Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-15

possible that he wss capable of deceiying the
people of the State in orier that Portland
within his own county might be unfairly
robbed of the State capitolf The next is the
gentleman from CALAIS who understand
was opposed TO this appropriation, not here
TO vote, but | unders tsnd he proposed 10
vote against it. The next is the gentleman
from Limerick in the county of York,
Is it possible that he was party
TO this deception: And the next wss
my friend, from rhomAston, who has repre-
sented his town With too much ability and too
long service 10 be deceived hy the rest Of
the committee or TO be party 10 an attempt
10 deceive the legislature into passing an sp-
preparation on which be vigorously and man
fully fought against. This is the committee,
ive of them out of ten, that have sent up this
report 10 this legislature and that alone
should cause US 10 hesitate before We accept
the careful combination OF figures which the
honorable senator from Cumberland has
laid before US. The trouble with his system
of combinations lies in the theories aud sys-
tens under which he has worked. The first
report that was sent up by the committee on
Financial Affairs Was arrived At by using
nothing but the mere estimates that were
made by the treasurer in his report made up
whether We in our estimates assume that our
tax is TO be collected this year or nextf half
this year and half that? We are treating
the States finances by coupling the two
years. There will be no session of the legis-
lature for two years. What matters ii
whether part of the funds come in this year
and part next, or all this year and none next.
provided during the two wears the amount of
the States tax that We have assessed is gotten
into the treasury: We have right 10 pass
against our tax billie The
assets upon which We are banking are the
resources OF the State 10 be derived from the
tax leNies that We assess this year. | submit
is not that good business proposition,
and upon that basis this last report of the
Finance Committee was made up, precisely
as any bank would forecast its future for a
gwen number of years, precisely AS any
business man would guage his own expenses
And this legislature sitting here has u right
to pass appropriations against all OF its tax
levies that are made for those two years
The senator omitted to give the explain
alton of the rest Of this. Take the bank tax
The treasurer was conservative in his es-
innate in December and put il at $3.50 600
But with the same annual increase of de-
posits that has held good for ten years, II
must yield $3.50 900, and when called on
for an exact itemized and accurate detailed
stat, ment he tells US it will yield S24O, 600
The railroad tax which was estimated a,
$40 900 has been practically assessed by the
Council. The first figures were made in
December, but with the assessment il 10
$40 900 The insurance tax was estimated
at $1,000 in Decemqer, but it proves to be
s24 900, and so on through the rest of the
figures,
But there is one important consideration
in this whole matter or the financial exhibit
that the senator makes that he has not given
the members of this senate. | call the at
tenton of the members to the histor, of the
tax rate of this State In 1869 the tax rate
in this State was mills upon doll:r, and
in 1873 il has been reduced to I
mills upon dollar, and in 1879
our good friends that for while
occupied these halls of legislation. that came
like the wind and disappeared like
the wind from the politics of
this State, and with policy that was largely
made up of wind -(laughtcr) they could not
improve upon our tax rate. and while the re-
publican legislature of 1873 has assessed u
tax rate of mills, our good grcenback
friends found it was impossible to run the
business of the State, a. then run for less
than mills. and levied upon the people of
the State the same tax rates that We had
levied the preceding year. But the whirl of
politics brought the republican party back
into its rightful possession, and by 1885 we
had succeeded in knocking of quarter of a
mill, and the tax rate of 1885 and 1856 was
down to three mills and three-quar,ers. The
Ii gislature of two years ago that my learned
tber la 4
that tax rate one mill, making the tax rate
for 1887 and lsSs two mills and three four,hs
My learned brother makes no reference to
the tax bills and tax rate that has been assess
ed at this session of the legislature and has
gone to the Governor and by him been
signed. The tax rate for the year 1889 is AS
it was last year, two and three fourths mills
but the tax rate for 1890 i. two mills and one
quarter. In giving us his financial exhibit
why should not that fact have been included
that we have lifted from the shoulders of
the people for the next year the burden of
half "A mill of taxation and relieved them from
the payment of sll7, 900 of taxation. ANY
business man, by adding these figures
together and conducting the business of the
State even as he would conduct his
own, can see that while our appropriations
have been large, while we have been liberal
in all directions even if this resolve passes
and the appropriation be charged against the
current expenses of the State. still we have
funds enough to meet every expense of the
State and permit the peoples tax to be re-
duced Sll7,0OO.
10 that bad record to make before the
people of this Statei tell you, Mr.. Prcsi-
dent, applause that the people of thi.
N-uf.. a, ...sI
ate it when the men 20 up from the farms
and pay to the town treasury their reduced
taxation for the year 1890, the array of fig.
ures by the senator from Cumberland to the
contrary notwithstanding.
But where. Mr., President, is this cItraya
gaucef That is the term that the senator
from Cumberland uses Standing upon the
heels Of this session he tells u. that we have
been extrayagant this winter. lie tells u.
that our appropriations have been increased
So they have. He tells us that we have
made extraordinary appropriations SO we
have, Mr. President. But upon what one of
them was the voice of the senator from Cum
berland raised to warn us against the danger
Gus paths in which we were waking? viii
he tell Us, Where are these increase.i
With the reduction of the interest account
and with the cessation of the sinking fund
which | will explain later, poor little mares
nest that the senator from Cumberland has
discovered, where are these increases iIa.
he examined them lie deal. in aggre gates
VIII he deal in particulars, and then where
in.
The first increase, Mr. President, is this
Years ago we commenced the policy of sup.
plemeuting the work OF the United State,
government in caring for the men that went
out sth the distinguished gentleman that
sits at my left Senator Hill to fight for Us
that might have a STATE House to contend
in We began with sl5. 900 year. AMI the
such a poor opinion, when it found that the
President Of the United States. with HI.
chronic tendencies to veto everything that
was right and liberal, had vetoed the bill
that said the poor soldiers of thi. country
should never be .een inside of poor house.
that said whatever be the burdens Of the
people it is no burden to remove at least
from the escutcheon Of the State of Maine
the possibility of saying that one old
soldier shall ever inhabi an aim, house
within our midst, ap1 we raised that appro-
priation from slj 900 to s3j 900 year for
that very purpose. Was that eItrayagant.
Mr.. President Was il prongy And what
have We done this Year, But a.
age zoe. on as their system. yield under the
terrible pressure Of the burden. that they
suffered during those four long years, their
necessities become greater. They came
knocking at the doors Of these hall. and xe
listened to them in the early hours of thi.