Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-10

| beheNe that that committee is epti
! tied. with eight of them in favor Of tho
| n,'joritE report, to some credit in This
| House. ana l hope that when this vote
| is taken that the minority report will,
not be substituted for that of the ma
| jority.
| MIR. MERRILL: Mr.. Speaker. will
try TO be very brief, but l want to an.
Swer the gentleman from Houlton as
| to who will pay the taxes. He saws if
| the tax is increased that the freight
rates will be increased and the passen-
ser rates, and that ii will be detri-
ment to the farmers of the State. Let us
go to the report of the railroad commits
Sioners and see what a wonderful helm
! the farmers would get. l will take the
Portland & RumfOrd Falls road. be-
cause my book opens TO that company
and under the heading of freight traf-
nc We find that all the products of ayri-
culture carried over that road pay 3.66
per cent. of the freight. How much is
the farmer going to feel il: The prod
ucts of animals. live stock. dressed
| meat. other packing house products.
poultry, game, FISH, hides and leather.
cream, IS per cent. of one per cent.
making Il total of AGA per cent. of the
agricultural products and the products
of animals that is carried by the road
Now. won't it materially damage the
farmer if you increase the tax upon
that roado Let us see where their
freight does come from. Products of
the forest, lumber. pulp. wod and bark
46o2 per cent. of the freight. Who owns
| mat lumber? The great International
| faFef company. 4G per cent. of the
| lfeiSht is made up of the lumber, wood
| ana bark that is hauled by that road
oi paper they haul IT'S per cent. maxi
| ing Il total of 63 per cent. of their own
| products practically that they haul.
| told YOU that that is the argument that
| would hold up here, that it was the
poor FARMER who would pay this tax
| DID he pay the increase tax of 1901 i?
| NO the freight rates have been re-
| duced and the passenger rates have
| been reduced, and if you pass this law
| they will reduce them still more.
The gentleman tells you that two
members of the committee who did not
sign that report have written letters to
the chairman. Well. that is a very pc
culiar idea. He tells you that they
yet that they aid not sign 4 report.
They We're not at the hearing and one
of them has not been in this House nor
upon the ground since the hearing. He
| is member from Portland serving
| upon the railroad committee. That is
| one of the other gentlemen who did not
Sign the majority report. and who sends
| a letter in here and asks that il be I'M
| d"rStCod that he is for the majority
| report ] can say TO you. Mr.. Speaker
| and Gentlemen, there is not a member
of the railroad committee of this House
but what will vote against this bill
knew ii when the bill WAS drawn
| There is not Il railroad attorney in This
| House but what will vote against the
| bill. There is not a man i'm this House
| employed by Il railroad but what will
| vote against il. | do not rely upon that
| class of men to help this bill through
| this Legislature.
| The gentleman from Portland (NIr
Reed very fairly ana very candidly
| SPOKE of my position and | thank him
for the kindly mannea' in which he dis
| cuSsed what hid. but he was mistak-
I'll in one thing I do Tot ailege that he
/ 'i' II pNt liz Ssil'l that
stated that the grangers were here. aS
| Il body, as grange. opposing this bill.
| ! made no such statement yesterday
| uDon the floor OF this House. l said a
| certain granger was here. and | was
| told by one of the high officials of the
grange in the corridor Of this House
yesterday morning that he so under
| stood it and haze bean told so. | have
| as much respect for the grange organ
| iZatiGn as any man on the floor Of this
| House. There is no body of men i'm our
| state that has done more in the inter
| rStS of agriculture and in developing
| the social interests Of the people than
the grange have done in the last de
cade. But I say 20 goa that the granga
| is not Oppos ID to this bin When the
gentlemen tells you that that is thn
strongest argument in favo.' of the ma
jority report. | say. as | said yester-
day. that the grang" interests of this
State are in favor If this bill. He re-
ferred to the petitions that have come
here and that | had not mentioned
them. There are a great many things
that ! have not mentioned in relation
TO this bill. AS to the petitions. you
have heard them read as they have
been presented here. and say to you
that the people Of III, state of Main,
want this bill passed.
The gentleman from Portland (Mr
Reed tells you that the profits Of the
read are measured by its dividends. I
told you yesterday that the Maine Gem
trail Railroad laid IN as fund last
year ending June 30th. or that their
surplus increase was about 81 900 900;
and has any gcntlem3n here said that
il was not so? Not even the gentleman
from Portland. (Mr. SWEET; who tells
YOU that one Ct the greatest business
fen. man whose name is known from
The Orient to the Orcident, for which
he wants to speak because he is not
member of this House ard he tells you
v no he is. He is my friend the Honor
able T.. L. Kicker, one OF the directors
in the Maine Central Railroad, and he
don't want this bill passed. Gentlemen
take It home to your hearts and con-
slider it and say whether you will stand
With the Hoaora BILE Gentleman from
Poland Springs with his wide spread
humanity and business ability. chosen
by tho Maine Central Railroad, and be-