The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-02
ABLE TONNAGE TAX ARRAICNMENT.
Thy
Thy GEO. II. CROSBY

Excerpts from the address del
ivered by George H. Crosby OF Du-
luth and the Guyana Range before
the meeting of the Northern Min
nesota Development Association in
Duluth last month severely arraigns
the tonnage tax argument produced
by the "get something for nothing
Politician from the south end of the
politician from the south end OF the
state. Mr.. Crosby also produced in
mining end is paying much more tax
es on the same basis of valuation
than does the farming end and that
the measure is one of the most vicious
acts of confscation ever attempted.
His comparison of figures on mine
and farm valuation and taxation are
particularly interesting. From the
address we quote:
Tonnage Tax Agitation.
"For more than a decade one OF
the leading political questions in
Minnesota has had to do with the pro-
posal to impose the so-called ton
mage tax on the iron mining industry
of the state. Since 1907 this ques-
tion has been presented to six reg
ular and one special session of the
legislature. In five of these sessions
the bill proposing such tax was de-
feated in two of them it passed only
to be vetoed by the governor. Des-
pite the fact that five out of seven
legislatures, composed of represen-
tatives directly elected by the people,
and two governors, also elected by
the people, have found the proposed
tonnage tax without merit, neverthe
less a very large number of citizens
remain of the opinion that the tax
sought to be levied is just and a
proper one, and that the members of
the legislature and the governors who
opposed it were derelict in their
duty.
Condemn Before Hearing.
THE reason why this sentiment
prevails in some quarters is easily
ascertained, for those harboring it
have condemned before hearing, have
failed to proceed upon inquiry and
have rendered judgment without trial
In addition, certain politicians, who
have and are seeking preferment by
fostering agitations of this character,
have either deliberately falsified ev-
idence or have wilfully misrepresent-
ed facts or have at least spoken with
out knowledge of the facts in order
to promote their own political for
tunes and to mislead the people. In
this manner incompetent and decep-
tive statements and arguments have
been utilized by the tonnage tax adj
vocates and as result many have
been led to believe in the merits of a
tonnage tax because of these one
sided and often maliciously false pre-
sensations of what are alleged to be
facts.
Capitalized Prejudice.
"The United States Steel Corpora
ton, the so-called steel trust has
borne the brunt of these attacks, and
clever attempts to becloud the real
situation by capitalizing the animosi-
ty in certain quarters towards large
aggregations of capital have had
much to do with the success of this
campaign of Justification. 1t has
been freely asserted that the steel
trust controls all mining in the state
and that it is robbing the people of
their birthright. Such arguments, if
arguments they be, are but sample
of the propaganda being circulated,
and under the circumstances it hardly
is to be wondered at that the tonnage
tax agitation has reached such form
liable proportion that it endangers
the future prosperity of large sec
ton of the state and over 100000
people.
There have been so many differ
ent kinds of tonnage taxes proposed
as there have been sessions of the
legislature at which they have been
presented. The chief object of all
of them, however, has been to make
the mining industry pay very much
larger proportionate share of the
state taxes than the owners of any
other kind of property or those en-