Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1917-02-16
LEGISLATIVE LETTER

- LEGISLATIVE LETTER
Passage Of Tonnage Tax Bill In House
Seems Assured-Sen. Sageng Lined
Up With Reactionaries to Repeal
Non-Partisan Law-Senate to Vote
on Prohibition Amendment Feb. IS
to Abolish Wholesale Liquor Houses
Passes Senate-1. w. w. 1nvesttga
ton in House-Governor Not Bach
of Move for State Constabulary-
Representative WEIGH of Mcleod
Criticises Rep. Towards Action or
Grain and Warehouse Committee.
Charging mat hep. Asher Howard
of the Minneapolis Chamber Of Com
merce took an unfair advantage ove1
the farmers when in their absence hi
moved to indefinitely postpone House
File No. 26, bill for an act to com
pei terminal elevators to put in track
scales on all grain weighed by state
terminals, Rep. Welch Of Mcleod
county, started a fight which will be
carried to the floor Of the house. >
'In the absence of the farmer mem
bcrs of the Grain and Warehouse com
mittee Mr.. Howard took an unfair ad
vantage over the farmers of thiss state
when he moved to indefinitely postpone
this bill. I shall bring this matter W
before the house because the farmers
of this state are not going to let the
Chamber of Commerce run the state
legislature. I charge Mr.. Howard and
those men who with him aim to stran.
gle that legislation which is so vital
to the farmers Of this state with being
unfair and if we cannot get a square
deal from the Grain committee we are
going to get it from the legislature. -
That the contest between the farm
ers and the Chambers of Commerce for
the control of the house is getting
warmer can be evidenced bv this state
ment by Mr.. Welch, who is one of the
farmer leaders in the house. That this
contest on other measures of interest
to the farmers will hold the center of
the ring during the session is evident
from some Of the matters which are
now before the legislature.
House File No. 66, bill for an act
test weights on all grain,
also introduced by Mr.. Welch, passed
the house last Friday. The tax on fu-
lures, one Of the most important meas
ures introduced into the house, aimed
directly at the operators in the "pit''
Of the Chamber Of Commerce, has
been set for special order this Wednes-
day. This measure is expected to be
fought bitterly by the Chamber Of
Commerce. This bill is sponsored by
A. F. Teigen, johnson, Welch and Ben
Gxen.
What is anticipated to be one of the
closest fights in the legislature this
year is promised when the Tonnage
Tax question gets to the floor of the
house and senate. This bill has been in
troduced into the house by Rep. Bjorge
of BECKER and tcarries with it the
names Of Bendixen, Warner and Davis
as corauthors and provides for a two
per cent tax on all ore ready for ship
ment. To date two hearings have been
held on this question and the mining
country has sent large delegations To
these hearings TO- protest against its
passage, The mining interests and the
citizehs of northern Minnesota de-
nounce. this tax not as a tonnage tax
but as a super-tax and declare that it
will not hit the steel trust, who many
say it is aimed at, but will react upon
the small fee holder and laborer. This
is refuted by the authors Of this bill
who declare that it is the fairest ton
mage tax bill ever introduced into the
legislature. "This is an ideal bill, D
says Mr.. Bendixen, one of it's authors
Gin that it means to provide for oul
posterity and tends to give to the state
a just portion Of the tax on iron ore
I contend that the state does not re-
ceive a just portion Of this tax al
present and it certainly does not real
ize a share that is just in proportion
to what the mining companies and
their fee holders now receive.'
Rep. Warner, who in former years
was bitterly opposed to tonnage tax
has come in for considerable criticism
from northern Minnesota because OF
his stand On this question at this time
1t is charged bv Northern Minnesota
members Of the legislature that Mr.
Warner g attitude on this question ha!
changed since be met his defeat fo1
speaker Of the house. For similar rea
sons, it is said, Sen. R. G. Dunn, Of
Princeton, who was very active il
Warmers behalf, is also favorable tt
the passage Of tonnage tax at, this ses
sion. At the present writing, however
the passage Of this bill in the house
seems assured as the farmers are Inet
up solidly behind this measure and tn,
mining country in all probability will
have to pin its hopes to defeat thi
| bill in the senate where the result i
still in doubt.
| q = =
The investigati into the labor con
ditions in Northern Minnesota by tn
house committee on Labor and Labo
legislation is now drawing to clos
and speculation on what kind of a re
port this committee will return is nov
rife. This investigation was Gale
about two weeks ago, following tn
adoption Of the resolution offered b.
Rep. w. D. Washburn of Minneapolis
The committee took up in detail tn
conditions in the mines and lumbe
camps IN Northern Minnesota and lai
especial stress. upon the activity q
the I. w. w. g who were designated b
mining and numbering interests as b