Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-03-24

$500 - sIsl
cSusun = - - = Fl
- 49, 0y1o61 y lI Ct
- - Z ~ sss11Al = = -
1S1nk - - - vsusk ~ leusll|
lonou - - - roenen1ef - GNeeo<
Ibe tHSeo 49, akas 1nup - eEooD1
l q o1pqfk, Nho - eohR eeteee = -.
0ona Whsaevos ~ 81 ~ : ~ -
lk1oa = naconp1ish - D1EDsse r. 01teA
IN + enacaei, = = sifhiA ~ pgsytnoe =
Ithe IAaisoa6nao, ~ as1 v1fGA NJ
esehf . 1eflcrm = eSu1oee ~ 1ag - -
Ianana = = q uakp y e8ee1nal IN ~ -
| - II uAieh + ~ snae1pd 81 p1aced
80 ~ s1nfn1o hoshs. Nor II haya|
skssa shas - psssssS ~ = ~ eeeeteal|
| u beingfe9 - III ~ peepee1y ct - -
/ = - esxed - 4 skea1A ~. thsa ~
! ~ = u s1ands uDen ~ sntu1e1
fbsaka u in4Geesnal, nd y ~
ldnly Of tAis 6enals ~ this Lar
| iaia1uxs b isq1irs ihtp IL quesaoa;
I1hethsf 8 lav eannok - nsds uAtee
viii - nade uoee e3se1nal sid III o.
| csnpiish ~ pafposs fer which Hrs msI
pIacsd moo eur eeAau1a beeks; aDd these-
6see ~ 4 n ths ds1y 4 IT, 6snaee ard
1kiD Lseislasurs = iaqaiss fnss this vii ed
| ~ il nhass b not sonsthine sbsak Is which
lean ~ aAegesd . mako aoss e&scs1al ard
Ieisef ths aassssaens d taxes IN Ne Stats
| Of Mains. This &C.. - ansnded, feqaifss
| he ssssssofe % tsks oath 70 pesfosn theif
duliss faithfully ard pats then uadss .
penalty IL they do moi; and Il requires thss
biaahs shall b ssnt out 10 ths ~ payefs
css1aiaipe intsfoestofies. AID ! sabnit.
vlthcat reading section N detail. that y
doss not contain nearly . psTlscs list -
does section 5. chspsss which
havs fsad; and II had noticed thas sec
sion and understood il before shat seciion
uas dfAws. - do nov. should have
preferred 70 have copied ths intsfrcgstoeies
from session s into this section >, rather
Than 70 have copied The inteRfogasosiss
here. Could any member Of this Senate
o. aay tax payer in the 6tats object 70
snsnefnfing his property - he lav nov
requires Il. pfessstioe IL 70 the asssssorsf
n had copied the ioteirogaforiss Of the
stAtsse vefbadm could any objectton BE-
raised 70 the IAs? There could be no hon
eat objection raised t, u. becsuse il would
be absolusely the lay = Il II todsy without
change except shst il requires the tax
pssess to present. the,e items TO the asses
cor TO be assessed. The senator from Bag
Aiahoc says be does NOT propcse o discoss
this bill; he ssys thai II this bill imposes
. penalty the ASSESSORS viii not serve.
Almost every lay on ths statute books
which requires . man 10 perform certain
du lee. especially % the public. attach pen
aides for the neglect Of those duties.
The penalty here, think il 500. Il
there anything in ibis bill that adds dol
lar OF property to what the law already
r, quires TO be taxed? Il there anything in
tbs bill 10 compel man 10 be taxed TOR
single dollar OF property be does not
own? I fail to find 1t. II simply provides
he shall present IN enumeration OF the
property he does Own. What objections
are made to this2 Judge Emery. an emf
nent authority upon the question Of taxa
ton, says: "In my letter Of last January
commented on the made quacy and int qus'-
isy ard come quent injustice OF the present
| ,ystem and practice Of taxation, 20 far 40
personal property 10 concerned, My char
scter' sis01 seemed to be generally &C.
quiesced in. No one, ., fer ~ have OBJ
served, has publicly questioned il. desire
TO repeat what / then said. that justice de-
msnds that ali such taxes be abolished, unless
Il tuey NC NhcCt0ouy ACvlco VA ENGAy 0Shos
Of such property liable to taxation. To
reach and tax nine men and miss the tenth
IL unjust. To tax the ODE and fail to -
the nine 10 monatrous. Yet all will sgfee
that something like this 10 being done sn-
nually all over the State. What the commits
siou efs have formulated 10 in brief this:
A State board Of assessors is to prepare,
sunualIy. uaifo m blsnks for the letting in
/ Autan ~ al ind NJ t0OludinN
stocks, bonds. notes, etc. These blanks
are to be cent to the town assessor, Who
are to use these official forms ex-susively,
thus easu,ipg Uniformity throughout the
State. The town assessors, without wait
ing. ~ now, for the taxpayers to come be-
fore thera. are to send to each person liable
ca taxation one or more of these blspks.
The individual is to Gil out the blank in all
its detsils, make oath to the statement and
return it ~ the assessors. Should he fail
to do so, or refuse to complete An imper-
feet list, the assessors are to note his de-
fault on the books, and appraise his 1usn.
eial worta ~ best they can in gross. This
sppraisal they are to double, and then as
SEES the defaulter ON this double valuation
This 10 drastic remedy, bat it IL equal
and just. Every taxpayer throughout the
State has the same form to hll out, the
same oath or affirmation to make, the same
penalty to suffer. Il promises to be an
efectual remedy, for every one will sooner
Gil ont the blank than pay taxes on double
the fortune fumor attributes to him.
| 1t viii be unpleasant to do 90, but taxes
are always unpleasant, and can be made
endu,able only by masking every persen pas
bis just share. Men may desire to conceal
their property Affairs, but the desire for
once.Iment should be made to give way to
the public need Of equal taxation. There
10 no injustice In requiring every citizen
once year to disclose TO the assessors his
ability to bear the public burdens. It can
do him no wrong, whether he be rich or
poor, though 1t may mortify the poor man
to confess his poverty. The wrong IL in
the present system, under which the few
Disclose, and the many remain silent, under
which the few are taxed to the uttermost,
and the many avoid much Of their just
burden.
Il may be objected that the proposed sys.
tenn Of compulsory letting, will bear hard
on the honest man, who will make true
list, while the dishonest man will make .
false list. The dishonest man will make .
false list - easily under the present system,
but believe false lists are rare. The dis
honest man delights In general statements.
The new blanks will be % full. 90 plain
and 20 precise that dishonesty will be the
more discouraged.
Undoubtedly many objections can be
urged against tho comissioneIs' plan. 50
there can sgainss any plan. The evils Of
the present system are admitted, however,
sd unless better plan to remove these
wills IL devised, the commissionefs' plan
would seem entitled TO trial
This article Of Judge Emery's /, an
argument in itself against the present sys-
tenn and 10 favor Of the system recon-
mended by the commissioners. It 10 objscted
that the Law 10 inquisitorial. a tax Law
must necessarily be %. The tax law -
have read il from the statutes today requires
the assessors to obtain everv dollar Of per-
sonal property and real estate. Nov what
does that imply Does II not imply that you
shall inquire Of the man Who owns property
what property he hss7 It IL inquisitoSial
When you call witness on the stand, when
You summon him, - Jon can. to bring In
his books and disclose all his business
a6airs; bus, because IL ID inquisisorisl 10
the public allowed to suffsra and II Wit