The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-04-24
Primary Election Bill Is New d Law
Though Fought by the Organ
izaiion of House
BIG APPROPRIATIONS
Amount of Money Set Aside For Run
ming the State Mounts up in
to the Millions
Especial Correspondence

ST. PAUL, April 2l.-Ihe new pfl-
mary bill taking all local and county
officers and members of the legisla-
ture out Of party politics has become
4 law, both branches..of the legislature
having definitely agreed to it and the
Governor having approved it. The
Hines organization Of the House
fought the bill to the end, but was
unable to hold all of its men in line.
while the Democrats and anti-organi-
Zation men voted for the bill to q
man.
The new law will practically wipe
out party lines in Minnesota. True.
the state officers and members of con-
sress will still he nominated on party
ballots, but there will be no more
county committees to handle cam
paigHs and hence no local organiza-
tons. 1t will he left to the state and
congressional committees to carry on
campaigns and keep alive the party
spirit, and it is exceedingly doubtful
y hetler they can manage the job
without the assistance Of county COM
mittees and county and legislative
candidates. No state has ever tried
such an experiment before, and Min
nesOta's experience will doubtless be
watched with intense interest all
over the country.
l.. c. Spooner's biilclassifying prop
erty for purposes oftaxation was final
ly passed by the Senate. but not until
after it had been completely redrafted
and so radically changed that Mr..
Spooner could hardly recognize his Off
spring The cities attacked the bill
tiercei; when it reached the Senate
and their influence prevailed in that
body The original bill favored the
rural homesteader and imposed a high
tax on city real estate. The Senate
bill imposes the same tax on country
and city real estate and does not dis
crinlinate against ripe merchantable
timber, as did the House bill. Mr..
Spooner does not like the changes
wrought in the act by the Senate but
owing to the short time left of the
session ne thought it best to concur
in the amendments, on the theory
that the amended bill is the best that
can he obtained at this time, and is a
step in the right direction. Mr..
Spooner holds that the people of the
state. by adopting the so-called wide
open tax amendment to the constitu-
ton in 1905, issued mandate to the
legislature to classify property for pur-
poses of taxation, but that the legis.
iature has until now failed to heed
The command. The amended bill as
passed by the Senate, repassed by the
House, and signed by the Governor,
is very short, and owing to its impor-
tance l herewith submit it in full.
''Class Iron ore whether mined
or unmined shall constitute class one.
and shall be valued and assessed at
so per cent Of its true and full value.
If unmined it shall be assessed with
and as part of the real estate in
which it is located, but at the rate
aforesaid The real estate in which
iron ore is located, other than the ore,
shall be classified and assessed in ac-
cordance with the provisions of class
.es 8 and as the case may be. In as
;sessing any tract or lot of real estate