The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1908-10-10
FIRST PROPOSED AMENDMENT.

The first proposed amendment is con-
1907. BY this amendment it is sought to
repeal Sections one o., two (2), three
(3), four ~ and seventeen (17) of Article
nine 10y of the Constitution (the latter
section being the amendment to said Ar
ticIe nine (e), adopted in 1866, which
sections now read as follows:
"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 cash valuation
and be equalized and uniform throughout
the state: Provided, that the legislature
may. by general law or special act, au-
thor'Ze municipal corporations to levy
assessments for local improvements upon
the property fronting upon such improve
rlents, or upon the property to be bene-
fitted by such improvements. or both,
without regard to cash valuation, and in
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
popula ton 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 mum cipality 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 munic' pality In
water rate due for the same: and pro-
vided further, that there may be by law
levied and collected a tax upon all nher-
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 he graded or progress
i've but shall not exceed a maximum tax
Of five ner cent.
"Section 2. 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 tax
for the ensuing year sufficient with other
sources of ircome. to pay the deficiency
of the preceding wear. together with the
estimated expenses of such ensuing year.
But no law levying a tax or making other
provisions for tho payment of interest or
principal Of bonds denornated Mime
sofa State Railroad Bonds shall take
effect or be in force until such law shall
have been submitted to a 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 it's true value in
money; but public burying, grounds. pub
lie school houses, public hospitals,
academies. colleges. universities, and all
seminaries of learning. al 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 hun
dred dollars for each individual. shall, by
general laws, be exempt from alton.
Section 4. 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.
pose, or provide for the imposition of, up
on the property within this state of any
and all owners operators, whether
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 of 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
owners or operators OF any and all mines
or of mineral ores situated in this state;
also upon the property within this state
Of all boom companies or owners, and OF
all ship builders or owners doing business
in this state or having port therein
(provided, 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 such
companies or OwnerS,-a tax as uniform
as reasonably may be with the taxes inn
posed upon similar property in sad state,
or upon the earnings thereof within this
state, but may be graded or progressive,
or both, and in providing for such tax, or
in providing for ascertaining the just and