The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-01-15
important Measure Is Introduced
To Legislative Body.
TO MAKE CREDITS EXEMPT
o. A. Stuart's Bill. Is Based on Idea
That Texation of Credits Is Double
Taxation; Salary Bill.

the mortgage registry tax law was
one of the most important in the big
bunch of bills int1sduced in the house.
D. A. Stuart of Windom is the author
of the measure, which is intended to
exempt all credits from taxation His
idea is that taxation of credits is dou-
BILE taxation, his bill specifically men
tions mortgages, notes, accounts. tax
certificates, judgments, state, county,
municipal and school district bonds
and warrants as credits, which shall
be exempt from taxation. The mort
gage registry tax was passed by the
last legislature, after the wide-open
tax amendment had been adopted the
old constitution requiring that credits
be assessed and taxed as other prop
erty.
There seems to be some question as
to whether credits can be entirely ex-
empted from taxation, even under the
new constitutional provisions, but this
will have to be threshed out in com
mitteea Mr.. Stuart contends that
taxation of credits is unjust, for the
tax falls on the borrower and compels
him to pay a tax on his property as
we'll as on his debts.
Two bills of interest to the state
officcholders were introduced. w. A
Nolan of Grand Meadow has a bill to
make the public examiner elective,
and the assistants to be appointed by
him. The term is left at two years.
The idea is to make the examiner in
dependent of any of the other depart
mentS which he must investigate. At
present he is appointed by the gov
ernor. The other is a bill by Frank
Nimocks of Minneapolis raising the
salaries of several state officers. The
governors salary is raised from ST.,
900 to $4,000, the state auditor from
$4,000 to $1,000. the state treasurer
from $500 to $4,000, the secretary of
state, from $4,000 to $4,000 and the
attorney general from $4,000 to $500.
Number of Judges Increased.
The supreme court judges are in
creased from five to seven in bill
by Andrew Anderson of Lakeland.
in another bill Frank Nimocks
makes all city officers in cities of So
600 or over elective and fixes good
sized salaries for them. A bill max
ing the county assessor, wherever
there is one, elective was introduced
by Oscar Christensen of st. Paul.
Foreign manufacturing corporations
are required to pay q filing fee when
entering this state, just as large as
the fee paid by domestic corporations
under the present law, under a bill
introduced by D. A. Stuart of Win
dom.
The law establishing the state
farm for inebriates is repealed in
bill by Elmer Adams of Fergus Falls.
Thoroughgoing changes in the pres
ent primary law, and the extension of
the law to all state officers and United
States senators were proposed in the
senate by John Moonan of Waseca.
Senator Moonan has incorporated
features of the Kentucky and the Wis
consin laws into his bill, and thinks
that he has solved many of the diff
culties which have been met in the
practical operation of the primary
law.
The constitutional amendment pro-
posed by e. S. Durment of st. Paul
provides that there shall be four to
eight associate justices of the SUI
preme court as the legislature may
direct This gives to the legislature
the power to increase the number of
supreme court members at any time.
To Make Mixed Marriages Void.
All marriages between negroes and
whites are to be void after the passage
of a bill introduced by ]. F. Calhoun
of Minneapolis by request.
One of the first bills to be intro
duced this session by Senator b. E.
Sundberg of Kennedy was given its
first reading. 1t affects the relations
of producers with commission mer-
chants in the city and prohibits one
member of firm from selling on the
floor of a produce exchange or cham
Der of commerce to another member
of the same firm. There is penalty
of $500 to $4,000.
Committee appointments were an
nounced in both the house and senate.
There were a few surprises, but no
great disappointments.
Senator Stephens of Crookston was
appointed chairman of the finance
committee; Thorp of Willmar, bank
ing committee; Sundberg of Kennedy,
grain and warehouse; Peterson of
Moorhead, drainage; Nelson of Lanes
boro, commerce and trade.
l.. II. Johnson is chairman of the
house committee on general legisla-
ton; Spooner of Morris, prison COM
mittee; Zelch of Cottage Grove, agri-
cultural schools; Nolan of Grand
Madow, express, telegraph and tele-
phone; Dalzell of Morton, taxes and
tax laws, Putnam of Red Wing, ap-
preparations; Haugland of Monte
video, railroads; Dorsey, military af-
fairs.