Sharp County record., 1908-05-01

owned iron mines. me governor
recommended a royalty tax on the out
put of these mines. He did not get 1t,
but the United States Steel Corpora
ton bound itself as substitute to
establish a $20,00O,O0O steel plant at
Duluth
The newly created tax commission,
together with the state board of equal
izaton, which preceded 1t Cthe men,
bers Of which were appointed by
Governor Johnson), have In the four
years Of Governor Johnson's admins
tration increased the assessed yalua'
tion of the steel corporations iron ore
holdings in Minnesota from $32 600
to $190,00O,O0O
The sleeping-car companies Of Min.
nesota had never paid taxes in Min.
nesota in proportion to their earnings.
The governor recommended change
in the system Of taxing these compan.
les and satisfactory law was enacted.
Similarly, a rational law as to mort.
gage LdAdllOu was GUdCIeu.
Railway Regulation.
Taking up freight rates, Governor
Johnson In a powerful speech so ex-
haustively and conclusively barred ex.
isting unequal and exorbitant rates
that the railway companies voluntarily
made reduction of ten per cent. on
In hnir Hna In
Minnesota. BY order of the railway
commission, reinforced by subsequent
legislation, this voluntary reduction
was followed by a horizontal reduc.
ton in maximum freight rates Of about
13 per cent, and there was created
new class of merchandise tariff In
which the rates were reduced about
20 per cent. The railways took these
reductions into the United States
courts, by enjoining the attorney gen.
eral Of Minnesota from enforcing the
law. This action has opened up some
Of the most important litigation in.
volving constitutional Interpretation
that has come before the supreme
court In this generation.
The TWo-Cent Law.
The enactment of the two-cent pas.
senger tariff law was an example OF
Governor Johnson's celerity of action.
Invited to address the Minnesota Edt
torial association, instead Of making
the usual patitudinous address on
such occasions, he exploded the two
cent bomb" and urged that an end be
put to the giving Of passes He talked
on the same subject to convention
Of commercial travellers. Immediate
ly the state was ahame with this limo
vation in railway legislation. When
the legislature met, he asked for law
embodying this idea and the legisla
ture quickly responded. Neighborine
states followed with reductions, and
now throughout the middle northwest
the two-cent rate prevails.
About the time Governor Johnson
came into office there was wide
spread agitation for reciprocal demur
rage laws, which would compel rail-
ways to allow shippers demurrase
charges for failure to deliver cars on
time, Governor Johnson, ever abreast
OF popular progress, recommended
such law and got IT,
Thanks to his initiative, the orders
OF the Minnesota Railroad and Ware
house commission are now immediate
ly effective, pending appeal.
In Defense Of Labor.
Governor Johnson, in consonanca
with his thorough democracy, and
believing In equal rights, has not been
neglectful OF the interests OF labor. He
desired free state employment bu
reau designed to eliminate the many
abuses that have marked private EN-
ployment bureaus in the great labor
centers Of Minnesota, Such a bureau
was created and has been thoroughly
helpful and widely efficient.
Since time immemorial, that relic
OF feudallsm, the common law doc
trine Of nonliabilty OF employer Ia
employe for injuries occurring
through the negligence OF a fellow
servant has prevailed in Minnesota, as
we'll as In many other states "Thip
ancient rule Of the common law" said
Gov Johnson, coupled with the other
rule generally referred to as tho doc
trine OF the assumption Of risk by
employees has cast upon tho lndvid
ual laborer risk and responsibility
out OF proportion to the wages hs TO
ceives"
During his term of office Gov. John
son has had to deal with one great
conflict between labor and capital
namely, the strike OF the miners on
the Minnesota iron ranges, by direct
personal intervention, by advice to the
employers on the one hand and the
strikers on the other, the governor suo
oeeded without the use OF state troops
In preventing violence and bloodshed
In the forests and prairies Of north
ern Minnesota are great extents OF
fertile land, which, owing TO lack Of
drainage, have not been available for
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