Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-11

reduce This tax these rich men will with
draw their deposits-I thank God Aoi
that suggestion. / would like TO see th.ls
SIC. go 900 that Is In the savings pahhs u
Maine, put there by the weaithy thnsc
who have 1t In your town ana IN my .om WI
take IL out and put 1t into business anu
give employment to the young men am ~.
Young women-build up industries III ~
interior and make the State prosp erou ..s
In the West the money is going lhlo ~
dustries which are growing up esSLs
where while down here every doiidI ma , :
a man gets he places in the savings y; Jan"
because he has to pay no taxes on IT,
admired the fairness of man IN my %, ~
flee last Saturday. He has perhaps siovo
or s2o00 in the savings bank ne sait 70
TT ought to be taxed. | am Wlinns =.
nav" and ] have faith to believe tnat q
majority of those men who have TINS iafse
sum in the savings banks are wilIinB ~
pay a tax on it. Don't be AFRAID OF semlIa
mentalism. / respect the poor. wouia
NOT take a iot or 1.-THE from them' am
while YOU are voting to take the tax on
of the banks you are not voting 10 Det.ei
their condition. What we want rs ny 60
tv of wealth throughout the Wnoie otale
of Maine; and when we have tnat We Gan
enter upon an era of prosperity IN Maile
that will make the people good. receV-
cd and meant to have brought them up
here with me, couple OF anonymous
a q
threatening me if / espoused equal taxa
tion II makes no difference, gentlemen.
From beginning to the end, you may
count on me. if / stand all alone, to vote
for equal rights to the common peop1e.
Mr.. WING of Androscoggin: Mr. Pres
ident. | hope the president and senator's
will pardon me for encroaching upon the
session of the senator from Knox. IL
seems that our Governor IN looking the
situation oyer-the business situation of
the State-felt impelled to call the atten-
ton of the Legislature in his annual mes
sage to the fact that nearly one-third or
the population of Maine are depoSltors In
our savings banks; and also, in looking
over the matter in a business way. that
they were unjustly taxed; and called the
direct attention of the law-maklng power
to the fact that that tax ought in good
conscience and fairness to be reduced.
This matter was brought to the attention
of the committee-an appropriate commit
tee-and public hearing was had. Now,
that there can be no politics, 1t is falr TO
suggest that the chairman of the State
assessors, himself Democrat urged the
reduction of the tax. The committee IT
self composed of gentlemen of expe-
rience and having the responsibility of the
matter upon their own shoulders, unanl
mously reported in favor of it; and their
action is criticised; and the gentlemen
who came here to represent their views,
as representing the savings banks, are
also criticised. Who should come II the
represent the depositors; and it is known
that they represent them without compen-
sation: and they came here as having
the interests of the depositors at hand
and at heart, and made their appearance
before the committee and were heard
Now. it is barely possible that the Gov
ernor, the State assessors, the committee
to whom this matter was referred, were
entirely devoid of sense. of feeling, OF jus
tice as to the propriety of their action,
but they made a unanimous report; and
submit that it is entitled to the respect
of this Senate, and it should be unanl-
mously adopted; and l hope it will be.
Mr.. GARDNER of penQbscot: Mr.
President. / have somewhere read or
heard it said of a certain distinguished
man that he possessed the faculty OF
adapting himself with fiuidity to diverse
circumstances and condition; and. as
have followed the proceedings of this hon
orable body from day to day, it seems to
me that this description is particularly
fitting to the senator from Knox, with
perhaps the added statement that at times
the fiuidity of his adaptabilty is made
Guate to the requirements of the extern
sive field of his activities By this / mean
no disrespect to the honorable senator,
and / assure him that / have followed
his activity with wonderment, and, on the
question of salaries, and in view of his
earnest, determined, emphatic and, may |
say, futile efforts to correct the errors and
nullify the mistakes of the joint commit
tees of this Legislatures; and in view of
the strenuous life he is leading. as one
against thirty / have contemplated the
of an order at the close of
the session that his salary should be in
the proportion of thirty to one; and |
trust if this order should receive a pas
sage it would serve as balm for any
lack of courtesy at our hands by reason
of the fact that we are most often right
and ne wrong. ! feel it incumbent upon
me, in a feeble way, to defend the report
of the committee on taxation; and by that
+ hot tG md ICrhf
there are objections to the report of the
committee and it is desired that the COM
mittee should explain the reasons which
led them to the conclusion they arrived
at, and while | will say that | shall not
attempt speech, | will simply say that
the committee on taxation carefully and
conscientiously listened to all that was
said for and against this measure; and
at our hearing we had no opposition to
the idea of reduction of the tax on saw
ings banks except from the senator from
Knox. In view of the fact that the Gov
ernor of this State, the bank examiner,
the trustees of the savings banks, the
State board of assessors, and indeed that, |
even, in a way, the treasurer of the State
of Maine favored the idea; and after look
ing into it very carefully the committee
on taxation very unanimously decided
that this was wholesome and wise legis
ton and unanimously reported that the
bill ought to pass; and | trust gentlemen
of the Senate, that our action will be up
of the senator from Knox will not pre-
vail
The question being put upon the motion
of the senator from Knox that the bill |
be Indefinitely postponed. the motion was
lost
The bill thereupon took it's first reading
and was assigned for second reading.
Bill An Act to establish a street sewer
for the city of Bath, came
from the House reported by the commit |
tee on judiciary in new draft. and that it |
ought to pass. The report was accepted
in concurrence and the bill took it's first |
reading. On motion by Mr.. Hyde of Sag
adahoc, the bill took it's second reading
under suspension of the rules, and was
passed to be cngrossed.
On motion by Mr.. Burleigh of Aroos- |
took, the Senate adjourned to meet at 10
o'clock A. M. Wednesday, February Ii, |
1903
HOUSE.