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

Mr. MERRILL: Not in the slight
est.
Mr. REED: The gentleman agrees
with me aud WAS sure he would. And
| think | may say. as far as the evil
dence which this House generally and
usually accepts. the jury is on the size
Of the ma iority report.
wish to call attention to another
matter that the gentleman from Show
| hogan has elaborated and to that eX
| tent make use of his earnest words:
perhaps l may put it in IL somewhat
different way. but l mean this. that
| the railroads above and beyond almost
ali other corporations and individuals
| are completely ut Your mercy. We
can raise this tax from four pr cent
! to six per cent or to ten or twenty. and
! | know of no law thlt limits it any
where. We can take away the entire
revenues from the road. There is no
| limit 1t is = question of discretion on
! the part of this Legislature where We
| shall stop. We may go further than
] that. After we have taxed the rail-
! roads as we choose beyond what is
hearable. when they feel that in order
1 To protect themselves and to save
| their property they must raise their
| rates, We can take the position that
/ the rates shall be determined by law
| and il is i'll Your power to determine it,
and YOU can fix those rates and you
! can fix their taxes ut such Il figure as
to absolutely bankrupt every road in
| this State. We have got AL the power
/ ~ iI.. b, la,
pose to use it? What we are to de-
! tormine is what is just and fair ana
light under all the circumstances in the
case. That is the question that is be-
! fore us. We realize that great re-
| SponsihilitieS as they rest upon us
! should not tend toward rashness but
| towards conservatism. This power of
taxation is the greatest power we
| possess and | cannot believe that this
| House desires to exercise il otherwise
than justly towards all alike. A pri-
| vate individual has opportunities to
conceal much of his personal property.
! He can shut it up in his strong boxes
| and escape taxation. The property of
| the railroad does not escape. 1t is all
| open. and the advantage of this par
ticular law that we all favor is that
| il gives complete opportunity to the
assessors to reach every part of the
| property of the railroads.
| There is one question which / wish
| to consider in a little different way
from what the gentleman from Show
hogan has considered it. | do not be-
| licve that he meant it TO be taken in
| the WAY which am afraid some men,
hers of this House might have taken
it. You remember how he referred to
the orphans. that they should be cared
for and protected. / do not believe
the gentleman from SkowheGan would
be any more willing to protect those
orphans and provide for their mainte-
nance than !. Has he referred to
other appropriations desired by va
rious members i'll their own sections?
Suppose We should go to the gentle
man from Skowhesan and say. when
YOU propose a tax measure in this
House. don't consider the justice of the
thing in itself. We have got an
asylum here. you have something in
Skowhegan that you want to provide
for and if this bill goes through we
will get it, What would he say to
you? Would he not be the first to tell
YOU that he would vote upon the ques-
ton of taxation on its merits and not
take home to his constituency a dis
honest dollar? He would say. Don't
allow this great measure to pass
through here by any system of log