New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-04-05
The Tonnsge Tax Defeat.

Northern Minnesota, and indeed
tho entire state, owes to the house q
representatives at st. Paul . vote o.
thanks and appreciation for the
prompt and effective squelching It adj
ministered to the tonnage tax bill
The thoroughness Of the defeat wal
moro than . reputation Of the theory
on which the bill was founded: 1t was
rebuke to the men who have sought
to foist an unwise and unjust measure
upon the state.
The vote show in q striking manner
the growing understanding among the
legislators subject Of taxation and III
application to state affairs. In 1907
there we're fifty.eight votes in favor OF
q tonnage tax. In 1909 there were
sixty votes for it, and the measure
would have become law had It moi
been for Governor Johnson's veto.
In the present legislature the vote
stood seventy against the tonnage tax
and only forty.eight in favor OF IT.
All the le aiding members Of the house
and all sections of the state are re-
presented in the vote against the bill.
Nothing could demonstrate more
clearly the fact that the members OF
the legislature are coming to under
stand the real nature of such a
measure and to see its great .faults,
its great injustice. 1t gives reason
able ground for hope that the idea
has been killed for all time.
There are two factors that must be
given credit for this growth of under
standing that led to the action yester-
day. One of these is the clear state.
ment of the principles involved in
Governor Johnson's vote message;
the exposition he made of the dangers
of such a measure to the tax system
of the state, the inequality and in.
justice it would work to the northern
counties, and the serious. results gen.
orally that might be expected to fol-
low the adoption of the tonnage tax.
The statements in that message formed
q comprehensive and clear refutation
Of the whole theory and could not help
but impress every man who might be
called on to vote on the proposition.
The other factor to be recognized is
the excellent work done by certain
members of the house in seeing that
the bill was placed before other mem-
bers in its true light. Representative
Albert Pfsender of New Ulm, the
Democratic leader on the floor of the
house, made splendid fight to defeat
the bill and his speech against it was
one of the session. Another member
whose work was especially notable is
Representative Ribenack, the only
Democrat in the house from St. Louis
county. Mr.. Ribenack did very ef-
fective work in explaining to members
from other sections the injustice of the
measure and was instrumental in pill
ing up the big vote against it.
In looking over the vote on the bill
it is interesting to see that of the
twenty six Democratic members Of the
house only five voted in favor of the
tonna &c tax, while one was absent
Had those other twenty Democrats
cast their votes on the other side, the
bill would have passed the house and
the fight for justice and reason would
have had to be begun all over again
in the senate. Such united action on
this matter cannot help but attract
favorable atteItion throughout the
state.
But the best point of all, the point
that really counts and the point that
emphasizes the understanding and
fair-mindedness of the house, is that
the tonnage tax bill. was given the
worst defeat in the history of such
measures in Minnesota, q defeat that
ought to put perpetual quietus on
any desire to try to rush the state into
such unfair and unwise legislation. -
Duluth Herald.