The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-03-20

| The Senate surprised t Ii e state
"Wednesday by killing the county as
SCISSOR bill by decisive vote, only II
senators giving it their support. The
| result would doubtless have been diff
ferent, had the bill gone to vote
Immediately after its passage in the
Eouse, b u t the opposition to the
measure in the rural districts gather
ed such momentum that the senators
from tho.e districts simply had to
vote against it, regardless of their
feelings i'm the matter. A veritable
cyclone of wrath passed over the
| farming communities when it became
known that the county assessor bill
was likely to become a law. Seldom
has proposed act so aroused the
farmers and villagers, and it is doubt
full whether any future legislature
will have the temerity to enact such
law. The farmers are not strong as
lobbyists, but they can protest as
loudly as anybody when their hair is
combed the wrong way.
- Z, =
The House passed large number
of bills during the week. the most inn
portant of which are the Spooner
waterway proposition, the Dunn au-
tomobile license tax. and the Norton
Nolan legislative reference bureau
act.
The Spooner waterway scheme is
about the same as the Morris man
advocated in the sessions of 1909 and
1911. His bill appropriates $4,000 for
the making OF survey with \ view
to aScertaining the feasibility and
practicibility" of constructing canals
and Waterways i'm various sections Of
Minnesota. The scheme is vast in its
scope: it is dream and vision, in
spring to the Imagination. 1t pro-
poses system Of canals that will af-
ford cheap transportation, water
power and pleasure. Those who OPP
pose it regard it as purely visionary,
While those who favor il think il,
may result in big things for the state.
If il passes the Senate, / shall give
further particulars as to its provisions.
The Dunn automobile bill, which
was backed by the tax committee,
ieyies an annual tax OF five dollars
upon automobile owners, in addition
to the personal property tax upon
each machine paid into the county
treasures. This new five dollar tax
is to be paid into the state treasury
and will be spent wholly on the state
roads This is the feature of the bill
dear to the heart of Bob Dunn. and
if the measure becomes a law several
hundred thousand dollars will flow
into the state road and bridge fund
every year.
Representative II. q. Bjorge, of
Lake Park, the red ubtable foe of
the steel trust, has come forward
with new sort of tonnage tax bill.
1t is a franchise tax to be levied upon
all corporations mining iron ore in
Minnesota at the rate of one per cent
per ton. 1t is a license for the priv
ilege which these corporations enjoy
of doing business in the state, and,
unlike the tonnage tax hitherto pro-
posed is not in lieu of all other taxes.
The present advalorem tax on iron
ore, paid into the county treasures,
is not interferred with at all by this
proposed tax or license, all of which
is to 20 to the state. and, If the bill
becomes law, will amount to about
$3.50, 900 per year.
Mr.. Bjorge patterns his bill after
the Pennsylvania law levying fran
cllise tax on coal corporations law
which has stood thetest of the courts
as to its constitutionality. He in
tended to introduce similar bill in
the session of 1909, after Gov johnson
vetoed his tonnage tax bill, but as
the session was SO far advanced that
the bill could not be introduced ex-
cept with the governors consent, and
vi