Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-05-09
MANY GOOD
BILLS LOST
Majority Faction Muddles
Tax Aid by Passing Bill
so Near End.
Little Spirit of Cooperation
is Shown by Conserva-
tive Leaders.
(Ap AnalySi5)
Rv HJALMAR PETERSEN.


Iiautenan, Governor of Minnesota.
Now that the legislative session Is
behind US / am taking this opportuh-
itv TO analyze the trend OF the session
and evaluate its work in general
way
Among the most important meas
ures which became law, IN my ina,
are the s1O.O0O.000 relief bill. the OLD
age pension act. the bill for scallns
down rural credit mortgages and per
hitting purchase of farms from the
rural credit department on a crop
navment plan. the extension OF mora
forum on farm mort gage foreclosures
and the creation of y new state Tor
eSts.
Because of the governors vetolns
of the omnibus tax bill, which con-
tanned the principal tax proposals
nermitted TO reach consideration On
the floor of the Legislature, the tax
situation still remains in the AR. IN
the view of most observers this PROD
lem alone will neceSSitate the calling
of a special session.
Arguments AnalyZed.
With regard to the tax problem.
certain arguments made by the con-
servatives in support OF their action
should be analysed.
The liberals submitted number OF
separate tax bills early in the session.
The conservative dominated Tax COM
mittees of both houses had ample
time to pass on their merits and re-
port them out so that they might nave
been acted upon by the entire mem
bership. Or, inasmuch as they
seemed determined to lump the whole
tax program in the omnibus tax bill
they should have called the minority
group into consultation in an effort
to work out a tax program reason
ably satisfactory to both sides. They
might also have called the governor.
They did neither. They went ahead
and drew up the omnibus plan. con-
tanning as its main revenue Ialslng
provision the per cent sales tax,
which they knew from the start was
unsatisfactory TO Governor Olson and
probably would be vetoed. Then they
passed the measure in the 1eXt TO the
last week of the session and dumped
ii into the chief executives lap.
Make Few Changes.
When the governor raised objec-
tions that all observers had known
would be forthcoming the conserva-
tive leaders amended the bill only
in a few respects, repassed ii and
then sent il back TO the governor. He
vetoed it and on the same .lay-the
last day left for the passage of bills
presented a tax bill embodying his
own demands.
The conservatives m m i ate Y
raised the cry that it was impossible
to consider the bill intelligently in
the short time left and let the meas
ure die. They charged that the gov
ernor in introducing the bill so late
was merely making a political ees-
ture to put them on the spot" They
insisted ON ignoring the fact that
most of the matter contained in the
bill had been in the hands of the Tax
committees for many weeks in the or
iginal separate tax bills submitted by
liberal members.
They also ignored the fact that they
had done throughout the session what
they charged the governor with doing.
They gave the governor and his lib
eral supporters no chance TO work
with them in the DEVELOPMENT of a
tax program. but waited instead until
the last of the session and then tossed
their omnibus bill into the hopper,
when they knew it would be too late
to act on any substitute tax measure.
If anybody used the tax issue as a
political football. it was the conServ-
ative majority.
Much Work UndOne.
There are many other important
legislative proposals which were left
in the air-billS which ,xare cit her