Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-06

revenues necessary LOT tno support OF
State institutions. If. however, addi-
tfoDal revenues should be found ncces-
sary he believes they should be sought
from other sources rather than from
| an increase in the tax rate. Strong
ground Is taken against exemption of
property. Upon this point the Gov
ernor says:
ITO exempt. and therefore fail to tax
is simplysfaiadd SO much more to that
which, is inciuded in the list. and very
| often this additional burden is placed
upon property and persons that can Ill
afford to bear 1t. Hence. always
contend. and l do most earnestly in
sist. that both right and justice de-
! mand that all citizens and all the prop
| erty of the State of every kind and
description should bear their and its
| equitable share of the public burdens,
and that any person who is not willing
to do his part and desires that Maine
| shall in any sense, or to any class be a
| tax-dodgers' paradise and threatens
| to emgrate in case he cannot shift his
just taxes upon his neighbor is not a
very desirable citizen. and certainly it
is not worth while to bride him to re-
main.
therefore, any legislation which may
h1Na n tendency ia off II ~ 1lIy
produce 4 greater equalization of pub
lie burdens. or to do away with or re-
peal any direct exemption, or indirect
ones. where the assessments are re-
turned by the State treasurer. will be
cheerfully approved by me. and have
no doubt it will be welcomed by the
most of your constituents"
Governor Powers is confident tina,
when some $92, 900 due from the gem
eral government has been paid the
State will be found to have incurred
very little additional expense in furnish
the President. Not one cent has been
taken from the treasury for military
purposes during the past two years
aside from the regular appropriations
for the National Guard in time of
peace.
The part borne by Maine in war with
Spain is reviewed at some length by the
Governor and the record is one in
which all citizens of the State may
feel just pride. We trust that not a
single one of them will fail to give II
the careful reading it merits.
laws relating to the National Guard
should be radically changed. He says:
Eat the present time both regiments
of the Guard are very much shattered
and disorganized from the results OF
the war, and orders have been issued,
furloughing the entire Guard to the
first of May next. l do not in the least
desire to reflect upon the officers OF
men who constitute the National Guard
VI Jul holulS. ~ ID llOl NAlCil lduil IL Tic
march of events has outgrown the regi-
ment provided by our military laws and
demand something of a different char
acter. The difficulties, to my mind,
can be obviated and removed. not by
repeating, but by properly amending IN
some important sections the law Great
ing and regulating the Guard as it now
stands upon our statute books.
ut is certainly better and less expen-
sive to the State to have a single regi-
ment and have every company full to
the standard of the United States re-
quirements, than larger number of
organizations with less men in them.
such as our present laws provide for.
Maine may have in the future should
be composed of companies of not less
than the same number of physically
sound men that the United States reg
uar army requirements specify. They
should be armed with modern guns,
thoroughly equipped and drilled, and
ready to take the field at any time up
on short notice, and when any call by
the general government has exceeded
their numbers, and more soldiers are
| needed, there will be no lack of eager
volunteers. But two regiments, with
full complement of officers. so that no
commissions can be given to those who
desire to bring men in, in which only
from 30 to 30 men are physically fit for
duty. are expensive and difficult TO
raise to the United States standard and
requirements when called into active
service, and should cease to exist IN
our State. 4 SMs
an short, l submit that it is very de-
srable to SO change our military laws
as to form our National Guard in every
particular, SO far as we can upon the
regular army Standard 9G
Other recommendations of the mes
sage are the establishment of the office
of State Auditor and a revision of the