The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-10-26
On This
Occasion
Just few thoughts by the Editor on things
Material and Immaterial

Every teacher should vote. According
to a ruling received here the latter part
of the week they must vote at their
permanent home. This means that
those who have other homes besides
where they are at present domiciled,
should make application to the county
auditor of their home county for an
absent voters ballot. There is no time
to delay as the ballots must be back
to the home county before election to
be counted. Write for a ballot at once.
Notwithstanding all the argument
being printed in favor of the passage
of the gas tax amendment, The Miner
fails to see where any benefit would be
derived to the fellow off the state trunk
line system or off the state aid roads
more than he is now receiving and not
as much In another place in this pa
per will be found an analysis of the
amendment written by the Minnesota
Motor Trades Association which covers
the subject well. In addition we will
state that the the trunk road system
has removed all these lines from tine
county expense list. Il must also be
noted that the county road and bridge
fund has not been decreased by reason
of the removal of the trunk roads from
the county care, but, in st. Louis
County alone, some two hundred miles
of road upkeep and care have been
taken from the shoulders of the tax
payers although the rate has not de-
creased by that amount. This would
indicate that the road and bridge fund
in each county to be expended on feed
er roads should be just that much
larger and that the building of these
feeder roads should be speeded up with
the saving from these 200 or more
miles the state has taken over.
Besides printing the argument in ia
vor of the passage of the amendment,
the Miner is also printing the argu-
ment by the Motor Trades ASSocia-
ton against it. Read them both. The
passage of the amendment would throw
the same back into the hands of the
legislature for a division of the fund.
The larger part of the gas tax is paid
in the cities of the state and it is
reasonable to suppose that these cities
would desire to share in the diStribu-
ton of the tax. Let us suppose the
division of the tax was made on the
basis of sales in the several subdivi-
sionS of the state. How much would
some of these sparsely settled towns
ships receive under such division.
The three big cities of the state pay
the larger portion of the gas tax and
get nothing from the fund. The cities
are satisfied to have the main high
ways improved and paved and are pay
ing for their own improvements them
selves And, it must also be remem-
bered that the city cars which use the
bulk of the gas are running ON streets
improved by the cities and seldom get
into the country districts.
Twenty years ago last week, Cover
nor John A. johnson was in the city
in the interests of his reelection.
Johnson was one of the most popular
governors this state has ever had and
he was triumphantly chosen to sue
coed himself.
Andrew Nelson the Democratic can
didate for governor thinks that the
straw vote is just so much bushwah.
Andrew felt that way when he no.
ticed the Literary Digest vote on the
presidential ticket and it must be
said that he was right insofar as his
party's part in the proceedings was con-
cerned. A straw vote on governor in
this state would further strengthen
his belief. However a straw vote does
not show anything unless your candi-
date is in the lead.
A semi-so-often sheet printed in
Duluth continues to rap the county
commissioners and is particularly
vitro1ic over Commissioners Dyer
SHanstrom, Pete and Gulbranson with
a wa1iop now and then at Penttila
What the paper is trying to accom-
plish is hard to see. The commits
sioners have troubles enough of their
own trying to do the peoples bust
mes without a continuous carping
criticism on trivial and routine af-
fairs. Why not get behind the board
and try to make their lot an easier