Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-05-14
viii be given should they fleafo pub
lie office again.
.=-s.tIThee TONNAGE Tax Defeated.

lie office again.
Tonnage Tax Defeated.
= The job of defeating the: tonnage
tax on iron ore fell to the lot OF Adams
committee on taxation. At least 80
Of the 131 members were committed
to. some sort of tonnage tax. The
WEIGH or League bill provided for
10 percent tax on the net value, and
it was estimated that If enacted into
q law would bring in a revenue of
about 100000 annually. Both the
original Bendixen bill which was drop
ped and the new one based on the net
value principle would produce about
one half Of this sum: The committee
sized up the issue and sent both bills
back without recomme ndation. When
they came up for action, Col. Wilken.
son of Washington County who, al
though at the head of a great farmers
organization, acted as a sort of water
boy. for the big interests during the
session, insisted that the bills should
be sent back and the committee be re-
quired to report out bill providing
for tonnage tax. 1t subsequently
developed that he had pet measure
that he wanted adopted, but which
was rejected by the committee but
finally endorsed the WEIGH bill, and
this went down to final defeat in the
house, lacking just two votes. It de-
veloped later that Gov. Burnquist was
opposed to tonnage tax and would
probably have vetoed the bill had it
passed the house and run the gauntlet
in the senate.
The Wilcox Contest.
To-, %ha Co~o<. %ho Are% 1I~,o,,r WOE ~,
the Wilcox contest. Hon. w. w. Will
| over Geo. H. Sullivan, the great re-
| dictionary leader by an undisputed ma
| jority of about 40 votes In order to
unseat Wilcox, some scheme had to
be Matched up that had a semblance of
| legality, If not Of fairness. So the
| claim that some of Wilcox campaign
circulars had been left in an election
hall in Woodbury. Township, in plain
sight of the voters on election day
and it was presumed that the pres.
ence of these circulars somehow in.
f1uenced the voters to cast their bal
lot against Sullivan as the precinct
went overwhelmingly for Wilcox
The Senate, under the law, has a wide
range of discretion in the matter OF
the election of its own members and
the majority one, by-the-way, used
this discretion in the interest of Sui
livan and ousted Wilcox. The Sena
tors who took this course, whatever
they may say or do hereafter are I'm
deserving Of popular support and no
thing should save them from THE
indignant wrath Of the voters, should
they file for public office again.
The Best Measure.
The very best thing to the credit
of the last legislature is the submis
sion to the people for ratification al
the next election of an amendment t
the constitution granting to the legis
lature full power and discretion il
the matter of taxation. Let the PEG
pie adopt this amendment and thu
burden of taxation can be placed
where it properly belongs-on thu
shoulders of those best able to bea
the load. Farm stock and machiner!
as we'll as the household goods AM
the tools and personal property of tn
workers can be exempted. Occupa
ton tax, a tax on royalties and in
comes can then be- imposed withou
question.
Adopt this amendment and then
elect League and Labor Legisla
ture and the Fat Boys" will be com
PEELED to hand over their just share o
the taxes for the support of the STATE
institutions and for the building o
the great highways now in contempla
ton and which if constructed will
make Minnesota rich, happy and pros
porous.
To Repay Nolan.
Speaker Nolan's subserviency to cor
porte interests is to be rewarded b.
his elevation to the Governors chair
If the Eat Boys" have their way
Indeed in presenting him with tn
automobile, he was attended to annie
the rousing cheers of the plunderbunt
as the next Governor of Minnesota
The policy of the reactionaries will
be, ITO Divide and Conquer" A hal
dozen or more Progressives will b.
encouraged to enter the race while
the other fellows will concentrate OF
Nolan and give him the Republican
nomination. They will then depend
upon the excitement due to the pend
ing presidential election to pull hin
thru. 1t is a nice scheme and will
be amply financed. But both the or
ganized farmers and laborers will be
factors that must be reckoned with
in the final outcome