The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-06-09

hated on every ton smelted within the
1tAt& That being declared unconsst
/ tntional. 9, straight fve-cent tonnage
tar Bill was offered by Representative
Jefferson, Joined by Representative H.
O. B3orga. and Was defeated.
& But thu Issue came back Sits
stronger Ia 1909, and the bill passed
both branches Of the legislature. But,
1t was vetoed by the late Governor
John A. Johnson In q ringing message
which did so much to clear the public
Judgment on this measure that as an
Issue 1t 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 san
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 paIed In public;
interest that in the 1915 session nc
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
| tions, and it WOULD have been tue
! end of it if Townleyism had not come
/ into the state.
/, In 1916 Townley, flushed Wits
/, triumph from his North Dakota VIC
tories, reached out for Minnesota. See~
| ing plausible vote-getter in the tom
mage tax issue. Townley dug it up and
! made it one of the principal planks In
the Nonpartisan platform. Neverthe.~
/ less, it was defeated in the 1917 Iegfsr
! lature and again in the regular session
of 1919; but it was rushed through H.
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 ans
! issue.
/ Is Minnesota, having produced Tire
results it sought with this issue anGi
then dropped it, ready to risk deadly
injury to the people of the entire state
by adhering to this issue in order &C.
help the carpter-bagger Townley pulls
political chestnuts out of the FREE
| Facts undisputed.
The people of Northern Minnesota,
thru the Minnesota Fair Tax Associas-
ton have conclusively proved the fnE
lowing pertinent facts and no attempt
has been made by the proponents Of
the tonnage tax to disprove them:
That no state levies a tonnage
/ tax.
That every state or country thar
has ever had tonnage tax has
abandoned il 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 hishl'
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 more thar
, 5000, 600.
That the "steel trust" owns or
controls only 90 of the 1872 irorp
mines of the state, that it doesnnot2
own or operate single mine an
) the Guyana range, and that it does
!. not control ONE-HALF OF ONE.
! PER CENT of the iron ore known
to exist In Minnesota.
2 That the Guyana range, Mime
: sofas newest Iron range, field
!. Of low grade ores, Is lansulshine
. today because of excessive iron
i ore taxation and that any further
mineral tax, no matter what ites
g form, tonnage tax, profits tax OF
I other super tax, will completely
3 put it out of busIness-and this is
sample of what such penalizing
!. taxes will do to all low grade iron
q ore development in Minnesota.
0 That Minnesota has only AGO.,
II 100000 tons of commercial ore,
y but that II has hundreds of billions
J. of tons of low grade ore; that ton
mage tax will kill the iron ore in
8 dustry In Minnesota in the next 30
Q to 40 years, but that if the devet->
l. opment of the states low grade
ore Is encouraged Iron mining in
10 Minnesota will last for many CEN
n TuRiEs.
n That the iron ore industry brinesE
al the STATE ALONE this year over
five million dollars In cash as welt
q as an Astounding prosperity that
Is affects every portion Of the state
It yearly cash payment and an an
K nual prosperity which will con-
= tlnue undated, and probably In
7. crease II the industry is encour->
lie aged, but which will cease entirely
N in few decades If the tonnage tax.
prevails.
e, The issue today in Minnesota IL
a. whether we shall greedily grab few
\ o..