The Portland daily press., 1899-03-17
TAXATION.
House Still Talking About
the Subject
BUT HAS ACCOMPLISHED
NOTHING.
ORDER CREATING COMMISSION
BEFORE THE HOUSE.

BEFORE THE HOUSE
An Able Discussion Of the Question BY
MIR. Merrill of skowhegan-Ho De-
clares That the Lobby Creates the
Tax Laws-The Veterinarian Regis
tration Bill Killed by Farmer Daw-
son Who Makes Another Speech.
UpHoIAL TO THE PREss.l
Augusta, March l6.-Ihe tax question
was uppsrmost again in the House today
and after the fnal disposition OF the
Gardner bill increasing the railway tax,
there came two orders or resolves for the
appointment of committees to examine
into the whole subject and report to the
nsxt legislature. Mr.. Gardner presented
the first Of these. The second was intro
duosd by Mr.. Merrill Of Skowhsgan, who
made a speech which went into the whole
su pject of taxa tion in Maine in way
which brought him the closest attention.
The influence of the Third House was
mentioned again and again.
The matter came up as soon as the ses-
sion opened on the question of accepting
the adverse report of the taxation COM
mittee on the Gardner bill and the
Macomber order in concurrence with the
Senate. MIR. Gardner moved that the re-
nF kia "a ha tn that
Ii ought to pass. He said / am before
you to define in feeble way my convic-
tions. The bill relating to the taxation
of railways is not an attack on any one
corporation. but ID is the outcome of a de-
mand ofmy constituents that there should
be an increase in the taxes of corpora
tions, and by corporations. mean the
great. quasi.public corporations which
have received SO many and large grants
from the state. Too long have the rail
roads been able to present the increase Of
their taxes and the lightning of the
burdens Of the people. l wish to say that
l have begun with the railroads because
they, by means of the great lobby which
they maintain have been able to oppose
any such measure and defeat 1t. 1t is
said If you cannot break bundle of
sticks you can break one stiok. II you
begin with the railroads and increase the
tax 1t will be ensy to get at other corpora
tions. Some years ago an attempt was
made TO revise the tax Laws and COM
mission was appointed to frame law. 1t
was proceeding involving great ex-
pense. What did we get? We got the
state board of assessors, the dog tax law
and some alterations in the collateral in
heritancs tax law. The state assessor
merely carry out the existing law. 1t Is
said that it is too late in the session to
| take up this question. What has been
done for the people by this legislatureg
| The greater part of the time has been
spent In passing private legislation. That
comes first and now when you are asked
to legislate for the people you are told
that it is time to GO horne. j do not think
that a question like this should be put of
because 1t has been the custom OF the
legislature to adjourn about this time.
The state treasury and the people demand
this legislation. Go to the office OF the
treasurer and ask about the financial
condition of the state. You will find
that with the tax rate as 1t il and after
borrowing money right up to the limit 1T
IL necessary for the state officials to u &c
every of ort TO keep the expenditures
within the receipts. The railroads admit
that they could pay more taxes but say
they shouldn't he singled out for legisla
tion. Why should they object to payins &
their Just share of the burdens of the
state because somebody else escapes
gentlemen appeal to you to stay here
and take some action on this question oil
go on record as having made an attempt
to settle 1t.
::::Mr. Hutchings of Brewer. chairman o.
the tax committee defended the reports
He said that the committee were honest
in making their report. They believed II
to be too late to deal with these PROPOSE
tions at this late hour Of the session al
though they were of the opinion thai
there wns merit in them. Therefore they
had recommended that they be referred
to the next legislature. 1t was not suit
able method of dealing with this question
to single out one class Of corporations ts
whom an arbitrary change should be ap.
piled. The gentleman from Patten did
not meet the issue which he himself hae
raised. In introducing the bill he had
sAid that the present system was not II
accordance with the methods, adopted fol
the taxation of other property but the
gentleman from Patten did not change
the system. He simply made an arbitrary
Iincreass In the rates under the old sys