The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-02-03
and w. L. Hixon the committee.

eOi Po"Ci was tdhcH UP anu SENATOR
Works explained that the bill pro.
vides a tax of 81 per horse power in
addition to the ad valorem tax, and
he believed the bill unjust.
George M. Palmer moved that the
Blue Earth county delegation be in
structed to vote against the bill.
Mr.. Willard observed that at pres
ent Minnesota is more interested in
the development of her water power
than in the taxation of it, and Mr.
Palmer conceded with this view.
George Atchison said that com
pany was being organized with So,
100000 capital for the improvement
Of the Minnesota river for its water
power, and it was expected to ex
pend this money this year. To put
the tax on would affect the sale OF
the bonds, some of which are held in
this city.
The motion was carried
The bills for the appropriations for
the normal school and for an agri
cultural school were taken up and
discussed. 1t developed that a com.
mittee consisting of President Pat
terson, John Nyquist, B. F. Pay and
A. ]. Rush had been appointed to
try to get the appropriation for the
agricultural school. Senator Works
said that he would prefer to push a
bill for an agricultural school for
Mapleton, Amboy, Lake Crystal or
some other town in the county
rather than for Mankato, as he knew
that Mankato would stand no show
to get the school, with the normal
located here and asking for an ap.
preparation.
Talk BY Judge Cray.
Judge Cray called Mr.. Palmer to
the chair and took the floor and
said that he was profoundly i'm.
pressed and oppressed at the exist.
ing conditions in the state in regard
to its development. The census re.
turns showed the tendency to build
up the three large cities at the ex.
pense of the rest of the state He
could not but feel that his condition
should be attributed to the fact that
for years the appropriations had been
too much centralized. The rural
districts were paying tribute to the
commercial centers and building
them up. He would favor an agri.
cultural school at any place where
it was desirable and where an ap.
preparation would carry. "We must
do something TO save the rural dis
tricts," he said. 1.-The state fair
and the university are asking $6,5OO,.
600, and the appropriation asked for
the Mankato normal is only one-six.
tieth of this. Haven't we been for
years driving nails in our own cof-
fin. depopulating the rural districts
and building up the cities? The state
appropriations are largely the reason
for the building up of the great
cities. If this thing keeps on, we
might as we'll pack our trunks and
move to the cities and leave the
country to be taxed to death. Power
is centralized in the cities, as is
shown by the freight rates. The
fault of our decrease in population
lies at our doors. The money earned
here should be spent here CAP.
plause.)
Senator Works observed that he
wished that the twin city reporters
could have been present so that the
burden of their criticisms could have
been distributed more than it had
during the last two or three weeks.
Mr.. Willard moved that the sug,
gestion of Senator Works be met and
the bill be withdrawn, and this was
carried.
Atchison Made Denial.
Mr.. Atchison got the floor at this
juncture and said that the state
fair board had not asked for a dol.
lars appropriation from the state.
Several smaller agricultural societies
had appeared before the board and
asked it to request an appropriation
for new agricultural building, and
the board recommended it upon
their motion, but no sum was set.
Former President Underwood's rec.
ommendation that an appropriation
of $1,500,000 to cover period of
ten years be made was what caused
his defeat. "A petition that has
been circulated here against an ap.
preparation seems to be slap at
me. ] am awfully sorry it was cir.
culated," said Mr. Atchison.
H. E. Hance took the floor and
said that he was opposed to a lib.
eral appropriation for the same rea.
son that Judge Cray was. No one
had taken a slap at Mr. Atchison
The speaker had gone around with
the petition as a taxpayer and it
had been signed by all who had
been seen. He had received letters
from over the state commencing the
move, and the petition was now go
ing to be circulated all over the
state. He was not against the state
fair or the university, but against
Capitalization. Last winter there
was lobbyist before the legislature
for the state fair 1--WE had no lobbyist
for Mankato," said Mr.. Hance. I'll
it was left to a vote of the people
the state fair would not get any
aDDrODriatiOn and 7 do not think fha