The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-19
THE STATE CAPITAL,
The Building of New State House
Would Hardly be Felt.

DENNYSVILLE, Feb. Is.
To the Editor Of the Press:
There are not less than I5O, 900 voters in tn
State. There must be nearly or quite ITO.
600 polls. The whole number of tax payer
must be nearly 100000. think it is quite SAT,
to say that the estates of two thirds of thes,
(say 100000 average as assessed, less thar
| 5000. In 1880, $50 towns and plantation.
did not exceed that amount. In the town
where live Dennysville) only Al out of 14O
tax payers are assessed over 5000, and prob
ably this is as good a showing as to popula
ton as the remaining towns and cities love,
and above the 100 named aboye) in the Stat.
would show.
an DESTROYS that we should have a new
State House, and in Portland, Il have n,
lake to grind.') And 100000 to $4,000
Tor the building ETC., outside of the land
ought to provide one altogether desirable
One editor says, Estate House was never
built that did not cost two or three times
the original estimates" If that is true, there
Is no necessity of its being so in Maine. Did
our present State House cost two or three
times" the amount it was supposed it could
bebuilt for?"
If State House is talked of, then we be-
/ gin to hear on all sides about burdens of
taxation" which, so far as, say, 10000 of
the tax payers are concerned, is simply not
much better than a bugbear. Should the
matter be left for the people to decide by
their votes, the argument against it won't be
the increase of the burdens of taxation, .
and the 10000 of whom 100000 at least would
be voters, would be likely to compose the
majority to vote the matter down, whereas
If they knew what very trifie the increase
would be, they might very largely be induced
to cast their votes in its favor.
Suppose State House is to be built, and
100000 to be raised and all paid In one wear
say 1880, and suppose further, that the as
sessed valuation should be $500, 900 (ac-
tual value being doubtless over $500, 900. OO0).
the 100, 600 would be called upon to paw for
one year only just about of that sum or
$150,000, Buff the City Of Portland should
make up 100000 OF it. as Is probable if the
State House should be built there, then the
$4,000 would be reduced to $4,000 which
means that the tax on these 10000 will not
exceed 81 90 each. A sum hardly worth con-
sidering, especially as it would mean, with
by no means small proportion, only the
cutting off for single year, the ability to
purchase twenty fve-cent cigars, or two
pounds Of tobacco. or eight or ten whisky
drinks, or two circus tickets. Then If the
State should receive that expected sum of
1000 from the United States and it should
"A
State House this $1.00 tax falls considerably
below fifty cents each.
III State House is built it must be paid
for and the heavy end of the burden must
rest upon the say 10000 taxpayers whose
estates exceed $780, But am inclined tc
the opinion that much smaller proportion
OF them would say nay to the project, than OF
the other and larger portion of the tax pay.
ers. Ii $4,000 should be voted in addition
70 what Portland would voluntarily contrib.
ute, Cumberland County with Portland would
be called upon to pay over 100000 of that
| amount.
We down casters ought not to complain Of
our State tax burdens" Perhaps | ought
not TO say 1t Out there are other sharp ewes
In the State besides mine that notice.) Wash
lngton and Aro0stook counties don't paw
any State tao. In fact the State paid them
last year SIT, 900; that is, Washington County
received back from the State for schools ovel
$4,000, and Aroostook County nearly SI3 600
over and above the whole amount of theil
State taxes.
AS to the one-sidedness of Portland as a
location for State Capital, at least eight
other States in the Union have their capital
Clues near one end of them, and all except
Massachusetts, are much larger in area than
the State OF Maine,-Virginia, Massachusetts
New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota
Louisiana, West Virginia and Florida.
Ii the city Of Portland, to help the matter
along, could provide for the meeting of one
or two sessions of the Legislature in its Cit,
Hall, then II State House is to be built, tn,
State could probably commence at once a.
soon as the Legislature adjourns, to fit nj
the old State House for an insane hospital
instead Of appropriating 100000 to add !;
pair Of wings to the present one