The Ely miner., 1911-03-03
Ely, MINI, Feb. 20, 1911,

Ely, Mimi, Feb. 20, 1911.
EDITOR MINER
Dear Sir:-In your issue of a
week ago, w. J. Olcott, president
of the Oliver Iron Mining company
in his answer to w. J. Archer of
Virginia on the county division
proposition, makes some statements
towards which exceptions can be
taken.
In the first place, I am strictly
opposed to county division from a
financial standpoint and from an
Individual viewpoint and not
through any sayso of the worthy
gentleman signing the article above
spoken of. This is insofar as the
merits of the case have been pre-
sented and Judging from the state
ments so far set forth by the divis-
ion enthusiasts and not through
fear of any tonnage tax" bugaboo
or other dire political calamaties.
Mr.. Olcott states that the present
bill before the legislature, which is
nothing more nor less than an at
tempt to amend the law in such a
manner as to give the people a
chance to say as to whether they
want county division or not, is a
direct invitation for tonnage tax. !"
AS far as the writer can see, any
thing eminating from St. Louis
county in the legislature is direct
invitation for tonnage tax and is
so considered by the southern part
of the state and the more the Steel
Corporation has to do with it, the
more direct does the invitation be-
come. However this has no bear
ing on the question of county
division whatever as in Mr.. Olcott' S
article little farther down he
states that anything affecting the
ranges also affects Duluth and the
strength of the people lies in the
unity of the county. AS the "peo-
pie" all live in Duluth and the
strength" live on the ranges the
paternal care exercised by Duluth
over the ranges is touching in the
extreme.
Mr.. Olcott says that the mining
properties pay fve-sixths of the en-
tire county tax and eleven-twelfths
of the entire tax on the ranges. )"
Facts and figures prove that even
with this percentage, the mining
interests are not paying in proper
ton by about the same figures as
does one of their most humble
surface laborers. Not only this.
but the man that buys the finished
product eventually pays the mining
company's taxes, whether he pur-
chases nails to build a house, or a
stove to keep himself warm. The
man that buys anything of iron
pays the taxes. Every cent paid
out by the company goes into the
cost. The purchaser of the ore
next pays it, then the pig iron
man, then the manufacturer, then
the wholesaler, then the retailer,
then the consumer-an evolution
that brings it right back, leaving
the company absolutely without
the payment of cent.
Thus the 1aborer on the ranges
pays not only his own taxes, which
he never gets back, but also pays a
share of the company's taxes. Be
sides, he pays his taxes with much
more grace than does the company
who holler" like a stuck pig
every time the tax season shows
up and then make statements that
might be construed to mean we
pay all the taxes, now shut up
The company has the property
why shouldn't they pay the taxes!
Everyone knows the Oliver Iron
Mining company is not charitable
institution and while the ordinary
| citizens interests are somewhat
closely linked with the institution
and knowing that to injure the
company is to injure the ranges
it nevertheless remains fact that
the company pays only a mere
bagatelle of taxes and not within a
considerable percent as much as
any other taxpayer on the ranges.
The f1p11reS show thew now e1ex,er,