Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1931-03-19
Minnesota Legislature
Weekly Review by
HJALMAR PETERSEN
Representative From Pine County
March 8 to IA, 1881

ernoon members of the House had the
pleasure of listening for ten or fifteen
minutes to the Honorable Laurits S.
Swenson, former minister to Denmark,
Norway, and Switzerland and who is
now about to take up a like post in
Holland. Mr.. SwenSOn who like his
brother, Oscar A. Swenspn, speaker of
the House, is a native of Minnesota,
was introduced by Representative o.
X. Dahle of Spring Grove, a lifelong
friend who has watched his public
career ever since his appointment to
the ministry to Denmark "a years ago.
The American diplomat in foreign
countries, said that in the Minnesota
legislature procedure is made more
simple by the fact that there are no
political parties or the legislature is
elected on nO-party basis and but
one language is spoken. In Norway
there are seven political groups, and
i'm the parliament of Switzerland,
French, Italian, and German are
spoken. In the state legislature of
New Mexico, Spanish as well as Eng
lish is spoken and laws are printed
in both languages. Both the diplo-
mat and the speaker of the House
were brought up on Minnesota farm,
and it was a pleasure for friends of
both to see them together at the speak
er's rostrum. The speaker is popular
with members of the House for his
fairness in letting all be heard and
is giving general satisfaction as the
presiding officer.
New Office Building.
Both the Senate and House have
passed the bill authorizing the cree
ton of state office building to cost
81 100000. The matter of location has
been a bone of contention for some
years. 1t was decided to build on the
Wabasha site, to the west of the capt.
tol. The other site proposed was on
University avenue, to the north of the
capitol, also called the backdoor site.
1t was argued that the Wabasha site
would make for much more harmoni-
Gus grouping of buildings and won out
overwhelmingly. Several state de-
partments are now located in office
buildings down tow and it is esti-
mated that the new office building
upon which erection will soon be COM
menced, will make for saving in ex-
penses to say nothing of convenience
to the public.
BrOOks.COleman Repeal Loses.
Ever since enactment by the legisla-
ture in 1921 of the Brooks-Coleman
law which took home rule away from
the cities of Minneapolis, ST. Paul,
and Duluth as regards the local street
car systems, attempts have been made
to have the law repealed. The fight
came up in the Senate Thursday but
the repeal lost by a vote of 81 to 35.
A. S. Larson of Sandstone, Albert A.
Lodin of Isanti, and Henry Spindler
of Buffalo, were among those who
voted to repeal this obnoxious law and
to leave it in the hands of the re-
spective city councils as to what fares
are to be charged on the street cars.
Those who desire to repeal the bill
argue that it is only fair and reason
able that the cities granting the fran
chises to the street railways should
have something to say about what
fares they are to charge rather than
the railroad and warehouse commits
sion. Sentiment is growing for re-
peal of the law which has made it
possible for the Twin City Rapid Tran
sit Company to exact higher street
car fares here than in other cities of
like size.
Income Tax Worked Out.
Two state income tax bills have
now been introduced with many CO.
authors and proponents are hopeful
that both measures will pass. The
attorney general ruled recently that
state income tax would be constitu-
tional but in order to play safe Rep
resentative Lewis Herfindahl of Ben
son, a leader and untiring worker for
the tax, and other proponents of the
measure, deemed it wise to enact two
bills-one to be effective now and the
other calling for constitutional
amendments referendum by the peo-
ple-so that should the law if enacted
by this legislature be declared uncon-
stitutional by the courts, the next leg
islature would then have the consti-
tutional enactment to fall back on if
passed by the electorate.
The bill to be effective now is
modelled after the Wisconsin income
tax law and assumes that the consti-
tuition permits levy on income. The
bill provides for exemptions in in
dividual incomes of $1,000 for single
persons and $4,000 for married per-
sons, with $500 for each child or de-
pendent.
The rate starts at 1 per cent on
the first $1,000 above exempted in
comes, running up to 5 per cent for
incomes of $11 900 or over. Corpora
lions would be taxed at flat rate of
5 per cent. Cooperative organiza-
tions, religious, charitable and other
non-profit corporations would be ex-
empted. Certain corporations now