The Portland daily press., 1899-03-17

with one exception there haunt been a
wooden mill sold In Maine Of late for 90
per cent of the valuation placed upon
them for state taxation. In Vassalboro
there is a mill valued by tie state as
SCISSORS at si26, 900 and it sold recently for
$4,000 Is that rights Is that equal
taxation! Is it any wonder that there Is
a tremor among the people OF this state
over the question of taxations Go over
to Penobscot county. There are three
wooden mills in Dexter with total
valuation Of $50 600. These mills were
advertised all over New England for sale
to meet mortgage of s6o,ooa. Taxed
for $50 900, they sold for $4,000 and
Dexter as a town on the valuation books
of this state is called upon to pay taxes
on property yauled at $4,000 and which
recently sold for half that sum. Is that
rightly Is there something we owe the
people herep
want to call your attention to some
thing else In my own town Of Skowhe.
gan the real estate is valued at s2,2l9.-
olo; the personal estates at $50, $50;
total of 81, oS9, 26O. What do the state as
SCISSORS dop say and know It. that real
estate and especially farm property. Is
taxed for more than 1t will bring.
know that the little dwelling houses are
taxed for more than they can be sold for.
Now what do the state assessors dor In
their wisdom, confronted with the need
of money in the state treasury, they add
ten per cent to the valuation of the real
estate. They add 25 per cent to the value
of the live stock, s22, 600 more. In word
gentlemen. they add almost halt a million
TO the valuation Of the local assessors. Is
that rightp think you gentlemen from
the farming communities know how
your property Is taxed. know 1t Is taxed
for more than it Is worth. Now what
shall we do about 1t? have an order
which 1 will read. 1t provides for the
submission of this matter to a committee
of seven members of the Senate and
House, two from the Senate and hve
from the House. In order that the mem
beers of the committee may be chosen In
a way to remove their selection from the
range of outside influence, the order pro-
yides that the speaker of the House shall
select ten mbers, the president OF the
Senate three members and these thirteen
men, with the governor and council shall
select the 90 mmission. The order gives
them the right to give hearings In the
state house at which the various in
dustries of the state may be represented
.k.k told that
had tax commission once and that all
we got was the board of state assessors
and tax ON dogs. presume that that
board was surrounded by the Third
House. When we get a commission com.
posed of men with backbone enough to
stand up and do their duty, believe they
can make recommendations which will
enable the next Legislature to equalize
taxation.
When the Gardner bill was presented,
an attempt was made to indefinitely
postpone it. When that attempt failed,
the gentleman from Augusta, MIR.
Macomber, presented type written order
for an inquiry into the general subject OF
taxation. That order was In the nature
of an indefinite postponement. 1t was
prepared for that purpose and it had 1t s
effect Now l say that the next legis-
Iature wants the advantage of thorough
review of the whole subject, so that it
may consider it intelligently.
MIR. Merrill then sent his order to the
desk.
Mr.. Virgin of Portland interposed an
objection that this was not proper time
to consider so important a matter as these
orders and he moved that tho Merrill!
order go to the table with the Gardner
resolve.
Then the bill presented by Mr.. King OF
Caribou to remove from the present rail
way tax law, the provision that receipts
under it be returned to the cities and
towns in proportion to the stock owned
therein was killed by the acceptance of
the adverse report of the committee.
Tie orders remained on the table until
late in the afternoon session when that
presented by Mr.. Merrill was taken up.
MIR. Merrill said that he had conferred
with a number of gentlemen since he in
hat it should be in the shape Of re-
solve Friends of the movement had
asked him to have business men selected
with the members of the legislature and
SO the resolve would provide for two
in addition to the seven members select
ed In the manner already described. In
other respects the resolve was Identical
with the order.
The reopening of the subject caused
some more speechmaking. MIR. Merrill
of New Gloucester, Democratic mem
Der, occasioned much amusement by his
remarks. urging that Democrats should
have places on the commission. WAR;
the Republican party, he said, that thu
old farmers in the country are grumbline
at these things. They shake their head
and say that they will not vote the ticke
again, but the crack of the party whiI
brings them into line. There were moi