The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-03-25


with zeal and earnestness worthy of
larger, if not better cause.
The senate railroad committee
seems to have missed connections at
headquarters this year, and the way it
is reporting out railroad measures is
surprising everyone, and in some in
stances has proved embarrassing even
to the friends of railroad reform.
This is especially true of the eastman
long distance tariff bill. A good many
people think that no further rate leg
islation should be adopted until after
the rate cases at present in litigation
are settled. This view is held by the
railroad and warehouse commissioners,
and is shared by Ex-Attorney General
Young and Dir. O'Brien, who have
charge of the suits to which have
referred. They were in conference
the other day with Senator eastman,
but failed to induce him to consent to
forego the consideration of his bill,
which is now on general orders. He
is said to believe that his bill if pass
ed, would put an end to litigation and
would result in the putting in force of
local railroad rates which would at
least be equitable and would not per-
NIT discrimination between localities
as at present. One of Mr.. Cashman's
principal objects is to get such rates
to Duluth as will give the state the
natural advantages proximity to the
great lakes affords. This advantage is
now denied interior towns and stations
by rates which discriminate in favor
of st. Paul and Minneapolis.
A peculiar problem has arisen as a
result of official disregard of the law
requiring all property to be assessed
at it's full cash value. This has never
been attempted. Instead each county
appears to have adopted a ratio of its
own, these ratios varying between
twenty and sixty percent. The sal
aries of county treasurer and auditor
and other local officials have been bas-
ed on assessed valuations as made, and
in case of any general increase in as
sessments these salaries would be cor
respondingly raised, althoughn no great
er service would be rendered. The tax
commission has given notice to the
legislature that it in the future i'm
tends to obey the letter of the law
whatever it is, no matter what hap
pens to the salaries. Unless the law
is changed next year property will,
therefore, be taxed at it's full cash
value There are various reasons why
it is not desirable to do this other
than that it will in all cases greatly
increase the salaries of officials and in
some instances quadruple them. The
commission, therefore, suggested the
passage of law assessing property at
SO per cent of it's value.
The house committee thought bet
ter of this and reported the bill max
ing the ratio 40 per cent. Then Rep
resentative Stuart sought to classify
property and proposed an amendment
with 40 per cent valuation to apply
to farms, a so per cent valuation for
city property and a go per cent yalua-
tion for iron lands. The tonnage tax
people took alarm at this as an insid-
ious attempt to defeat the tonnage
tax bill by a 20 per cent increase in
valuation and successfully fought
against it. Then so per cent yalua-
tion was proposed. 1t was defeated.
Then the bill itself, with 40 per cent
valuation, was recommended for in
definite postponement. The house
then woke up to the real situation and
saw that it had gone too far. Some
thing had to be done if the tax COM
mission really intends to assess prop
erty at it's actual value. So the mo-
tion to indefinitely postpone was re-
considered and possibly later some
definite action, will be taken looking
to the establishment of some definite
ratio of assessment of value.
A joker has been discovered in the
bill to put electric railroads under the
of the railroad and ware
house commission. AS originally
drafted the bill was designed to put
these roads under the commissions
without any reservation
whatever. In committee the bill was
SO amended as to appear to take the
apparent control out of the hands OF
the commission, the effect being that
the roads would be under no control
whatever. However that may be, the
real opposition to the bill lies in the
fact that the right to regulate street
railways is taken away from the mu-
nicipal authorities, in whom it now
resides, if they do not always exercise
it as effectually as they should. The
cities insist that in this matter they