The Portland daily press., 1900-02-17
By Bangor Commercials Statement
that kanley Has a Sure Thing.
Farmers Want an Equal
Voice With Corpora
tionS.

The speskership contest for the next
legislative term, to begin In January.
1901. Is now being discussed literally Ia
Bangor; hotel talk and general go sip
give the ha In the contest TO Joseph n.
Manlsy Of Augusta. VINO now seer 70
have no opponent in the eastern Held
early in the sessoD," said an astute
political Observer In the Bangor House
ON Wednesday night, II thought the
fight was going to be- stout one. L
tbins the Com ms reiel had something IL
say about it ut the time, too. Anyhow.
the OF took WAS good for four-oorntred
scrap In which there would be lot OF
fun for US fellows on the sdges and q lot
Of trouble for tie quartet In the ring.
Now don't see anything Of the sort.
''Merrill, Webb, Guernsey and Manley
were the four men talked OF. Somehow
its all Nanley around hsre now and II
you want tip I'll give 1t to You free.
Paste IL in your hat that ths Augusta
man will find his way clear and that he
will re speaker. This isn't fact, 1873 only
prophecy. but you remember what tell
you,
al rather thought Guernsey would hit
1t M again, but somehow he DOESN'T
seem to be pushing SO hard for re-elec-
lion as he was. Dick Webb OF Portland
Is a good fellow but Portland won't get
IN anyway this time-thsre's another
prophecy. and when you come co talk
about MerriiI up In SEowhegan you've
struck the only snas In the buno B"
merrill 10 alter 1t red-hot. they tell
me. Well that's all right for exercise,
but he has u hnrd proposition ahead oil
him in the AUGUSTA man. The latter, so
I've hsen told within 81 hours, has nailed
down about every thing In the eastern
field, ard there are hints OF Webb's
strength going tc him from the West, to
say nothing of Guernssy's, which is
great, for ne Is deseIyediy popular In
Piscataquis.
"No, IL won't be the fight 1t looked to
be-. Sometimes / think IL won't be any
fight at all. You see the thing they
buoked Manley On was the corporation
business He met that with clincher
by just standing up aud saying that the
Maine Central and other interests he
knew OF would 90 anything agreeable to
the people OF the sts t, and that he wns
waiting to BE- commanded. ban sor
Commercial. Feb. y.
From tas above 1t appears that Manley
hes the lssd IN the Speaksrship fight for
the next House; that the gen tlemRn from
Augusta has no opponent IN the eastern
part OF the State. A year 10 long time
In pciisios and it is unsafe, In times like
the prssent, to be too certain as to the
results OF a contest so vital TO the inter
,sts Of the Taxpayers of the State OF
Maine, as the one under consideration.
While am not = granger, l am
farmer and taxpayer. Am no politician
but take an interest In those questions
that pertain t , the wslfsIeof the farmer
and taxpayer. Il makes but little differ
encs to the average citizen who shall
carry Off the honor OF organizing the
committees OF the House Of Representa-
tives. except In this, that 1t should be
man whose personal interests and the in
terests of thosa whom he represents. and
far whom he stands. as an exponent, are
such that he IN personally feel and rssl-
lie the wants OF the State. He should be
free from the control and undue indusn oe
of any particular class of men. and
should be possessed OF integrity and
honesty OF purpose, with single object
In view, Justice to all.
The interests Of the State are divsrsi-
fed. There SHOULD be no desire on the
part of any Glass of men, or of those rep
rssentipg the great interests of the State.
to placs any unequal burden upon any
oth,r class. 1t may be that am mis-
taken, but we farmers feel that We bear a
than almost any other class OF property
holders In the State. Everything that
we pos sess is open to taxation, and wheth-
or or not We are fortunate enough to own
our farms and stock free from mortgage,
we are ssssesssd for their full market
value, while many Of the large manufac-
turing industries In which thousauds
and hundreds of thousands Of dollars are
invested, pay taxes upon . very small
portion Of the money so Invested, and In
many instances are practically exempt.
For example, there are the water
companies. How many OF them pay any
tax proportionate to the value Of their
propsrtyf Scarcely one, 30 far as can
learn from . study of the State ASSESSORS
report for 1888. How 10 1t with the cleo
trio light and power companies. electric
and steam railroad ooupaniesf The same
Is true OF than all that thsy pay tax
the amount of which Ia entirely dispro-
portioned to the value OF the propsrty
upon whch 1t Il levied. Whatever the
above class Of property, together with the
timber lands Of Maine, fail to pay OF
thsir just share of taxes. We. poor farm
srs, have to make up.
This We feel to b. an injustice. What
10 our rensdyf where shall We look for
dslivsrancef Whom shall We sssk to lead
US into the promised isndf
These thoughts were suggested to my
mind BY reading the above article In the
Commercial In that article are men
toned the names of J. II. Manlsy. X.
N. Merrill aud Richard Webb, one OF
whom will undoubtedly bs Speaker Of
the next House. win II be Nanleyt Has
he got it nailed down and ciinoheif The
Commercial says Yes; that he has the
whole eastern part of the State; that Mr..
Webb cnnnot &c. In anyway this time,
and thas his strength, As well As Guern-
ssy's will go to Msnlsy. The CONNER
ciAl In closing says. "You see the thins
they bucked Nanlsy on was the corpora
Nfon husgnauu He mat ii, At nv \ altnahaP