Morris tribune., 1910-10-21

They would oftentimes allow the farm
er lower grade. and charge him with
| were subjected to for the same grain at
| terminal points. This condition was in
tolerable and there arose cry for some
remedy and relief from such practices.
| During the legislative session of 1898,
while was governor, with the ald OF
Mr.: Clausen, then chief grain inspector;
! and now secretary of the Railroad and
| Warehouse Commission, 1 drafted bill
| for the inspection and regulation or
| country elevators and grain ware
houses, and procured the introduction
of the same in the legislature: 1t en-
| countered considerable opposition from
| some Of the elevator and railroad com
| by a narrow majority in each body. It
effect August l., 1888 This, law was
some of it's details and thus reenacted
| and superseded by the act of April l6,
1895, which is practically on the, same
of 1893, and is now the law governing
| the grading and inspection of grain in
all country. elevators. This law mas
proved to be valuable and helpful to
| country elevators, and has proved to pc
| a restraint upon the inclination OF the
agents operating these elevators to give
| incorrect and undue weights and
| grades, and to make unreasonable dock
| age, for they now have to operate in
| harmony with, and are checked up by,
| points, and any errors committed by
| them can be speedily rectified and I
may further add in this connection that
| this law has run the gauntlet of and
| been sustained by the supreme court of
| the United States.
Ample provision has also been made by
| legislation for the shipment of grain in
| carload lots, for the construction and
! operation of elevators on or adjacent to
| the right of way of railroads, and for
! track connection with the same, for
| suitable track connection between in
| tersecting railroads to the end that cars
can readily be transferred from one
| ing platforms and cattle yards AS
! supplemental to, and in aid Of the laws
| relating to the weighing and inspection
| Of grain at terminal and country eleva-
| tors, the legislature has also provided
! for grain inspection board of three
members at each of the cities of Min
may be taken and who have a regula-
| tive voice and control in the matter Of
grain inspection.
Prior to 1899 there was no law to
| regulate and control commission mer-
| chants dealing in farm products, and it
often happened that some of these mer-
chants were irresponsible and dishon-
est; and shippers were often defrauded
by some of these merchants and in con-
sequence often sustained great losses.
It was not easy for farmer or shipper,
living at remote part of the state, to
pass upon the credit or character of the
merchant at the terminal. and it was
oftentimes difficult to determine the
degree of fraud and deception practiced.
To relieve farmers and shippers from
| these evils. the legislature passed the
act, of April IA, 1899, for the licensing
chants selling agricultural products on
commission, and placing them under
the jurisdiction and control of the Rail-
road and Warehouse Commission. All
these important laws, to which I have
| thus briefly called your attention, have
been enacted by Republican legislatures
ffcials, and they have all been in the
interest and to promote the welfare of
the farmers, the producers, and the
shippers of our state No other state
and helpful code of laws relating to
the shipment and marketing of all kinds
of grain and country produce as that
of Minnesota. Our railroad laws and
our elevator and warehouse laws are
the first, the best, and the foremost in
agricultural states to follow.
Other important legislation occurs to
me, to which will briefly call your at
tentiOn.
In 1903 an act was passed increasing
the gross earnings tax on railroads
from three to four per cent, and sub
hitting the act for approval to vote of
law has been tested in the supreme
court of the United States and held
valid by that court. The legislature of
1898 by joint resolution appointed a
committee of three senators and four
members of the House to investigate all
frauds, committed in connection with
the sale. disposal. or spoliatiOn, Of any
of the lands Of the state, or the timber
on the same. and the said commission
were directed to make report upon
their iinvesttgation to the governor be
one of the results of this INVESTIGATION
and report, the legislature passed the
act of April 22, 1895 most important
law prescribing with much detail the
methods for the appraisal and sale Of
the lands of the state and the timber on
the: same, and providing drastic pen
altieS for timber treSpaSSers and other
violations of the law. The act created
a board of timber commissioners con-
sisting of the governor, the auditor, and
the secretary of state. Before any pine
timber can be sold. the sale must be
authorized and approved by this board.
and the sale must be at auction, after
due notice, to the highest bidder. The
law gives treble damages in case of
wilful trespass and double damages in
other cases. Many suits have been in
stituted and successfully prosecuted bv
the attorney general Of the state under
the law to recover damage for timber
trespasses and treble and double dam
ages in large amounts have been recOV-
cred in a number of cases. The validity
of the law has been drawn in question,
especially on account of it's drastic pen
alties but the same have been sus-
tanned bv the supreme court of the
United States.
Attorneys General Young and Simpson
deserve great credit for the vigor with
which they have so successfully prose-
cuted these very important cases. The
act of 1895 has been amended and
strengthened by the supplemental act
of Apri1 II. 1905.
After passing other Inheritance tax
laws. which had been held invalid by
the courts. the legislature finally passed
a tax on inheritances and bequests and
prescribing the rate of such taxes. The
validity of this law, like that of it's
predecessors, was questioned, but the
same has been sustained by our state
supreme court, and under it over one
million dollars in taxes have already
been collected. Through the efforts of
the present attorney general and the
state auditor a portion of these taxes
have been collected from the estate ofd
non-residents, A notable case of this
kind is that of the estate of John S.
Kennedy of New York who owned a
considerable amount of stock in the |
Great Northern Railway Company. Over |
S345000 were collected from this source |
alone
Under the state constitution, before |
amended as hereafter mentioned, no |
taxes aside from taxes on the gross !
earnings of railroads. and taxes for |
local improvements could be levied ex- |
cept on the basis of the assessment and |
o1J 11 ~ I'll;