The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-03-13
NORTHERN MINNESOTA
IN THE LEGISLATURE.
George H. Lommen, Representative
61st District

George H. Lommen, Representative
61st District.)
Last week saw conspicuous
speeding up in legislation in both
branches of the present legislature.
The House got many important bills
out of committee, and on General
Orders advanced some forty or fif-
ty bills to the Calendar where a
vote on final passage will be held
this coming week Thirty-one stand
ing committees, considering about
900 House bills and many more
Senate files grind out justice each
day of the week. Child Labor prob
lens of course held the first place
on the list for several days, and pre-
ceding the final vote all sorts OF
oratory and propaganda emanated
from those who would register
their names on the side of those
great industrial operators in the
south and the east who for so many
years have ruthlessly exploited the
little children of their districts.
Gullible indeed were the people of
the state who accepted the mislead-
ing information given out in car
load lots tending to show that the
enactment of the amendment would
bring about gigantic centraliza-
ton of power in the national Con-
gress. The rights of little human
slaves were balanced against these
technical arguments but the privil-
edges of innocent childhood were
lost in the flow of oratory and the
oil pf
Northern Minnesota's schools,
townships and municipalities saved
many hundreds of thousands of dol
lars too during the week just passed
when a bitterly fought bill provid-
ing for the reduction of ore stock
pile taxes was defeated. This bill
sought to tax ore in stock pile
at the same rate as ore in the
ground, and in its application this
first year would have taken from
the schools and the city of Ely the
startling sum of $70,000.00, from
Virginia the sum of $22, 100000,
from Gilbert the sum of $20,000.OO
and in like proportion would have
depleted the treasures of every
mining community in the three
b COuHIl6S WHeTe OpStotliiS.
The compilation of schedule
covering every stock pile in the
state showing the present tax and
the proposed tax took nearly two
weeks to get but it was used to
good advantage as the final vote on
the bill indicated. With a growing
tax burden each year it can readily
be seen how drastic the application
of this law would have been when
private property and home owners
would have been forced to pay on
their property the amount saved by
mining companies. So, for the
present session at least, we are rid
of this Ubiquitous law. But wait.
We have felt the Per Capita tax
and know the extent to which it
crippled some of the poorest school
systems on the Range. We knew
when it became law in 1921,
three. days after the passage of the
tonnage tax upon iron ore that it
was taking away from the towns of
Northern Minnesota some of the
rights of home rule that should at
all times be held sacred by the leg
islative bodies of the state. We
were faced then, four years ago,
and again, in 1928, by the unfair
prejudice of the State Tax Com
mission who resorted to every trick
known in order that this unwise law
might be foisted upon US, yet now,
in the past week there has been in
severe and more derogatory to the
rights of home rule and local con-
troll of governmental affairs than
the Per Capita Tax could ever be.
Backed and sponsored by the same
men that hold in their hearts no
interest for the children and COM
munity affairs of our section of the
state there has come with a singing
blow of violence the so-called
Indiana Plan Bill which plainly and
without question of right, gives to
the appointed tax commission at st.
Paul full and exclusive control over
the school, city and township affairs
of Northern Minnesota. The vicious
measure provides that no local
school, district, town board or mum
icipal council can make levy of
taxes unless the same be approved
know holds no consideration for the
frontier towns and school districts.
Likewise, no public building, street,
park or project could be built un-
less and until the same was first en-
dorsed by this autocratic, dominat-
ing commission that sits in st. Paul,
appointed and answerable only to
the Governor Of this state. Then
too, every bond issue voted upon
and fioated by will of the voters of
these towns or schools would like
wise be enjoined if in the wisdom
of the commission it was not ex-
pedient. Briefly, it seems that GER
tain powers in the state have for
gotten the principles fought for
under the Declaration of Independ-
ence and the sanctity of the peoples
rights hereunder. Having in mind
the inherent prejudice of this APP
pointive body at the Capitol it is
Range will be ordered to levy in
taxes an amount equal to what
other cities in southern Minnesota
much older and better established
would be expected to spend. So,
the city of Eveleth would likely be
confined to an amount of taxes for
all city purposes of about $125,000
and the Village of Gilbert about
$4,000 or less. And what of our
schools that have aroused the envy
of all southern Minnesota? How
many more teachers would Virginia
have than Mankato? What means
would there be to have school
boards continue buying pencils,