The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-02-18
News Behind the
News
By Senator J. V. Weber
Slayton, Mimi.
By Senator j.

SOmeClmeS one mas 10 plQcn
himself in the state senate to find
out if what is happening is really
true. Monday we had one such
example when one of the self APP
pointed guardians of the "com-
mon people," for that is what the
administration adherents set
themselves up to be, attempted to
pass to the calendar supposedly
non-controversial bill. The bill
would permit independent school
districts to 60 into business-to
regiment, as SO many classes are
trying to do today. The bill would
permit such school districts to sell
pencils, paper, books and in fact,
all school supplies to the student
body. A few of us, who are still
old-fashioned enough to believe
that our little country merchants
should have some protection
against RECOMMENDATION and who
are entitled to the little profit
they might get out of selling pen
ny pencils opposed the bill and it
died an ignominious death on
general orders.
You've all heard of the story of
the little pig going to market, but
you may not have heard of the
story of the little Bug" going to
market It's one of those stories
you don't see in the average col
umn concerning the legislature.
It's just a bit of news behind the
news and drives home the truism
that the taxpayer is the forgotten
man. A legislative manual, con-
tanning the membership, list of
employees, rules, ETC., is furnish
ed each member and others. I'm
der the joint rules of the house
and senate bids are received for
the job. Last week four bids were
received for the printing and
binding of the directories and
herein the little ''1ug" makes its
appearance. An old and reliable
st. Paul printing firm had the low
bid, the bid being 5000 less than
the next lowest. But the higher
bid included the little Bug on
,ne mont page of each of the
booklets. The bug" oh, yes!
That is the insignia of the union
shop. Labor, the organized var
iety, demands that it appear on
every job printed in a union shop,
and labor sees to it that no print
ing goes to any shop not unioniz-
ed-in other words not having the
Bug" The secretary of the sem
ate, authorized to accept or reject
bids, voted for the lowest respon-
sible bid, but low and behold the
rules committee of the house
would not have it so. That little
Bug must be printed in the
book. Labor must be recognized
and it was so ordered by the
house committee. But things be-
gan to happen. 5000 was $500,
even if it was the taxpayers
money, and the house rules COM
mittee was notified that if it had
no more regard for the taxpayer
than to thus fritter away 5000,
that some action would be taken.
Result the low bid accepted, the
poor little bug" omitted and the
taxpayers 5000 to the good.
In every session of the legisla-
ture we hear much about taxa
ton and perhaps more than any
other form of taxation, that on
the mining companies doing bust
ness in Minnesota. People gen.
orally know little about the
amount of monies paid by the
larger industries and far less
about the taxes paid by the min
ing companies. This writer got
some real surprises this week
when he glanced over the annual
report of the state auditor, that he
might vote intelligently on the
proposed tax legislation. The fig
ures are authentic and for the
years 1885 and 1886. However,
comparison of any other year
would show the same results. The
report shows the combined tax
payments of all the railroad COM
panies, all the insurance compan-
les, all the telegraph companies,
all the telephone companies, all
the express companies, all the
sleeping car companies, all the.
freight line companies, all the in
heritance taxes collected, all the
chain store taxes collected, all the
money and credit taxes collected
and all of the state income taxes
collected in 1885 amounted to
S13.414.456.43. The same collec-
tons in 1886 amounted to $14,-
8O8, 008.35. Now, dear reader,
hold your breath. In 1885 and
1886 the mining companies in
I