Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-02-22


there is in the State of Maine, which
is only paying one-half of one per
cent. upon the gross receipts, while
every farmer in Maine and every 9TH
er species Of property is paying at the
rate of two per cent. Is there any
thing fair in that? Are we going to
say to the people of Maine that the
Maine Central Railroad with its $780,.
100000 of capital. with its bonds
above par, it's stock above par. and
its gross receipts the last year almost
$S,000,000, that they shall pay only
one-half of one per cent. upon gross
receipts and that every farmer in
Maine shall pay two cents, or a little
over upon the actual value of his
property? Is that fair? l am sur
prised when l go about the State to
find that the people of this State
know SO little about the taxation of
railroads. l will venture the asser-
ton that one-third of the people OF
| the State today-and / do not know
but one-half-know nothing about the.
| way the railroads are taxed; and il
you told them they paid only one-half
| of one FER cent. On the gross receipts.
while they are paying two cents and
one mill, they would hardly believe
you. The Boston & Maine Railroad
for that part of the line that is one
rating IN the State of Maine, having
gross receipts of $4,000, 900, are paving
only one-half of one per cent. ON their
gross receipts.
suppose nobody will dispute my au-
thnrifv oil
OF the State, because 1 quote from a
Republican candidate for governor
republicans sometimes are right, if
they are oftentimes wrong. Upon
Sources of Taxation he said: 1T will
pc observed that, up to the present
time, almost the only resource of the
State 10 meet both ordinary and
| extraordinary expenditures, has been
| direct taxation. The State tax last
year was five mills on the dollar, but
| it is the Judgment of the treasurer that
| the tax may be reduced the present
year to four and half mills. provided
the Legislature shall make no unusual
appropriations. 1 most earnestly
urge. however. that you should consid-
| er whether it is not advisable to devise
some method other than direct taXa-
| ton to secure part of the revenue re-
| quired for State expenditures; so that
| the rate of taxation may be still fur
| Their reduced. Pennsylvania finds no
| difficulty i'm securing sufficient receintS
| from indirect taxation to support the
| State government. A large share of
| the state expenditures of Massachu-
sets is met by the proceeds of a State
tax upon the valuation of the corpor-
ate stock of railroad and other cor
porations. over and above municipal
| taxation for real estate and machin-
| cry"
| In the state of Pennsylvania, and
even down to today in the state OF
Rhode Island they have no taxation
upon railroad real estate, and no state
tax. 1t is so almost invariably in
| the Western states. Governor Ding
ley says further: without indicating
| more in detail what sources of revenue
may be made available in this State
desire to call your attention to the
subject, and to suggest a careful in
curry and investigation, with a View
of devising methods of lifting some
portion of the burden of taxation from
| real estate" That is just what we
| want to do. That is what 1 framed
| this bill for, to take the tax from real
estate that has been bearing the brunt
of the burden for these many years,
and assess it upon corporations able
to pay. "Such a policy would give
| needed encouragement to our agricul-
| tural interests, and promote the de-
valopment of the resources of the
State" And. going on further in the
same line, in his message of the next
| year, he says: even such an assess
| nIent would be just and equal for
| taxation proceeds upon the principle of
| the well-settled maxim, that he who
receives the protection and advantages
| of a state ought to sustain the burdens
i'll proportion to his ability. Certainly
railroad corporations created, protect
| ed and given extraordinary powers and
| privileges by the State, ought to will
| ingly contribute to the public expenses
| in proportion to their property. To
whatever extent they escape just and
equal taxation, to that extent every
other taxpayer must bear more than
his share of the public burdens
| SO the farmers of Maine have been
| bearing more than their share of the
| pubic burdens ever SINCE lSZU Wnen
Maine became a State. Is there any
| injustice in il? Isn't it fair and right
| that the railroads of this State and the
| corporations should pay according to
| their value. / do not ask that they pay
| any more than l pay. | ask that they
pay upon their actual value, just as 1
pay upon my property. Suppose the
farmers of Maine were to say: We
want to be taxed upon our gross re-
Ceipts. How much of a tax do YOU
suppose we should get in the State of
| Maine. There is just as much sense
| in taxing the farmer upon his gross
| receipts as in so taxing the railroads
The time is coming. You cannot keep
it off much longer IF the matter was
submitted today to the people OF this
state. l haven't any doubt they would
| vote four to one in favor of taxing the
| property of the railroads equally with
any other property i'll the State OF
| Maine.
We necu more revenue in this State.
We are handicapped. l noticed the
| other day some fifteen or twenty of
that unfortunate class the blind COM