The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-11-26


CURED the whole carcass. 1t will con
stantly endeavor to raise the tonnage
tax and to lower the ad valorem as.
sessment on iron ore. With every
step the taxes of every person in
Northern Minnesota will steadily in
crease. In the end, the tonnage tax
will be like the present gross earnings
tax-every cent of taxation from the
iron mines will go to the state, as
now every cent of railroad taxes goes
to the state. This is the real, hidden
object of the tonnage takers. This
is the thing they are really driving at
while so blandly telling you that they
would not, no, not for worlds, do any
thing to hurt Northern Minnesota.
What then of the communities and
counties of Northern Minnesota :?
They will then have become Proctors,
humbly begging the legislature every
two years for some small crumbs
with which to exc out bare exist
ence. Every man who can get away
will then have fled the iron range,
our great schools will then be empty
halls of learning save for few. rooms
struggling with woefully insufficient
funds to teach handful where humid
reds were wont to come and the iron
ranges, once thick with proudly pros
porous towns and cities will then be
nothing but a collection of ragged
mining camps. Would you like to
live under conditions which prevail
in Proctor? Those very conditions,
or worse, will be yours in time if the
tonnage tax becomes law.
I'd. with the assessment of the
iron mines steadily decreasing for
local purposes, St. Louis and the ad-
joining counties will be unable to
build the roads they are now building.
Road building must inevitably and
steadily decrease and with it must
decrease the development of the won
derful farm lands of our section of
the state. The tonnage tax is a dir,
ect and mighty blow at the prosper
ity, the very livelihood Of every farmer
of Northeastern Minnesota.
3D. "The conditions which make
labor on the range desirable-good
schools, health supervision, clean
streets, efficiently policed communit-
les, will be swept away. Labor in
stead of flocking to the Minnesota
iron ranges, will shun them. The
range towns will no longer be desir-
able places to live and to rear a
family. -.
4th. 'Iron mining will finally be
carried on under the mbst unfavor-
able conditions; labor will be hard to
get and to keep; Che cost of mining
will be vastly increased both by ex-
cessive taxes and the conditions of
which / have spoken-with what re-
suit? With the result that men who
want to mine iron ore will look for
other and more favorable fields.
! They will take out of Minnesota its
high grade ore as rapidly as possible
and they will then abandon all our
enormous low grade deposits. A
tonnage tax-call it profits tax, in
come tax, or what you villa skunk
by any other name will stink the same
"a tonnage tax will put complete
end to iron mining in Minnesota with
in period of 80 to SO years, where
otherwise it might last for the next
two thousand years.
"And for what do the tonnage tax
ers propose to visit all this devasta-
ton and ruin upon the people of
Northern Minpesota and upon the
states second greatest industry?
Why, so they say in every argument
they make, because, forsooth, it will
save every taxpayer in Southern Min
nesota SIS year. That's their rea-
son.
ever hear them talk about the
justice of tonnage tax? Well,
hardly ever. But, they never forget
that S.. Filthy lucre-five paltry
plunks of it's their strong, conviuc-
ing, conclusive argument.
"Why do say so much about the
tonnage tax? Because bound up in
it is the prosperity or the ruin of the
people-not the mining companies
of Northern Minnesota, and because
we now have an opportunity to kill
this thing, which, although honestly
advocated by as many sincere people,
is the spawn of politicians who care
only for their own future and nothing
for the future Of the state.
In speaking of the preliminary
meeting of the legislators in st. Paul
week ago in order to line up for
the opening of the session, in men,
tioning those present, Mr.. Hitchcock
said:
&C. j. Buell., weedy sample of
natures biennial crop of quack-grass,
was there too, butting into every con-
versation. Buell. is the president,
secretary, treasurer and whole body
polite of the Minnesota Tax Reform
Association" illegitimate offspring of
Buell's amours with the tonnage tax,
and whose sole purpose is to separate
gullible st. Paul jobbers and whole
salers from their coin. Buelps strong
line is Boosting at the beginning of
the session of the overwhelming vote
he has for the tonnage tax and at the