The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-04-04

Representative R. w. Hitchcock
sends the following account of the
defeat of the tonnage tax bill:'
"For twenty-five years the tonnage
tax has been an issue in the Min
nesota legislature, but many who
have taken part in the various con-
tests in former years declare that
never was the battle more doubtful
or the victory more brilliant than the
contest which ended in the complete
defeat of the tonnage tax measure
in the house last Tuesday.
The fight began with the second
day of the session when Bendixen of
Redwood introduced his bill. In all
five different tonnage tax measures
were introduced in the house this ses-
sion-and Chas. T. Murphy, leader
of the tonnage tax opponents on the
floor of the house, together with his
lieutenants, of whom Representative
Burrows was one of the most active
and most able, slaughtered them all.
The final knockout blow was de-
livered about 2:15 Tuesday after three
hours of debate when the Non Parti-
san bill, the last of the tonnage tax
vintage of 1919, was put to sleep
when Mr.. Murphy moved to reconsid-
err the vote by which the bill was de-
feated-lacking two of the &c neces-
sary to pass. The motion to re-
consider was lost by vote of So to
Sc, and Tonnage Tax was officially
counted out for the session of 1919.
The defeat of the tonnage tax bill
is the sensation of the session. Twin
City papers all declare that it was
most unexpected, and they have as
many different opinions as to what
caused it as there are Twin City pa
pers. We can tell them what caused
it. 1t was certain young man from
Aurora named Murphy. Murphy's
victory was just as brilliant as they
make 'em, and there are few to equal
it in any session of any legislature of
Minnesota.
How was = done? By playing
good ball" on the floor of the house.
Mr.. Murphy took advantage of every
situation that arose. He set the diff
ferent tonnage tax factions at each
others Threats; he never lost an op-
portunity to make friends; he con-
| trived to get good share of the
house membership under obligation
! to the St. Louis delegation. Like
Teddy Roosevelt, he hit the line hard
but played the game square. The
day after it was all over, Anthony
| WEIGH, author of the Non Partisan
league bill declared: Murphy beat
us by putting up great fight, but it
was clean fight in every respect"
Among those who assisted very ma
terially during the past two weeks to
the defeat of the bill was former rep
resentative J. H. McNiven of CHS
holm. The wide experience and clever
cooperation of Representative War
ner of Aitkin, than whom there is no
more able member of the house,
helped tremendously to put the bill in
a position where it could be killed.
The debate on the bill opened at
10:45 Tuesday morning, when o. E.
Hammer of Omstead read a long
statement in favor of the bill. HAM
mer is very ready extemporaneous
speaker, as well as quite an able one,
and his speaking from manuscript
was a surprise to the house. Some
are mean enough to say that the
statement was prepared by A. C.
Townley. Hammer was followed i'm
mediately by the writer who plead for
votes against the bill on the ground
that it would result in more serious
injuries to the people of the iron
ranges than to the mining companies.
W. L. Bernard of Duluth spoke on the
effect of the bill on the workers in the
steel plant at Duluth. DR.. Cullum
quoted figures to show the taxes al
ready paid by the steel industry
Asher Howard of Minneapolis warned
the house that history has shown that
disaster has always overtaken the at
tempt to force injustice upon the
people. Mr.. Murphy made the prin-
cipal argument against the bill talk
ing for more than an hour. His ar
gument was logical, replete with facts