The Portland daily press., 1891-02-18
WOMEN WILL NOT VOTE THIS YEAR.
a Triangular Railroad Fight Was On
Yesterday.
The Public Tax Hearings Closed by
the Farmers.
A Light Day In the Legislative
Houses.
Especial to the Press.1

| Especial to the Press1
AUGUSTA. February 1.-THE judiciary
committee will report ought not to pass on
the woman suffrage bill by vote of TO @
The women must try again.
The dentists had better luck. The com.
mittee will report ought to pass on the regis
tration bill, the vote in its favor being to I.
The last of the evening hearings by the tax
committee was held this evening on the topic
OF general subjects Of taxation. The farm
ers were ably represented before the COM
mittee and the hearing was largely attended.
Hon. ID. M. Heath appeared to speak In re-
gard to the tax Of water companies Mr..
Heath cid not believe in increasing the tax
now imposed upon them, pointing out that
their system of pipes, reservoirs and real es-
tate was already subject to taxation. More
over, the companies are heavily bonded, and
banks, so that they are subject TO the sayin IS
Dank TAX. AS the companies, unlike rail-
roads, are purely local, Mr.. Heath did not
believe that they could justly be made the
subjects OF state taxation alone.
| OR. Edward Virgins of Maysville spoke
iorclbly of the position Of the farmers, claim
| ing that their burdens should be lessened.
and deprecating the manner in which they
nad been regarded by some who had appeared
before the committee.
/ Mr.. b. w. Mckeen OF Fryeburg, of the
State Board of Agriculture, also spoke briefly
In the same line, as an introduction to those
VINO were to speak later.
w. ID. Vlnt0n OF Gray spoke of the efforts
to relieve the farmers which had been met
by representations of everything it was pro-
posed to tax us with the statement I'VE are
taxed enough already" Mr.. Vinton referred
to the rapidly increasing deposits in savings
banks. Ii this keeps on he asked how long
1t would be before all the money in the state
would be In these banks. Mr.. Vinton
claimed that these deposits were
largely made by rich men with the
purpose OF escaping taxation. He asked
why these deposits should not be taxed In
the same manner as bank stock. Money is
disappearing. 1t cannot be borrowed in:the
towns of Maine. 1t is being sent west by
savings banks. Mr., Vinton understood
that In the valuation Of Portland there was
banks had large deposits from the citizens of
Mr.. Vinton's town of Gray, but a man from
tray who attempted to borrow money from
them on mortgage would be met with the
statement that they loaned money only on
Portland real estate. He quoted from the
advertisement of the Augusta savings bank
10 snow that they had surplus of $350.0O0,
Notwithstanding the statements made before
the committee that these banks had little
surplus. Mr.. vlnton said if nothing else
could at least be somewhat increased.
DR.. George M. TwitcheIl said that the
farmers asked only for Justice He favored
listing system, by which he thought all
kl1ds KID OF property could be correctly valued
f. s. Adams OF Bowdoinham, member of
the state board of agriculture, thought the
farmers paid too much In proportion to 9TH
er tax payers. He said that he ventured the
assertion that the farms of his section did
not pay two per cent on the investment. 1t
was urged that various industries might be
driven from the state by heavy taxation, SO
might the young men raised on the farms.
X. w. Ellis OF Embden, representing the
grange committee, spoke at some length,
touching the various points on which the
grange bad asked for increased taxation. He
said that the increase asked was SO little in
the case of savings banks particularly, that
ne did not believe but that savings bank men
would admit that it could be paid without
trouble. The railroad tax requested was al
SO a light one. Several other gentlemen
spoke briefly.
Portland and Westbrook Railroads.
There was triangular controversy before
the railroad committee this afternoon on a
subject which is of interest especially to the
people of Portland and the towns of Deering
and Westbr0ok. The claims OF the petition
ers for charters for the Portland and West
brook Street Railway Company and the Sub
urban Railway Company both of which want
to build railroad from Saccarappa to Port
land, were first presented and then Hon. G.
F. Libby told why the Portland Street Rail-
road company objected to the granting of
either charter.
Judge Nathan Cleaves was the first speak
er for the Westbrook and Portland charter.
He said he appeared rather as a petitioner
that as counsel. Mr.. Cleaves referred to the
sentiment in favor of the road for which the
petitioners wanted charter. A large num-
Der CfpetitiOners in favor of such a charter
had been already presented to the Legisla-
ture and one bearing the names of 120 promi-
nent firms and business men In the city of
Portland would be introduced tomorrow
morning.
Mr.. Lemuel W. Lane of Saccarappa spoke
of the need of this road. He said that now
Portland. there were no evening trains ex-
cept perhaps on Saturday nights. The cor
p0rators; of whom Mr.. Lane is one, were, he
said, ready to build at once If the charter
was granted them.
In response to questions by Mr.. G. F. Lib
by, Mr.. Lane said that the railroad fare to
Portland was 25 cents. There were six
trains day, he thought, on the Portland &
Rochester and or on the mountain divis-
ion of the Maine Central.
Mr.. G. w. bennett spoke of the sentiment
in favor of this road among the citizens of
Westbrook.
Kimball Eastman and Mr.. Lyons also
spoke Of the sentiment in favor OF the road
and the eagerness of the citizens to sign pc
titions in its favor,
Hon. }. Manchester Haynes, of Augusta,
one of the corpOrators named In the bill,
was sure that the road would be of great
benefit to the towns through which 1t would
pass. If the charter was granted he was
sure the road would be built at once.
Representative Lamb of Cumberland Mills
said the road was needed.
Mr.. Prenttss Loring of Portland, another
of the corporat0ls, told how easily he had
secured names in Westbrook, Deering and
Portland, to petitions In aid of the charter.
One gentleman who signed the petition after
ward withdrew his name, saying that he had,
since signing the paper, learned of opposi-
tOn which he had not been aware existed.
Mr: Loring said that he met with no other
difficulty. The road was not designed to
conflict with the Portland horse railroad.
Capt. H. I'll. Shaw of Portland said he
voiced the sentiments of large number of
Portland men in favoring the new road. He
knew of no Portland merchant who was op-
posed to it, but had talked with many who
favored 1t. He believed the line would bring
trade into Portland and would open up valu-
able land for house building. Opposition
from the steam railroads would very natural
ly be made.
Hon. James p. Baxter of Portland, who is
one OF the c0rp0ratOrs, had written a letter
In favor OF the charter which was read by
Judge Cleayes; AYES MT. Baxter, as a property
owner in Westbrook, Deering and Pailroad.
favored the granting of the charter because
he believed the people of the towns through
which the road passed would be greatly bene
fitted and that the public interests of thosa
localities would be promoted by it. Mr.
Baxter sincerely hoped that the PRAYER of
the petitioners would be granted. u
Col. John M. Adams of Deering also wr,to
In favor of the road. "A0'o
The selectmen of Deering had word IN
say at this point through Mr.. Andrew Hawes
the representative flom that town. They
wanted both the charters of the Portland
and Westbrook and Suburban Comnanvv
amendedto to give them the power of regniss-
ting the construction of the tracks; to- nre-
vent laying tracks on streets now so occn-
pied and to make the building Of the jina
obligatory within specified time. wv A'Ao
Then the Suburban Company had its time.
the petitioners. He said that thew vifo fonnd ,oT
themselves one Of two parties asking for the
same rights. Mr.. LIBBY referred to the the