The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-05-03
MAYOR NELSON'S OPPOSITE: go ss!.ss-
ABLE TO FIND FAULT IN THE TAX
PROGRAM VOTED ON BY CITIZENS
Almost Unanimous Consent in Providing Improve
ments That Made for Greater and Better City
in the Northwest Section.


taxes" as an issue In the present
city campaign. In virtually every
public utterance made by Mayor Mel
sons opponent. and in virtually every
piece Of printed matter issued by the
opposition to Mayor Nelson, there has
been some mention made of the al
legged "high taxes" that are suppos-
ed to have resulted from the two
years administration under Mayor
Nelson.
Mayor Nelson, however. has con-
clusively shown that taxes for the
two years of his administration are
actually LOWER than for two years
preceding his administration. To
prove his assertions. Mayor Nelson
asks the taxpayers of the community
to examine and compare their tax
statements for the last two years with
the two years preceding his admins
tration.
An examination of the tax rates for
the past four years. as disclosed by
the official records Of the county audi
tor and the county treasurer. shows
the following table for the respective
years:
The Tax Issue.
This table, 1t is pointed out by
Mayor Nelson, shows that the total
tax rate paid to the county treasurer
is made up of three separate tax
rates, 1. e., the city, county and state
tax rate. BY adding the total tax
rates for the years 1921 and 1922,
which are the two years preceding
Mayor Nelson's administration, we
get total of $138.50.
BY adding the total tax rates for
the years 1923 and 1924, the two
years of Mayor Nelson's administra-
ton. we get a total of $133.90. De-
Quoting the total obtained for the
years 1929 and 1924 we find a differ
ence of $3.50 per every $1,000 Of as
sessed valuation. which Is the exact
amount BY which taxes for the two
years Of Mayor Nelson's administra-
ton are. LOWER than for the two
years preceding his administration.
Mayor Nelson's explanation of the
taxes as outlined above has complete
ly disproven the statements made by
his opposition, and has robbed this
opposition Of what 1t believed to be
its strongest ''scare" for the taxpay-
ers and voters Of st. Paul.
Mayor Nelson frankly admits that
taxes for the year have increased over
the first year of INSTRUMENTATION.
But Mayor Nelson points out, too,
that neither he nor the city council
that has been In Office for the past
two years is in any way responsible
for this increase in last years taxes.
Voter Gave Consent.
"The people of st. Paul by their
own vote or else by the vote of their
representatives In the state legisla-
ture have voluntarily increased their
taxes in order to provide needed
schools, sewers and roads, Mayor
Nelson points out to the taxpayers.
"In the fall Of 1922, we began a sur
vey OF the school conditions in st.
Paul and found that we were danger
ously overcrowded in schools in ev-
cry section OF the city. The commits
sioner OF education. Mr.. Ferguson,
and myself, went into every section
of the city, explained the situation to
the voters Of the city, asked them to
investigate these conditions and then
proposed a remedy for the bad school
conditions. The voters investigated
the school conditions, and when there
was submitted proposal for a
$5.000,000 school bond issue to rem
edy the precarious school situation,
the good people of st. Paul by vote
of more than 8 to ], demanded and
ordered that the city council go for
ward with its school program.
Similarly" Mayor Nelson points
out, "there existed year ago most
dangerous lack Of adequate sewers in
the city. In at least two sections OF
the city we had no sewers at all, and
only unhealthy, menacing open sew
ers.' nothing more than open bitches
were utilized by the people Of these
two sections of the city. These con-
ditions constituted dangerous men
ace to the health Of the entire com.
munity. The attention Of the peo-
pie Of st. Paul was called to these
conditions. Again they were asked
to investigate the truth of the state.
ments made with reference to the In
adequate sewer systems. and again