Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-08-03
COMMONWEALTH FINDS ITSELF
IN POSSESSION OF VAST
SUMS OF MONEY.
PROCEEDS OF RECENT JUDGMENT
Hoard May Wipe Out Taxes for 1911
and Become a Christmas Gift
Governor Said to Be Seeking
Legal Authority.

through collections coming in from va
rious sources and through the unusual
collections made during the year.
This is an unheard of thing. some
thing that probably has never occurred
in the history of this or any other
state, but it is exactly what is going
to happen in Minnesota, if recommen-
dations which Governor A. o. Eber-
hart, following suggestions made by
Attorney General George T. Simpson
and other state officers, are reported
to be considering, are followed.
At present the treasury of the state
of Minnesota is grooming under the
burden of a surplus which has never
been duplicated. On Oct. there will
be nearly $4,000,000 in the state treas
ury. Oct. l, 1909, there was approx
mately 100000 in the treasury, or
about half the amount that will be in
the states strong box on the CORE
spending date this year. There is, or
will be, a surplus of $1,700,000 in the
state treasury.
The unusual amount of money in the
oCc1LC S1oA OOA HOO SO"O AOoOI
through the successful settlement of
cases which have netted the state
large sums Of money. The largest of
these items came from the settlement
Of the lumber cases, the gross earn
ings tax cases, the Kennedy inheri-
lance tax cases and others.
Not only have large sums of money
come into the treasury, but they will
result in constantly augmenting
streams of gold in the direction of the
states Golfers, so that Minnesota bids
fair to become state unique in the
history of taxation-a state that may
find it not necessary to tax it's people
one cent for the general maintenance
Of state governments.
AS this money has been piling up in
the state treasury the officers of the
state have been wondering what to do
with it. It is understood there have
been secret conferences extending over
month. The governors Office has
been in secret consultation with the
Office of the attorney general, the at
torney general has been in consultation
with the state auditor and the state
auditor has in turn consulted with the
others.
What the exact results of these con.
ferences have been and just how far
they have gone in settling the future
financial policy of the state is not
known. The matter has been guarded
jealously with the probable intention
of giving the conclusions to the state
all in one finding and the definite con-
illusions may not have been reached.
But this much can be stated, the
governors inquiry has resulted in an
approval Of the part of the attorney
general of the program of abrogating
the states taxes and it is probable
that a cool million or more, possibly
the entire taxation sum, will be Topped
off the roll for the year beginning
Oct. 1.
Matters of policy for the future are
involved. SURPRISES are dangerous
things. They tempt to the cutting of
way of improvements, new buildings,
state institutions, etc. The applica-
ton of money to the running expenses
Of the state which are paid out of
the general revenue fund, would find
an immediate use for the cash.
The program is so revolutionary
that the absolute legality of the act
may be questioned, but it is under
stood from seemingly credible sources
that Attorney General Simpson be-
lieves it can be done, that other law
yers are of the same opinion and that
it will be done to the extent of ap-
plying the surplus of over one mil
lion dollars to the general expense
fund of the state, leaving only some
thing like 100000 to be raised by
general taxation purposes.