The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-09-15
On This
Occasion
Just q few thoughts by the Editor
on things Material and Immaterial.

LO4AAA4ACA III ZIG l. 4O11CCI L CSS
story in another column, con-
fiscation and military control of
non-taxpaying property in the
state, by the state, stares every
one in the face, providing the
taxes are not paid on the dot.
If it is possible to confscate
the property of the mining
company COR the non-payment
of taxes, it is also possible to
take your business place and
your home in the city if you
were unfortunate enough to
have been short of cash for
taxes when these became due.
Why not? The Constitution
states explicitly that taxes shall
be equal on all classifcations of
property.
So don't be surprised if some
fine morning a detachment of
soldiers marches into your
place of business and takes
over all tangible assets on be-
half of the political party in
power known as the state. This
should give the state control
of all tax delinquent property
and furnish it with jobs for all
those not now in its employ or
the employ of its several SUBJ
divisions. What to use in lieu
of tax monies does not seem to
concern anybody. "Confsca-
ton" seems to have been born
in this city several weeks ago
when Vince Day, secretary to
Governor Olson, is said to have
been approached by city en-
ploye and asked if Governor
Olson could not take over the
mines and operate them for the
people. Secretary Day failed
to state who this city employee
was and consequently credit
cannot be bestowed for the
bright thought.
Senator Lommen might think
some of the statements made
in his Pioneer Press interview
are jokes to be laughed at. If
he were in business in the range
towns he would soon find that
it was no joke. The business
man has been holding the bag
since the closing of the mines
and many of them failed to pay
their taxes because they had no
money with which to pay them.
All emergency work and all
charity is being dispensed to
the laborer. The business and
professional men don't get in
on this but are expected to
furnish groceries, coal, wood
and other necessities to their
patrons, trusting to luck to get
their pay for them.
To the credit of these mer-
chants and professional men is
due the fact in a large measure
that no actual starvation has
appeared. On the ranges this
relief has been augmented by
the mining interests, the city,
the county, the Red Cross, the
Poor Commission and other or
CARNATIONS who have divided
the work and furnished wood,
coal and supplies. Instead of
talking about confscation of
property by the state, some of
these talking politicians might
be better employed in trying to
work out some method by
which industry could function
and furnish employment on a
steady basis to the men thrown
out of work by the closing of
the mines during the de-
preston.
When the tonnage tax was
added to mining taxation it
was prophecied that confsca-
ton would follow and this
statement was hooted off the
boards by the down-state legis-
lator. Since that time several
more taxes have been added.
Now there is talk of adding
more to the already unpaid
amount and confiscating the
property for unpaid taxes. The
mining industry asked for re-
lief but were refused by all