Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-02-11
NUMBER 5.

| slraDie people, pernaIs, from accepting
the office OF Governor. or from even
thinking that they car ever be csndi.
date Tor that position. You offer re-
ward, then, for men 20 take the office.
either because they are rich and can al
ford TO take that office, or because they
are rsscals and can make enough out OF
it SO they can afford ID take it. Ii you
pay yonr Treasurer OF State so little that
he cannot find II profitable TO hold that
office, hen you offer 1. reward TO that
Treasurer of State TO speculate on the
funds in his possession. He did not say
our present Treasurer was going to do
that, but il had been done at some time
In the history of our State. II the sala-
rios of The judges are reduced 10 80 little
that no lawyer will accept position 0
the bench, the bench is open to q set Of
men who viii take those offices for what
they can make out of them. A low pric.
ed judiciary is very dangerous expert
ment Tor State TO try. Suppose We
start fairly upon this principle. that we
are willing to pay every man what his
services are worth, and not work with
this idea, that each party has got 10 vie
With tho other In cutting down. regard
less Of all reason. We find here very
extraordinary spectacle. q committee sit
ting here day after day and night alter
night, with closed doors. secret sessions,
and bringing report in here with great
unanimity, and with almost equal unani-
NIFTY voting against it,every man OF them
almost, voting against his own report
voting that the salary of the Governor
should lie $1,000, and coming in here
and almost every one OF them voting Tor
$500. He submitted whether this report
was to be taken without due deliberstion.
II seemed TO him that time should be
taken in its consideration, and that their
conclusions should not be accepted with
out scrutiny.
Gentlemen OF the dominant party in
the House have gone round the State and
promised their constituents that when
they came homethey would come covered
with glory; they would scalp every body.
and they have got to get the scalps to
cary homo. Not being able 20 shoot wild
game. they propose TO buy tame game;
and they take few poor tame fellows
round The State House here who are go
ing to work honestly to fulfill the duties
OF their Office. They are Immediately
available. They see those poor fellows,
and tney reduce their salaries to retrench.
lie. Us calculate little how much this
whole bill will save. 1t provides for 8
retire uchment of eight or nine thousand,
call il ten. Suppose we calculate how
much that amounts TO. One-lourth OF
mill ou the State tax amounts 70 $56 900.
Suppose we call IL nine thousand.-be-
tween nine and ten. That would be
sbou, l.6 Of OF one mill. That is TO
say. every man would find his account in
this gay; that the State tax would be re-
duced about la OF mill. Consequent.
ly every msn who pays a tax OF s24o
would be affected just one cent. His tax
would be reduced just one cent.
Now this WAS all well TO have good
beginning; but he submitted whether
this was the programme that was to be
carried out. II this legislature. after all
the war dances that have been held prior
to this. are going TO dance about and
carry home these few inoffensiye mems
scalps, it seemed TO him it was going TO
be very poor advertisement for the
party ths. sent them here.
All this howl about taxation arises not
from the State tax. The State tax last
year was fixed at four mills. This taxa
ton arises from municipal taxation. not
State taxation. You have loaned your
credit TO the railroads; you have built
railroad in every direction that you could
think OF; and you have loaned your cred
it to every little saw mill that would in.
vest ten or twelve thousand dollars in
town. There is where your money has
gone to, and those are the bills you have
got to pay.
All the point he wished to make In this
matter was that when members consid-
cred the salary bilI it should DO dispas-
sionstsly, and with cslmness, and that
they should not rush in to try TO see which
will put the lowest salary on man. ano
whether II shall be republican. democrat
or green hacker that shall happen to hit
him the last clip. Let US see If we can.
not give man what he is worth. He
hoped this spirit OF trying to cheat men
out of their salaries that they are entitled
to. by putting the dates back or forward,
would not prevail. but that the matter
would be looked upon in sensible light
aud that the men would be paid what their
services are worth. II our constituents
do not sustain us in that, then let them
send others here who shall be socially
instructed.