The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-10-22

owners or operators Of any and an mines
or Of mineral ores situated In this state
also upon the property within this state
all ship builders or owners doing business
in this state or having a port therein
tprovided, that this act shall not apply
to property owned by railroad companies,
their lands and other property; and upon
the property Of either or any OF sucn
compa or owners,-a tax as UNIFORM
as reasonably may be with the taxes I'M
or upon the earnings thereof within TINS
state, but may be graded or progressive,
or both, and in providing for such tax, or
in providing for ascertaining the just ana
true value Of such property, it shall be
competent for the legislature In either
or all such cases. to impose such tax
upon any or all property thereof within
this state, and In either case by taxing
as the basis Of such imposition the pro-
portionate business, earnings, mileage or
quantity of production or property now
or hereafter existing Of any such COM
panies, persons or owners, transacted or
existing in this state, in relation to the
entire business, mileage or quantlty Oh
production or property OF such COM
panies, persons or owners as aforesaio'
or in such other manner, or by such
other method as the legislature may de-
termine: but the proceeds Of such taxes
upon mining property shall be distributes
between the state and the various pollt-
ical subdivisions thereof wherein the
same is situated, in the same proportlon
as the proceeds of taxes upon real prop
erty are distributed: Provided furtner.
that nothing in this act contained snau
operate to authorize the assessment or
taxation Of any farm land or ordinary
business blocks or property owned py
any such corporation, person, hrm OF
company except in the manner PROVIDED
by the ordinary methods Of taxation,
and to substitute therefor the following:
'.Sec l. The power Of taxation shall
never be surrendered, suspended or con-
tracted away. Taxes shall be uniform
upon the same class Of subjects, and
shall be levied and collected for public
but public burying grounds,
public school houses. public hospitals.
academies, colleges, universities, and all
seminaries Of learning, all churches'
church property used for religious pur-
poses, and houses Of worship, institutions
of purely public charity, and public
property used exclusively for any public
purpose, shall be exempt from taxation,
and there may be exempted from taxa
ton personal property not exceeding In
value 5000 for each household. individual,
or head of family, as the legislature
may determine. But the legislature may
authorize municipal corporations to levy
and collect assessments for local i'm
provements upon property benefited
thereby without regard to cash valua-
tion and nothing herein contained shall
be construed to affect, modify or repeal
any existing law providing for the taxa
tion of the gross earnings of railroads.
This proposed constitutional amend
ment was submitted and voted upon at
the last election and was declared car
ried. But contest was instituted by In
terested parties, claiming that the amend
ment was not carried. That contest 10
now pending in the courts and it was on
that account that the legislature decided
to re-submit the amendment to the peo.
pie, so that however the contest may be
decided, the next legislature may have
the power granted by the amendment.
For the purpose of discussing the effect
of the amendment ! will assume that the
same amendment submitted at the last
election, did not carry.
The purpose and effect of this amend
ment would be to greatly enlarge the
power of the legislature with reference
to the subject Of taxation. Section one
GD as 1t now stands provides that all
ta%CS t"pOSSO SUdI DC cQudI-dS uSaT 90
may be-on all forms of property, and all
property upon which a tax is imposed 70
required to have a CASH VALUATION
equalized throughout the state.
Section two (2) as it now stands re-
quires the legislature to levy the neces-
sary taxes annually to defray the ex-
penses of the state. That Is the duty OF
the legislature without any constitutional
direction.
Section three (s) as 1t now stands pro-
vides that all real and personal property,
including MONEYS, CREDITS and IN
VESTMENTS IN BONDS AND STOCKS,
value in money.
Section four (4) as It now stands pro-
vides that property employed in banking
shall be subject to tax equal to that
imposed on other property. This 10 only
repetition Of the requirements Of Sec.
tlons one (1) and three (3), as no rational
person would claim that banking capital
should be exempt from taxation.
Section seventeen (17) as 1t now stands
tended by that section to relieve from the
operation Of sections one (D and three
(3), above quoted, property Of the classes
therein enumerated, SO thar gross earn
ings tax could be applied thereto instead
OF direct taxation.
Owing to the provisions Of sections one
(D and three (3) of the present consti-
tuition many amendments were from time
to time added so as to permit taxes to be
Imposed on specific kinds of property
otherwise than upon a cash vaIuat on
equalized throughout the state.-We have
among these exceptions railroad gross
earnings taxes; municipal frontage taxes;
Inheritance taxes; and the gross earnings
taxes authorized by sad section seven
teen 90. ...a
Several exemptions from taxation are
also provided for, but as these exemp-
tions are not changed by the proposed
amendment, will make no further ref
erence to them.
The amendment which, II adopted,
would take the place Of all Of the sections
and amendments above referred to, Is
simple and pain. No provision of the
Constitution is necessary to authorize the
imposition of the taxes necessary for the
support Of the state and it's various poIit-
ical subdivisions. The power Of taxation is
Inherent In government. This proposed
amendment declares that this inherent
power of taxation shall never be surren-
dered, suspended OF contracted away;
that taxes shall be imposed for public
purposes and shall be uniform on the
same class ct subjects. Should this
amendment be adopted all property of
every kind in the state would be subject
to taxation, according to tte method the
legislature saw fit to adopt, provided
only that tie tax was levied for a pub
lie purpose and was uniform on the same
class of Sub iects. Under this amend.
ment every tax law we now have on the
statue b3cks would continue to be valid,
because under this amendment all Iimita-
tions on the power Of the legislature