The Ely miner., 1909-05-07
BUSHEL TAX
Unconstitutional Law Plac-
ed on the Statutes
Tonnage Tax all Right
Bushel Tax all Wrong

~
j Fergus Falls Journal. 1t will b.
J, remembered that Mr.. Adams wa;
| the first voter on the list of house
i members and his vote was yes
i on the tonnage tax measure. The
i supposition is that he also voted
! ives" on the bushel tax. Mr.
] Adams says:
Among the measures passed a
4 the last session of the Legislature
was chapter 466, levying bush
1 ei' tax on grain. This is twin
sister of the tonnage tax, and was
introduced as antidote to the mea-
sure providing for stamp tax on
trades executed in the various
chambers of commerce in the state.
The measure provides that every
person or corporation operating an
elevator shall pay tax of d of a
mill per bushel on all wheat and
flax received, and e of a mill per
bushel on all other grain received
or handled during the year. The
bill was introduced shortly after
the measure imposing a tonnage
tax and the providing for stamp
tax on trades in futures. The ton
mage tax passed both bodies. The
stamp tax on futures passed the
house and went to the senate where
it reposed for the last month of the
session in the pocket of Senator Ed.
Smith and never escaped. The
'bushel" tax passed the house on
" a short time before the close,
but they attended to it in the senate,
and it passed there without attract
ing much attention during the last
days of the session.
s. It is not known how much rev.
enue the 'bushel'' tax will produce
but in view of the fact that all of
the grain which is not used for seed
or flour at home goes into an eleva-
tor one or more times, it ought to
produce considerable revenue.
There is some curiosity as to wheth-
er anyone will attack the constitu-
tionality of this bill. If the impo-
sition of a tonnage tax was an IN
reference with the burden upon
interstate commerce on the theory
that when the ore left the mine it
had started on its journey to Buffa-
10, this may apply to wheat, as
when it enters its first elevator it is
on it's way to some destination out
side the state, and the tax therefore
NAV be in violation of the Federal
Constitution.
There is also a possibility that it
may not hold water under the State
Constitution, as the so-called wide
open amendment, adopted two
years ago, provides that taxes shall
be uniform on the same classes of
property, the only exceptions being
gross earnings on railroads and
special assessments for municipal
improvements.
In view of the fact that wheat
which goes to market bears bur-
den which wheat at home escapes,
it would seem that the tax was not
exactly uniform. The curious
thing about this matter, however
is that the tax on deals in the
chamber of commerce went into a
pocket and was forgotten, and the
tax on iron ore was vetoed, while
the tax on the wheat purchased
from the farmers wagons stands.
It is also quite noticeable that the
telegraph wires were not melted by
kilograms from business interests
/
all over the state demanding that
the governor veto it on the ground
that it was unfair, unequal, unjust,
sectional and liable to stop the till
ing of the soil, prevent the build
ing or operation of milling plants,
and close downlthe schools, so he
signed it."
The Duluth Evening Herald ed
itorially commenting on the above
article voices the opinion of the
larger part of the citizens of the
! northwest on the measure. We're
produce the Herald's comment
which was as follows:
There can be no question tha
the objections raised to this law by
Mr.. Adams and others are wei
: founded. 1t is bad law, based OF