Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-02-16
BoWditCh, Webster&Co.
Pharmacists Of Augusta.

| alton IN Maine could be taken in hand.
and readjusted equitably and fairly.
and. sir. the common people of Maine
! nave waited patiently and hopefully.
ana through all that time wherever
their views have found expression they
have been in concurrence with the
| principles and theories of the bin
which l introduced. senate bill No. 4.
| In his last annual address before the
| state Grange. State Master Gardner
expressed his convictions as follows.
/ 1t seems to me the same general
/ plan might be adopted for getting at
| the just value Of property alike. We
| never considered it fair or equal. TO
assess one class of property upon its
earning power, and another upon an
arbitrary valuation, in many instances
| far above its selling value. No one can
complain when the provisions of the
/ constitution are carried out and all
property is assessed according to the
| just value thereof
At the National Farmers Congress,
held at Faneuil Han, in the fan Of
! 1899. Gov. Hoard in his annual address
said:
Property is property. Taxation
should be based on the dollars worth
of property no matter how it is in
vested That which the law recognizes
as property and defends as prop
crty should be taxed as prop
erty according to its value. 4 general
violation of this principle is producing
widespread decentralization ana discon-
| tent in society,"
If. from all the men in this broad
country. | could have selected two in
whom the yeomanry Of Maine would
have confidence. | could not. sir. have
| selected two more to my liking than
those from whom | have quoted; and
if / could have dictated the language
in which they should express their ap-
prOval OF the principles of Senate bill
No 4. | could not have madc Il
stronger or better than it is.
| have one more quotation to make
it is as follows:
I'VE favor the REIMBURSEMENT Of the
system of taxation prevailing in the
State. and the enactment of measures
which will lead to 4 more just ana
equitable valuation and assessment OF
all forms Of property of every kind ana
description"
That. sir. is from the platform Of the
great Republican party adopted at
Bangor last June. viii this bill now
before us, lead to a more just ana
equitable valuation? Why, sir 4
totally ignores valuation, If the Re
publican party had gone before the
people of Maine with a plank in It's
platform in favor Of taxing corpoF-
ations upon their gross receipts, DO you
think we should have had more than
80. 900 plurality? Do You think w
should have had any?
1t was to be expected Mr.. President
that the great railroad interests OF ms
state would resist any change III lhe
methods Of taxation. Eternal VIZ
iiIance is the price of privilege as Wen
as the price of freedom. and iooIeu
for nothing else than that they shouid
vigilantly maintain all the privileges
that they have so long enjoyed pu'
sir. | did not expect that that great "
gariZation from whose great ieaueIs
have quoted and whose heart is riSh'
today in spite of the false poSltloH iii'o
which it has been SO adroltly WiieeIeu
wouId be found backing up anu sup
porting the railroad interest ana 'l.e
railroad privilege! BY what hypiio''o
influence, by what psycoloSical i's
tory this change of front in the sredt
Grange brotherhood of Maine mas peei'
effected | would not here ana no"
n,,in to you if I could. 1t is ehous
saw that it has been accomphshe" a. ~
If seems to me the part Oh
accent the paltry hundred thouaunu
dollars which this bill VIII pioo'p'r -
qiva MS though it is in no sei.He a.
aoualization of taxation, rather 'i''.' "
.nond the time. of the Legislature ~ :
homeless contention for right anu ''''
tice. ,,r,arc of
The people of Maine, the sians ,,.,ra
Maina win sooner or later wan
from their mesmeric condition anu w
mand equalization of taXa'ioii ar
the lines of the rule laid down -. ,,,
, state constitutions But for Two r,,
more. at least the people WIZ INV
? ooh. that ] might be taNeu VII
+ gross receipts. ;et an
An adjustment which IS uil ~, ,,ot
a,a1;yotion which is unequal VIII ~, ~
stand, 1t will never satisfy u. ot to
! of This state. And they ought Nv n1t
I ba satisfied. The real. geh.'ihI da-
, must come though it may pe
. layed. ~ of the
{ Now. sir. in consideration :, not
, situation, though my mlhu not we
- changed at all in relation u