Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1936-04-02
State Capitol News
BY Osborne
@ Western Newspaper Union


Friends and foes alike mad eyes 10
cused on Governor Olson when ne adj
dressed the Farmer-LabOr convention
last week. Because of the Governors
recent illness, both his supporters and
his opponents were concerned with
the condition of his health and what
kind of campaign could be expected
from him this fall.
Governor Olson's twO-hOur vigorous
talk, in which he never appeared to
better advantage with all the old
typical fire and dash and masterful
resourcefulness which stamps him as
one of the outstanding orators of the
country, brought gladness to Farmer
Laborites.
The Governor had intended to speak
only an hour; but he so held the at
tention of his audience that even
when he had extended it beyond two
hours the crowd was still eager to
listen to more There is something
fascinating and gripping about this
man that makes him the greatest
campaigner in the history of our
state; what the opposition saw and
heard brought little cheer to them.
It brought a message that the Cover
nor is himself again, that when the
time comes next fall, he will be out
there fighting with his full strength,
asking no quarter and giving no quar-
! ter.
What was particularly dishearten-
ing to the opposition was the warm
reception given the Governors appeal
for harmony within the party. No mat
ter how one looked at it, it was real
field day for the Farmer-Laborites.
The Citizens Tax Relief Association
of ST. Paul, announced a few days ago
that Minnesota taxpayers have been
saved more than $12,000,000 in the
past four years by reduction in auto
mobile license fees. The association
did not mention that because of the
shortage of highway revenues caused
by the reduction, the state Leglsla-
ture found it necessary to authorize
the issuance of more than $9,OOO,OOO
of bonds to enable Minnesota to meet
it's federal aid requirements. By the
time this borrowed 100000 is paid
back, it will cost the taxpayers 50 5OO,-
900 to $3,000,00O in interest charges.
If license fees had been left at their
normal level, the state would have
had $12,00O,O00 worth of highway I'M
provements for it's money. AS it is,
it gets 100000 worth of highway
improvements and pays out nearly
$4,000 in interest to bankers and
other big bond holders. The net re-
suits of the license cuts therefore is
that the highway system is being
financed with borrowed money instead
of with current income, and millions
are going out in interest which other
wise would have been spent in road
construction for the peoples benefit.
The lesson is that we cannot have
our cake and eat it too.
If the state is to keep up the en-
larged trunk highway system handed
it by the Legislature, it must have
the funds from somewhere. If the
motoring public is not to supply the
funds for the present II 1000 miles of
state roads, the $500 miles added to
the state system by the Legislature
should be turned back to the counties
for local support.
Extremely cold weather was respon-
sible for a sharp drop in shipments
of gasoline during February and a
strong increase in shipments of fur
mace oil, according to George H. Crit
fifth, chief oil inspector.
A total of $551 ,O4S in gasoline taxes
was collected in February, compared
to $68O,376 in February, 1885. There
was nearly a 100000 gallon drop in
gasoline shipments, but fuel oil ship
ments rose from 13,424,147 gallons in
February, 1885, to 1S,449,260 gallons