room
cars. or any or either of the same. which
run in, into or through this state; also
upon the property within this state of
any and all telegraph and telephone COM
panies, or owners, whose lines are in, or
extend in, into or through this state; also
upon the property within this state Of
all express companies, or owners, or any
or either o. the same. doing business In
this state; also upon the property within
this state of all domestic insurance COM
panies of this state Of any kind also
upon the property within this state of any
and all foreign insurance companies doing
business in this state of any kind; also
upon the property within this state Of all