Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1920-06-09

TAX WIS Ouc1SU ny Representative
Jefferson, Joined by Representative a.
@. Bjorge, and was defeated.
But the issue came back still
stronger in 1909, and the bill passed
both branches of the legislature. But
it was vetoed by the late Governor
John A. johnson in a 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 it was beaten
In the house, never reaching the SEN
ate.
The bill was again introduced in the
1913 legislature, and again It was
beaten in the house, this time even
more decisively.
So far had this issue paled in pub1(c
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
I that 1t was wrong.
That seemed to be the end of the
tonnage tax, which had threatened to
divide the state into two hostile Sec
! tons, and 1t WOULD have been the
end Of it if Townley1sm had not come
into the state
| In 1916 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 it up and
made it one of the principal planks In
the Nonpartisan platform. Neverthe
less, 1t was defeated in the 1917 legis-
lature and again in the regular session
of 1919; but it was rushed through In
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 iSprove them:
That no state !evies tonnage
tax.
That every state or country that
has ever had tonnage tax has
abandoned it as unjust, unwise and
Improbable.
That the iron mines are now
paying taxes on higher vaIua-
ton than any other form Of prop
erty in the state, that they are
paying higher rate on this high
valuation than is paid by any
county in Southern Minnesota and
that the total revenue Of the
STATE ALONE this year from the
iron ore business is moro than
$5,000,000.
That the "steel trust'' owns or
controls only 80 Of the 1872 iron
mines of the state, that it does not
own or operate a single mine on
the Guyana range, and that it 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, q field
Of low grade ores, is ianguishing
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 II out Of business-and this Is
a sample of what such penailzine
taxes will do to all low grade iron
ore development in Minnesota.
} That Minnesota has only 1,4O0,-
100000 tons Of commercial ore,
but that it has hundreds Of billions
OF tons Of low grade ore; that ton
mage tax will kill the iron ore in
dustry in Minnesota in the next 80
to 40 years, but that II the devel-
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 this year over
five million dollars in cash as we'll
as an Astounding prosperity that
affects every portion Of the state
yearly cash payment and an an
nual prosperity whieh will con.
tinue undated, and probably In
crease If the industry is eneour>
} aged, but which will cease entirely
In few decades II the tonnage tax
prevails.
The issue today in Minnesota is
whether we shall greed1ly grab a few
millions each year for a 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 SC
maintain Minnesota's supremacy in
the iron ore industry for more than q
: thousand years. In our greed for ready
Y cash shall we tear down the greatest
iron ore business in the world, or shall
we develop it to its utmost and con
tinue the wonderful prosperity i,
: brings the state practically forever
t 1--WE want this tonnage tax money
|, now. We want to spend it today. We
|, don't care anything about the future
= declared tonnage tax advocate. L
| hot ic hn