The Tomahawk., 1917-01-11

marketing Of grain and produce Is pc
coming more and moro important. rms
matter deserves Gu. most serious at
terton and if more just and better
ways Of transacting the business can
be devised through Legislative enact
ment, the producers of this state are
undoubtedly entitled to such leglsla-
ton from this body. Any practical pet
termcnt or improvement, which can De
suggested in the weighing and lnspec-
ton of grain, should be encouraged
and adopted.
Constitutional Amendments.
During recent years certain proposed
constitutional amendments such as
those pertaining to the prohibition or
the sale of Intoxicating liquors ana to
the granting of the rights or tranchlse
to women, have been discussed in your
legislative campaigns and have been
up for consideration in this body IN
der the constitution, you alone nave
the power to dete rhine the question or
their submission to the people. Inc
executive is given neither the right 70
approve nor the power to veto your
action in this regard. If, under such
conditions, his opinion should be con-
sdered material, l wish to say that
my past attitude on these questions is
we'll known and, since becoming Gov
ernor, I have made no change IN my
position relative thereto.
Responsibility 1Or A"ACSs
To keep the state taxes as low as is
consistent with state progress is, or
course, desirable and to criticize state
officials for the unjustifiable expendl-
ture of public funds undoubtedly has
a good effect in keeping down extraVa-
giant expenditures, but am convinced
that criticism of the state government
in this respect is often based upon
misapprehension of the real facts for
the share Of taxes which go to the state
for state purposes has always oeen
very small compared with the taxes
which go to the localities for local pur-
poses. OF the total tax levy FOR 1919,
less than Is Of the taxes paid or about
11.8 per cent went to the state. The
rest of the levy was for local school
purposes and expenses in connection
with county, city, village and township
affairs.
Division of Taxes.
The total taxable valuation OF all
property in Minnesota for 1915 was
$1,492, 000, 900. The total tax levy for
state and local purposes was $oI'ooo'-
100, Of which only $6,178,0O0 go to the
state and the balance to localities: Inc
amount disbursed for the same year by
the state for local purposes will be
approximately $6,200.000. The state,
therefore, pays back to the counties
more than it collects from them and II
school maintenance, which accounts
for such large portion of the money
paid by the state to localities and road
building, which has with commendable
foresight been made such an impor-
tant part of state development and put
Minnesota in a needed and prominent
position from which she should not re-
cede, but advance, were paid for py
local taxes the state could pay it's rum
ming expenses from indirect revenues
such as the gross earning tax, the IN
heritance tax and others of like nature
and the state tax levy could be entirely
abolished.
True Economy.
Although only a small share OF the
responsibility for high tax rate can,
by reason of the facts heretofore stat
ed, be placed on the state government
no state official would on that account
favor the extravagant expenditure OF
public money. We all believe IN max
ing the tax rate as low as possible, but
at the same time we are more anxious
to have the work of the state well done
and its money wall spent than to have
the taxes unreasonably reduced for we
all agree that too much economy is
apt to result in the greatest extrava-
gance and that the reasonable expendi-
ture of money for valid purposes Is
often the truest economy. In state at
fairs as in private business the results
accomplished and the dividends re-
ceived determine the wisdom of the in
vestment.
a Legislative Appropriations.
The last Legislature appropriated
less money than was appropriated dur
ing either Of the two previous sessions.
AS result the recent tax levy for the
state revenue fund was fixed at one
mill and the total state tax levy at
1865 mills, which is the lowest since
1910 and this reduction was accom-
plished although the one mill road tax
oio1, 11od NJ
been done up to 1918. The appropria-
ton from the revenue fund for the ifs
cal year from August 1, 1916, to July
81, 1917, is sS,45o,OoO. OF the amount
appropriated by the last Legislature
for the fiscal year, the sum Of S2,365,0O0
was appropriated FOR state cha s a
and correctional institutions and con-
stitutes % per cent of the total appro-
priations. The total sum appropriated
from the revenue fund for educatlonal
purposes was $3,656,O0o and constitutes
more than 43 per cent of the total ap-
preparations for the fiscal year; ms
money is spent for University, Normal
School and agricultural education and
for special aid to High, Graded and
Rural schools. About % per cent OF
the total appropriations is for the
Legislative, Judicial and Executive de-
partments. The legislators salaries la des
amount to the sum Of nearly S2O0,ooO
and the annual expenditures in the
Judicial department is more than $780,
600. The sum Of $1,452.550 is appro-
priated to carry on the work done py
the state officials and by the many dit.
ferent state departments. A sum OF
about 100000 constituting the remain
ing per cent of the total approprla-
lions, is expended for miscellaneous
purposes such as the Soldiers Home
the Historical Society and other pupIc
projects.
Appropriations for Charitable 1nstitu-
tons.
Minnesota takes much interest IN
caring for it's unfortunates. It is,
believe, the only state in the Union ex-
tending aid to it's prisoners. 1t was
the first state to establish a hospital
for crippled children. There are, To-
day, more than 1900 dependents IN the
public school at Owatonna. In the IN
situations for the deaf, the blind ana
the feeble minded at Faribault there
was, during last year, an attendance
Of nearly 1900 and in the five state
hospitals and asylums for the insane
there was a population of more than
$500. With the increase in the num-
Der of the states inhabitants must
come an increase in the NUMBER OIL It's