The Portland daily press., 1891-01-23

A Petition which Portland People
Will Be Asked to Sign.

The following petition is being circulated
for signatures:
To the Honorable Senate and House Of Repre-
sentGttres IN Legislature assembled, at It's
session A. ID. 1891:
Respectfully represent your petitioners, hat
they are citizens OF Maine and legal voters In the
city of Portland and,ylcinlty that we believe in
the traditional principle. which alike republican
and democrat C, that all property shall share the
burdens OF taxation as nearly equally as may De
practiC able, IN tt each Taxpayer individual or
corporate, shall be assessed according 10 the
actual value OF his or It's properly, that We base
lug Il TO be according 70 the constitution OF The
state, and sound public policy.
THEREFORE,, we the petitioners appeal 10 you
to so legslate as to amend our laws in the partie
ulars hereinafter narrated.
FRsT.-That all the railroads within the State,
be assessed, as now, upon their real estate with
In the several cities and towns where the same Is
situated that all the balance Of the property be
assessed according TO its actual value. and not
upon It's gross income, as now provided by law,
a method without Justification upon any principle
II taxation, anomalous and unequal. II Not I'M
be the same as that assessed upon other property
by the state, as hereinafter proposed.
SEcoND.-That the timber lands in the unorgan-
iZed plantations Of the state be assessed TO the
owners thereof, according to their actual value;
that inasmuch as these tlmber lands are not SAB
iect to taxation for the support Of schools, roads
and other municipal purposes, therefore, 10 equal
ize the burdens OF taxariOn as nearly as may De
done, we respectfully request that these lands
average rate which real estate is assessed in our
Your psiitioners believe that the Just method,
sor which we ask, VIII AFFORD an income 10 the
treasury Of the State Of Maine, which will entirely
dispense with our State taxes now assessed upon
our towns and cities amounting, for the year 1890,
to 1881 ,607.17. Nor would this bo the only
benencent result Of this Just amendment to our
present method of stale taxation. Our free
sescp wnsIn iTasnS 0Gr aba s nd
pensable TO intelligent citizenship, which alone
can maintain our republican government; and
democratic Institutions, must be supported with
a greatly increased lberalty, and rapidly ad-
yanced to meet the new demands OF our exDand-
ing elvilizalon. and the increasing complexity Of
Tie totaI SUN now expended for the support OF
our free public schools In Maine, Is only about
contributed In 1889 only S374,1b3, about thirty
seven per cent, while the towns and cities as
sessed themselves ir the slxty-three per cent.
The average length OF the session Of the schools
OF Maine Lass year was about twenty-five weeks.
InaSmueh as the cities and large villages nave
trsm thirty '1ve TO torty-two weeks, the average
IN the rural towns Is probably reduced to fifteen
or sixteen weeks, and In some small dStrietS the
sessions are even shorter than fifteen weeks.
Inc neglect thus apparent to suitably provide Tor
the education OF the children OF our rural towns
oug nj 10 awaken lively and deep interest 10 all
our citizens. We confidently believe, that a JUST
Valuatl0n OF the properties we have mentioned,
ana an assessment OF them, at q rate equal 10 tns
average rate OF town asd city taxation would
aHord, In addition to the abOlishment q our
state tax, q revenue for public schools sufficient
10 give the children In the rural towns thirty
weeks q school per annum, and az ihe SANE soaas
time reduce the taxes now levied for that purpose
more than one-half. =,
FoURTH.-The tax upon money at Interest," y. ~
case It Is secured by mortgage on rear est1te ~
operates to compel the hirer OF money 70 pay se
equivalent Of two taxes, one upon the ret SSsss9
mOItgaged, and one TO the lender on tno a a. az
under the pretense that ne VIII nayo ~ ~
on the loan. But more frequently Inan ~ osIS,- ~
wise, the assessors OF taxes DO not Know ~ tne
loans and the lender OF the money escapes uOm
the naSmenf of the sum he has eNacLeu from the
borrower and retains it for usury. we respect
fully request that the law DO ," @iuouuou as 10
FISTH.@We respectfully request that the
Legislature establish state bodrdo Assessors,
eonsisting OF three members, to be elected by the
Leeisiafure and from both political parties.