The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-18

On us winter after winter, by few gentlemen
educators in this State. What is the whole
scheme they have here?
FIRST, grand educational head centre-the
State Superintendent. Next, a subordinate
head centre in every county-the county Su-
pervlsors. What next? 1t is to take away
your superintendent of common schools, and
put IN one man, q town supervisor in every
town. What next? Break down your districts
and give the supervisor supreme control over
the whole town. What next? Compulsory edu-
| cation, which heartily rejoice you gentlemen
of the rural districts voted down yesterday, and
hope every man of you that voted that down,
| will vote down that other part of the same
| formity of text books. I ask you it this is not
a scheme of Capitalization. But this IS only
| foreducational purposes, you say; true, but as
far as it goes is it not centrallzatlOn? And
who knows whether this system will always be
! used simply in the cause of education? One of
these days our worthy superintendent of COM
mon schools whom honor for his zeal and
| ability, will retire, and political intriguer
perchance, may take his place, and what ma
chinery have you not at his disposal. a ma.
| chinery for Capitalization, by means of which
every family in Maine can be reached swiftly
and surely through the agents of the central
power at the capital? Suppose you build
most excellent water power mill with the most
approved machinery by the side of the stream,
| and the river is dry Does your mill move? Is
there any activity there? Put the water power
| to your waterwheel, and the mill goes Give
the mill tax, and there is power which shall
set this whole machinery of Capitalization in
motion. Vote this increase, and another will
be asked. The two mill tax will amount to
| S450,000, to be distributed over the State [
| feel myself that we must have State officers to
disburse State money. Though you may vote
down county supervisors your successors will
not, and the conclusion is irresistible that SOON
| er OF later, State officers will expend this mon
/ from SfatQ 'IrQQ not int
the teachers by the State? The State pays
them. Why stop at supervisors? Why not
have every teacher appointed by the State?
So sure as the State pays all this money, so
sure will it come that this grand Capitalization
| system will be enforced over the whole State
even to the employment of every teacher that
| educateS your children.
But you rural members, say the cities are
rich and can spare this money, white we are
| poor, and cannot spare it, Is it not also true.
tres OF wealth, they are also centres of poverty,
| ignorance, and vice, which entail a heavy
burden upon them. 1 call to your attention
the condition of Portland We pay S67 900 a
head for every man. woman and child in the
| city. We pay $S3, 200 year for our police af-
| fairs, fire department. and the lighting of our
streets. We pay $25, 900 year for the support
| OF paupers which is at the rate of so cts per
| capita on our population. Now why equaiize
| one burden, that of education, over the State
and not equalize all? Come in from the rnral
districts, gentlemen, come in and help us pay
these bills, and for the matter of that if every
thing is to be raised by State tax, why have
any town tax at all, or any town lines?' Why
not break down the whole system and have one
grand CENTRAL despotic government here at Au-
| gusta, taxing the people, and enforcing its
mandates all over the State? But you say prop
| erty should pay for education. 1t does this al
| ready. You well know that the property of ey-
cry town pays for education within the limits
| of the town.
1t is well known axiom that ''money easily
got easily goes and is it not a great question
whether this money that comes SO easily from
the State to the towns, will be we'll expended.
| whether it will do so much good as if the
| towns raised 1T themselves. If towns raise the
money Will they not have greater interest in
| its expenditure? As a matter of fact, this tax
| OF one mill on dollar is not actually raised in
many cases-dOes not actually go into the State
| Treasury as the law would lead you to suppose,
and is not thereafter actually paid out to towns.
The Superintendent of Schools and the State
Treasurer will tell you that in many cases-I
| will not say in most, though think in most
that when town comes to pay its taxes to the
State for the year it dedrcts the amount of the
mill school fund coming to that town, from the
State tax it is going to pay, and then hands
over the balance to the State Treasurer In-
deed, the money that many towns should 10
ceive from the towns for school purposes never
has an actual existence, but simply reduces the
| amount of State tax paid by those towns.
| Whether this money is afterwards raised and
expended by the towns for education, who can
| tell?
man, Mr.. Speaker, respects and honors
our free schools more than l. No man can be
more willing to help them by every Just and
honorable means. But the question before us
is not whether we shall improve or benefit our
common schools, but whether we shall support
| them by just or unjust taxation.
| This mill tax which under tho forms or low
takes large balances of money out of our cities
| and larger towns, distributes this money so
unequally that many towns receive for their
share an amout equal to their entire State tax,
or III plain English, paw no State tax at all.
Nay, more. The school funds of the State,
| to be distributed the current year, will pay
| the whole State tax of number of towns and
give them large cash bonus, in addition.
Take for instance the town of Frenchville; its
portion of the State school funds for 1873 ac-
cording to the estimate of Treasurer Caldwell,
| is 81, 404.72; tax at B 3-4 mills $466.19; cash
| balance paid out by State to Frenchville over
and above its taxes, 1888. 50. So that our pres
| ent law not only in effect exempts Frenchville
| from State taxation but presents it with an an
| nual bonus of nearly $1,000.
In like manner Fort Kent is exempted from
taxation, and receives yearly bonus of $685.
| %; Grant Isle a bonus Of $3.50 SO: MadaWaska
/ bonus of $34O 65; Hamlin bonus of S251 .67:
Mapleton bonus of $17S74; Oakfield a bonus
| of $267 95; Swan Island a bonus of $780,
| Other places receive like balances, but I will
| not detan you with further enumeration.
On the other hand the city of Portland, that I
have the honor to represent in part in this
House, must pay her entire State tax, and $19,-
600 year in addition, and other cities and large
towns are drained in proportion
There should be no antagonism between the
country and the city; each is dependent on the
other; neither can live without the other. Har-
| mony between them is necessary to progress
and the best welfare of the State. Why then
| enact laws, even in the holy name of education,
| which cast burdens on one section for the bene-
| fit of another, and which must eventually ex-
cite bitterness and ill-will?
| Antagonist between city and country! Was
| there ever want or distress in hamlet however
remote, and did the cities refuse to contribute
of their substance to alleviate that distress; and
when great calamity fell upon the town when
the refiend burst loose in the beautiful CITY by
| the sea, when half the city was turned to ashes
| in night, and the morning sun shone on mil
| lions of property destroyed and thousands of
| men, women and children wandering shelter
less among the smoldering ruins of their homes;
| then, gentlemen OF the rural districts, you rose
| up os one man to our aid.
Maine is a State of imperial resources. Maine
| should be an empire State. On the fertile soil
| of Aroostook, wheat enough can be raised to
| feed our entire population. Our immense for
ests have just begun to be cut upon, our cliffs
of granite, slate and limestone give US an mex
uduSldule SOurCe " wealth. IOT ages our rivers,
| now flowing all too idly to the sea, would if
dashed to the wheel turn the factories of the
nation, and in our safe and spacious harbors
may float the navies of the world.
True it is that the last decade has been hard
time. Ship building decayed, many manufac-
lures became stagnant, much of the. best blood
of our youth was poured forth in the war; but
better day has dawned; immigration is flow
ing in upon us; manufactures are springing in
to existence; and the cheerful sound of the
adze and the broad axe is heard again in our
ship yards.
Is now the time to separate section from Sec
ton by unequal laws? No, no. Let us vote to
harmonic and conciliate all interests; let us so
vote that the city and the country, one in heart
and one in purpose may march forward shout
der to shoulder towards the grand future now
opening for the State of Maine. UT
SoNs OF MAINE.-The sons of Maine residing
in Haverhill and Bradford, Mass, have just
completed their arrangements, and the organi-
| cation of committees to carry the same into
effect, for general meeting for social and con-
vivial purposes, in Haverhill, on the 14th
proxmo Oliver H Roberts is chairman of the