Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-03-02
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
SEVENTEEN SESSION.
SENATE.
Augusta, March 1St. 1901


A message was received from the
House, that, in the absence of the
Speaker, the Hon. Waldo Pcttengill
Was elected Speaker pro tern.
Journal read and approved.
Papers from the House disposed of
in concurrence.
Bill. an act to amend Section 3 of
Chapter 1903 of the Public Laws of 1885,.
in regard to the incorporation and
control Of telegraph and telephone
companies.
This bill came from the House from
the committee on railroads, telecri pn5
and expresses, reported ought not 20
pass on account Of the committee hav-
ing reported favorahly on an act 10 re-
peal a chapter including this section.
ON motion BY Mr. Plummc- Of
Penobscot the bill was laid on the
table. pending the acceptance % the re-
port.
ELL, An act to amend paragraph &
of Section of Chapter 6 Of the Re
Vised Statutes. as amended by the
Public Laws Of 1885, reioting to poll
taxes.
This bill came from the House. re-
affairs ought To pass. The report Of
the committee was accepted in the
House: and was subsequently. w that
body indefinitely postponed
Mr. pLUMMER Of Penobscot-Mr.
President. this matter was before the
committee on legal affairs. The bill.
as originally put in. exempted all
soldiers Of th- war Of the Rebellion
who We're over Sky years old, from
payment Of poll taxes. The committee.
in th"ir best Judgment ana wisdom
| raised tn" limit a. siIty-tivr years.
and reported a hin cyc,npting soldiers
| from taxation who were over sixty five
| years of age. 50 far as a poll tax is
| concerned. The law Cf 1898. to which
! this WIS an amendment, makes the fol
| lowing provision: The polls an estates
of persons who. by reason Of age. in
| trinity and poverty are in the juig-
ment of the assessors unable 70 con
| tribute towards the public charges.
ana the polls Of m soldiers ana sailors
who receive State pension are cN-
cmut." This amendment added thereto
| AN honorahly discharged soldiers and
sailors of the war OF the Rebellion
over sixty-fiVe years of age"
| The reason the committee reported
This amendment WAS that under the
! prcscn. practice in the towns 70 far
~ the observation ui the members NJ
! the committee extended. citizens infirn-
or poor. or both over seventy years ola
are. as = matter cf practice exempted
| from poll tax. Hhethc: they are
soldiers or not The law of 1898 ex-
|
pension, and We're presumably poor or
of limited means. The committee felt
that every man who responded to the
| call of his country in 1861. and went
down there into that country and was
exposed 10 the malaria of that country
and all the hardships incident to ser
! vice there. suffered physically
he lost in vitality and in health in
evitably-more than five years. more
| than the five years of his life between
| siXty-tiVe and seventy: and that, mas
| much as that sacrifice was made of
| health and ability to earn a livelihood
| for the benefit OF the country; and in
asmuch rs the good faith of the coun
| try WaS pledged when he went out
| there to assume that arduous service
| that whatever return or recompenSe
| could be made to him. should be made:
| for that sacrifice and service. The
committee felt that it was very snail
| thing indeed to do in recognition Of
| that service and in aid of that class of
our citizens. 70 make this exemption,
| for those old fellows over siXty-live
years of age.
| Men that have not been subjected 20
| that sort of hardship are many of them
young men at siNty-five. they feel as
Young as they ever did. perhaps. and
as vigorous: but if any Senator will
recall the professions of veterans who
marched behind the flag in the ser
vices of Memorial day. he cannot fail
to remember that they We're peculiarly
decrepit-that they show the effects Of
their service. and that they are. SO far
as the ability to earn a living is con-
oerned. really old men, older than the
average man of seventy years. In
recognition of this fact, and for other
re1sons which | have stated. the com
mittee felt that il was only just to this
| worthy class of our citizens to make
this exemption from poll tax. OF
course there may be some who would
come under that law who are abun-
| dainty able to pay Il poll tax, but
have no idea that any one of that la IS
would seek to take advantage of it.
| They would many of them prefer tn
pay. and would pay n poll tax; hut.
| by far the larger number Of this class
| Of people are poor and decrepit. and il
really would mean something 10 them
to be exempt from even the pittanca OF
50 a year. Mir. President. | move that
the Senate uon-concur With the Houso
! in indefinitely poStpOning this bill.
| The motion To non-concur with the
IIouse in indefinitely postponinss the
| bill prevailed.
| AT this point The Senator from som
ersct. Mir. WEEKS. took the Chair, II
! the request Of the President.
| READ AND ASSIGNED
| An act to amend paragraph eight Of
Section 6 of Chapter & Of the Revised
Statutes as amended by the Public
Laws of 1895. relating to poll taxes.
| An act to incorporate the Wilton
Electric Light and Power Company.
/ House Amendment A to this bill
adopted in concurrence.
An aCt to incorporate the Union
River Water Storage Company
on motion by Mr.. Wilson of Wash
incton, this bill was tabled pending its
first reading. and. on Il subsequent mo-
ton By the same Senator il was taken