The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-06-10

IL
o. Bjorge, and was defeated.
But the issue came back still
stronger in 1909, and the bill passed
both branches Of the legislature But
1t was vetoed by the late Governor
John A. Johnson In ringing message
which did so much to clear the public
judgment on this measure that as an
issue It began from that time to
dwindle.
A tonnage tax bill was introduced In
the 1911 legislature, but 1t was beaten
| in the house, never reaching the SEN
ate
The bill was again introduced In the
1913 legislature, and again 1t was
beaten In the house, this time even
more decisively.
So far had this issue paled in public
interest that in the 1915 session no
tonnage tax bill was even Introduced
the tonnage tax was dead; dead be-
cause It had served its purpose and be-
cause people had become convinced
that It was wrong.
That seemed to be the end Of the
tonnage tax, which had threatened to
divide the state into two hostile sec
lions. and it WOULD have been the
end Of It If Townleyism had not come
TITO the state. ..... H..
In 1915 Townley, flushed with
triumph from his North Dakota vic
tories, reached out for Minnesota. See
ing plausible vote-getter in the ton.
mage tax issue. Townley dug 1t up and
made It one Of the principal planks in
the Nonpartisan platform. Neverthe-
less, It was defeated In the 1917 legis-
lature and again in the regular session
! Of 1919; but it was rushed through In
q panic by the special session Of Sep
TENDER, 1919, and vetoed by Governor
Burnquist.
1t will be an issue in this campaign
only because Townley has made It an
issue.
Is Minnesota, having produced the
results It sought with this issue and
then dropped it, ready to risk deadly
injury to the people Of the entire state
by adhering to this issue in order to
help the carpter-bagger Townley pull
political chestnuts out Of the fire?
Facts Undisputed.
The people of Northern Minnesota,
thru the Minnesota Fair Tax Associa-
ton have conclusively proved the fol-
lowing pertinent facts and no attempt
has been made by the proponents of
the tonnage tax to disprove them:
That no state Ievies tonnage
tax.
That every state or country that >
has ever had tonnage tax has
abandoned II as unjust, unwise and
improbable. ......
That the iron mines are now
paying taxes on higher vaIua.
tion than any other form of prop
erty In the state, that they are
paying higher rate on this high
valuation than 10 paid by any
county In Southern Minnesota and
that the total revenue Of the
STATE ALONE this year from the
iron ore business 10 more than
s5,ooo,0 600 n~ts "t-e.
That the steel trust" owns or
controls only 90 Of the 1872 Iron
mines Of the state, that it does not
own or operate a single mine on
the Guyana range, and that II does
not control ONE-HALF OF ONE
PER CENT of the iron ore known
to exist in Minnesota.
That the Guyana range, Mime
sofas newest iron range, a field
Of low grade ores, Is langufshing
today because Of excessive iron
ore taxation and that any further
mineral tax, no matter what its
form, tonnage tax, profits tax or
other super tax, will completely
put Il out Of business-and this is
sample Of what sueh penaIizine
taxes will do to all low grade iron
ore development In Minnesota.
That Minnesota has only 1900
100000 tons Of commercial ore,
but that II has hundreds of billions
Of tons Of low grade ore; that ton
mage tax will XII the Iron ore in
dustry In Minnesota In the next 80
to 20 years, but that II the deveI-
opment Of the states low grade
ore is encouraged iron mining In
Minnesota will last for many CEN.
TURiEs.
That the Iron ore industry brings
the STATE ALONE tins year o.=s
five million dollars In cash az we'll
40 an Astounding prosperity that
affects every portion of the state
yearly cash payment and an an
nuaI prosperity which will con-
tInue undated, and probably In
crease II the Industry Is eneour-
aged, but which will cease entirely
In a few decades II the tonnage tax
prevails.
The issue today in Minnesota Is
whether we shall greedily grab a few
millions each year for few years
while our high grade ore is being
taken out or whether we shall bend
our energies to developing our enor-
nous deposits Of low grade ore and 90
maintain Minnesota's supremacy In
the iron ore industry for more than a
thousand years. In our greed for ready
cash shall we tear down the greatest
iron ore business in the world. or shall
wa davolhy, n to ifs ufr,,oo< onA nop