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

and rear them up as lney ought u Nv.
And the blind, If we can give them
any shunshine, lets do il. But no. The
CRASHING railroads of the State or
Maine SIy: | wont pay my tax; ana
therefore these two unfortunate classes
must go home and live in agony and
distress. Shame upon the people OF the
State, Recollcct, this is not new mat
ter. Massachusetts which has the best
system of taxation of any state In the
Union get $2.000000 from the taxation
Of her railroads upon actual value.
Twenty years ago MaSsaC huSettS taxed
them upon the gross receipts. Today
the railroads Of Massachusetts are just
the same rs the farmer or mechanic.
Tell me, Mr.. President, in Gods name,
why is not that right? over in New
Hampshire you will find the same state
OF facts existing. There they are taxed
upon the actual value and not upon the
gross receipts. The courts have come
to the rescue of the people, declaring
that taxing railroads upon the gross re-
CENTS is unconstitutional. You need not
go to Il lawyer to ascertain that fact.
| appeal to your own good common
sense. Read the constitution of Maine.
1t says that all property shall be taxed
upon its actual value and still We have
Il tax upon our statute books taxing
railroads the best paying property in
the State of Maine, upon the gross 70
ccipIs and the poor farmer working l.
hours a day To get the money to pay
his taX-one-half of one per cent. 1t Is
an insult to the tax payers Of the
state of Maine. You may vote ii down,
today. | will do my duty towards the
tax payers of the State of Maine.
Twenty states OF this Union today. %"e
taxing the railroads upon their actual
value and those are the most prosper
Gus states, today, in the Union We in
Maine are handicapped on account of
our position. We have no money To do
with. The people of NJ line are Il grn"r-
Gus people ana they would be willing
to DO if there was money in the tr":S-
ury 10 pay for these Institutions. Why
not have it there? You have got to
raise more revenue. Can YOU tell me
where you are going 10 get it better
than by uniformity of taxation
throughout the State of Maine. The
bill provides thar the state assessor
shall assess all property equally. They
SflHtl cbtIPct All lillS ldN ana I'ItCp II
in the treasury of the State. | have
spent :; good deal Of time in studying
the question. ] have before me a re-
port of - states of this Union. - Of
which have changed 10 taxation upon
actual value. Courts in other states
have dec Jared taxation upon gross re-
ceipts to be unconstitutional. l say to
you now, if the railroads in this State
refuse to pay the tax, YOU have not the
power to compel them to pay. because
the constitution says that all property
must be taxed equally, and when you
tax upon gross receipts you cannot en-
force the collection of that tax unless
they have a nina to pay it. | appre-
hend they pay ii and pay it gladly.
Don't you suppose she thinks the tax
PAYERS and legislators OF the state of
Maine are fools that they do not pay
more I believe the Maine Central Rail-
road. today, would not object. If you
would come right down TO the fact OF
taxing them equally with other prop
erty. There is no reason why they
should. 1t is mean man that Will
ask his neighhor to pay tax uron his
property. when the other man has
equally as valuable property as he has.
1t is one of those fundamental princi-
PIES of our government. ] apprehend
our fOrefathcrS had it in mind when
they framed that immortal document,
the Declaration Of Independence. BY
and by the railroads got so numerous
and so powerful that they usurped the
rights of the public. eXactinG from tax
PAYERS and legislatures extraordinary
Io,. ion IL, a
State of Maine has ever had so extra
ordinary privileges granted them as
have the railroads CT New England
The farmer plays his tax Of two cents
ana one mill upon the cash value Of his
farm, and he comes here to Augusta
and goes into the railroad depot ana
pays his fare of two cents mileage up
on that road with its luxurious cars
and good service | admit. He takes up
Il report and says: Here is a railroad
that | am riding on that is worth $50
600 COO and they only paw onc-halt OF
one per cent. upon their gross receipts.
WHY is this? 1t is because the rali-
road has been doing in the past Just
what it is doing. today. undertaking
to control the Legislature of every
state wherever they can. In MiChi-
gan this matter was acitatcd for ten
wears. by that grand old man. now
passed over the river. Gov. PinGree. He
.IVe up his life i'll labor for the comm in
people. but he lived to see railroads in
the state of Michigan taxed according
to their actual value ana while there
" ere only $500, 900 taxation upon the
gross receipts, today. last year ana this
year. they have between $2.o0O,oO0 ana
s.. 600. 600 from the same state. Colord-
do is a comparatively new state that
taxes upon the actual value. but she
receives s. 0G0 900 taxation from the
railroads of that state.
Vermont is taxed upon actual value.
Shn taxes all corporations. l submit
as Il mathematical proposition that If
vnu tax the railroads alone just the
same rs farmers are tXed, tody, the
state of Maine will be relieved of its
burdens.
notice that ono of IN = papers of this
State in the city uf Portland, i'll an az
ticIe the other day. said it would he
outrageous 10 tax railroads any more
Il I Il