Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-16
HOUSE,.
Wednesday, March Is,

Wednesday, March Is. 1908.
Prayer by Rev. Mr.. Dasen of Angus
ia.
MIR. REED of Portland: Mr.. Speaker.
1 rise to speak TO q question of prlvll-
eye or the point of order presented Ill
the form of {. resolution offered Dy the
gentleman from ROck'anG (Mr. Little
field and laid upon the table yester-
day. This matter was, as then stated,
suddenly sprung upon the friends CT
this measure ard we were at that TINE
unable to quole any preccnGents to give
you our idea as to what the rights ..
the House we're and what should con-
trcl our action in this matter. 1t seems
to me now, as it did Their that this IS
an effort for delay 10 get rid OF TINS
troublesome question upon techncall-
ty and not to try it upon its real mcr-
it's. But do not believe that the mer'-
hers desire 20 determine an important
question of this kind. affecting the peo-
pie throughout our State. upon mere
technical considerations. l do mot be-
lieve that they carry a chip on ther
shoulders and that they are living III
dread and fear of the encrOachment
of the Senate on the rights and priVll-
eyes of the House. We stand here
broad enough and boil Ell ough to DE-,
fend our rights and not timid in re-
gard to a supposed encroachment
which exists only in the fertile brain CT
the gentleman from ROckland.
This is not ar act for the raising OF
revenue and it does not come within
the purview of the provisions or our
constitution at all. 1t can originate just
as we'll in the senate as in the House.
At every SESSION of this Legislature
from time immemOrial. since the foun-
dation of this State and in the State
Of Massachusetts, the practice has
been continuous and in every single
session of this Legislature you can find
bill after bill of precisely this same
character which has originated in the
Senate I desire to call your attention
to a few bills which are more revenue
bills than this is. At this very session
in the case of the railroad tax bill.
that bill was considered in the Senate
and turned down and then came to this
House and the action of the Senate
was cOncurred in at this session. Bat
you may properly say, if we did wrong
| in the past il il, no reason why we
| should continue to do wrong. That is
true, but we have not done wrong in
| the past, we have been right.
The distinction is this as I under
stand it. Congress raises it's revenue
by direct taxation. Every bill which
! changes the tariff in Cor gress perhaps
| is a tariff measure. a measure for rails
ing revenue and the trecedents of the
House unquestionably apply to that
| class of measures, that they should
| originate in the House. That does not
| apply to the stare OF Maine. The pre-
cedents of the House as quoted by the
gentleman from Rookland are abso-
lutely Inapplicable.
The precedenis in Congress are not
good here. We determine our methods
of taxation and the precedents OF
Congressional proceedings are not ap-
plicable to this state. We shall have
| revenue bills originate in this House.
A bill will shortly be presented here fix
| ing the tax at two and enc quarter or
two and three-Quarters mills, as may
| seem just.
That is a money bill and as such
| must originate here. Such bills do
| originate here, and the point made by
| the gentleman from Eockland applies
| to that class of legislation. But the