Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-04-02

growing sentiment among the rank and
file Of the party, to pay court to the
liquor interests and 1t Is quite possible
that their political managers have de- b
cided to trim their sails to meet the
contingency when the party representa- L
tive or senator will have to choose be-
tween giving his allegiance to leaders
pledged to radical temperance reform
or becoming an insurgent wearing the
uniform Of the breweries. Such a leg
.islator has rarely proved Of much use
to them. Evidently they have decided
to go into the open field for recruits
who will have no party organization to.
embarass them. s. azs s. \: AZ .sz sc 81
ACTIVITIES OF THE BREWERY
3S.: $.Ss: LOBBY. S#.
3: In this connection the activities OF; /
politicians who are opposed to temper
ance reform are in the last days Of the
session attracting a good deal of atten-.
ton. Lobbyists pervade the halls Of the /
senate and house. That their work is
effective is indicated by the fact that /
in some way or other distractions are |
being put in the way Of all temperance
bills. The other day Mr.. Ftnke made |
an attempt to- have a day set apart in /
which all those on general orders in the |
house might be considered, and passed
or rejected as the case might be. He
scarcely got a hearing. The play is not |
for consideration but for delay. Con-
slider what happened to those which |
have made some progress. Mr.. O'Neill's |
roadhouse bill; after having been emas-
culated in the senate, is still held up. |
The bill granting county option to cities |
Of the fourth sclass, after passing the,
senate had an amendment: tackled on to
it in the house. The senate. refused to
concur. 1t, went to a conference COM
mittee. It has. stayed there up to the
present writing, although the point had
small significance. The senate brewery
control and blind pig investigating COM
mittee reported two measures of practi-
cal temperance reform whose merits ev-
eryone admits. They slumber in the
senate temperance committee, and the
probability that there will be opportun-
ity for both houses to consider them ISL
remote. And that's the way it goes all
along the line. The representatives of
the breweries never had the situation
better In hand. III. 49,.
| TAKING IRON LANDS. -.
|
Of property for taxation will be re-
membered. Among other things it did
| was to provide that iron lands, like
bank credits and ripe uncut timber
should be assessed for purposes of tax
alton at SO per cent of their value.
While leaving the latter to remain as
they are a subcommittee of the senate
committee has cut out the provision
with regard to iron lands, leaving them
at an accessible value apparently de-
pending on surface conditions, which in
! some cases is as low as Is per cent Of
their value While nel.ner house nor
senate favors tonnage tax on iron ore,
a good many members Of both branches;
and this includes some from ST. Louis
and the neighboring counties, are in
clined to resent the action of the SEN
ate committee, believing that iron pro-
perty is OF such character that it
should be taxed as high at least in pro-
portion to it's value as standing timber
or the property Of banks or city lots all
Of which come under the so per cent
clause. 49, =. - y;
THE LAST OF THE TONNAGE TAX. :
Mr.. Spooner himself voiced this re-
Esentment in the vote he cast in favor of
Mr.. Bjorge's new bill for a franchise
tax on iron companies equivalent to one
cent a ton on the ore mined. II do this"
he said, ito serve notice on the tax
! committee Of the senate that the house
will not submit to property classical
\ ton which will result in relieving the
owners Of iron property of paying their
s. just proportion Of the taxes" However,
50 far as a tonnage tax on iron ore is
concerned, the vote cast when an at
tempt was made to advance the last
Bjorge bill in the face of an adverse
committee report showed that any eff
fort in that direction at the present ses-
sion would be. unavailing no matter
what the provocation. Thirty-four votes
were all that could be mustered behind
it. 4. e.. : .s s.' i: [ .
). EXTENDING TERM OF COUNTY :
:. .sc OFFICIALS. s@..s
I There is a good deal to be said in fav-
or of Bob Dunn's bill extending the
term of county officials which has pass
ed the house, and it goes especially we'll
with the bill which makes these offices
non-partisan A county official, scarce
:. " does more than familiarize himself
s with his duties in his first term. His
services, at least, are mucn more valu-
able in his second. There is generally
. no better reason for putting him out
:. at the end Of two years than that some
7 one else wants to get in. If the public
service is only considered the longer the
term probably the better. The move is
certainly in the direction Of a more eff
fcient administration of county affairs.
CHEAPER MONEY FOR COUNTIES
Mr.. Dunn is the author of another bill
and this has been advanced also, the
3 purpose of. which is to enable counties
| to borrow money at a lower rate Of In
9 terest. The idea comes from Massachu-
setts where the principle is applied to
municipalities as well as counties. It
Z: is simply to lend the credit Of the state
:. to the county. In operation, the county,
i on vote Of the people, issues bonds for
~