Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-10
cy TIE report was accepted III concur
renee with the Senate.
Taxation OF Railroads.

Unfinished business: Majority anu III
| nority reports of committee or taNatioi''
| reporting fought not to pass ana o"s".
| to pass in new draft. on bill, 10 afie''u
Revised Statutes relative to taxation Oh
| railroad companies.
| Mr. MERRILL Of SkoWEt@ilh' MI
Speaker and gentlemen of the House II
is rather embarrassing to me TINS i''i"
ing to ask again YOUR patience t" consider
the report that was discussed III 'h' H''
terd,v mornin. session. There are Il great
many things that | would ike l" say o'''
time will not permit. There have been
many objections raised to the paSs'st VI
this proposed bill, and one especially th't
at this time we do not need me i'o'i.S
which the bill will produce, that the
treasury is already amply suppil'u WIN
funds wish to call your attention 10
the condition of the treasury inc t"''i
amount of appropriations pending before
,ho o,n,mittces on March Sth, 1905, lncl'id-
ING the first appropriations made Oh ~
-uS ,.s, amounts TO s.O41 Jie.f2. The total
,o,,rt NOW peuding before the commit
foo IN aprropriations. which includes the
,,nronr;,ticn for Insane asylum ANA
St,;o school for Boys. and other lnstitu-
; ,,ncurts to $:r32.MN. The fixed
h,rocs i'm the appropriation bill, salaries,
,hout 100000 The estimated expenses or
tho LEGISLATURE, $4,000. Making total
of sl,646O.D
| Now where is this money to come
| fromo The estimated receipts for 1909
are 81 10 40: cash on hand Dec. 3lst, 1901,
s.lJ 900; making a sum total of -, i2iOeO. or
:, deficit Mr.. Speaker, of S2;D.V00. Now.
| wien | submit to you. when these men
of the third House-;nd it WAS Quit" as
large this morning as this HouSe-when
| | submit TO YOU that there is a deficit i'll
relation to the appropriations we mus.
| make to carry on the affairs of this great
| State for the next year OF S2;D,"o, pray
tell ne where you are to get the money !
| Pray tell me whether what has been
! whispered in your ears thtt We do not
| need the money is true or not Need 1t!
| Why we need not only what this bill calls
| for. but more. And how are VIC to get 1t :
| The method that the State has t" raise
| its revenue is by taxation. and titN:ltlon
| alone. These expenses must he met and
| it we do not appropriate the money TINS
| wear then two years hence when we come
| here we shall nave to appropriate the
money with which to do it.
| | want To call your attention to the
Bangor &; AroOstOok Railroad. l think
it got it's charter in 1891. l want to call
your attention particularly to the rate
| of taxation that is paid by that rail-
road. About II years ago the gentle
men who were putting through the
scheme of building that railroad came
to this House and got :; law passed
| Whereby in consideration that they
would transport the troops of the state
of Maine in times of insurrectiOn or
| war over their line of road free of eX-
pense. the State should in consideration
of that agreement on their part rebate
81 per cent. of their taxes; and they
made that contract with the Bangor &
| ArooStook railroad to continue for 20
wears or until the year 1911. so While
the Bangor & ArOOstoOk railroad is
TAXED bv the assessors in the regular
manner of other railroads. there is Il
rebate of 95 per cent. taken out of that
tax. 1t is =. contract that those men
W ere able to make with this Legisla-
ture. Upon what plea? Oh. that the
State of Maine should help favor that
glorious county of AroGstook. | am not
finding fault with that contract. L say
it was made in good faith. Carried out
to the letter. But why should they
come in here and fight this bill when
they are paying merely % of the part
of the tax that is assessed upon them
today' Would it be u burden to that
line to have this bill become ii law?
Consider this question as men of bus
mess and men of affairs. You are here
to act as men acting in the interests
of tn. whole State. ] know that it Will
be said that four years ago the rail-
roads came in here and said. NO We
are not paying what We ought to pay,
We will pay more" And who fixed the
rate? 1t was fixed by the taxation
cominittee. the bill WAS reported and
the chairman of that committee was
the president of a railroad in the state
of Maine He is either here on the floor
of this House or in it somewhere;
have seen him here this morning. He
has been here constantly working with
the members of this House asking
them to vote against this bill. He WAS
| the chairman of the committee that re-
ported That tax bill four years ago. |
do not wish to be understood. and far
he it from me to say, that the gentle
man was not acting honestly and faith
fully, but is it possible for a man to
act dsintercstedlv where he has hum
dreds of thousands of dollars invested
| i'll a proposition? | say it is iEpOSsi-
bic ;or Il man who has a large invest
ment in II certain kind of property and
it is made to pay a higher rate of in
come into the public treasury say
it is impossible for that man to act dis
interesteGly. Human nature will not al
low it.
| want you to consider for a moment
| that lit c road, the Portland & Rum
ford Falls. and | ask YOU if it is a bur-
den for them to pay per cent. upon
their gross transportation receipts?
Look for i moment on page 1o3 of the
railroad commissioners report for 1904.
We find stocks owned by that railroad,
International Paper Company pre-
fered. $31G0; Oxford Paper Company,
500 000: Rumford Falls & EanSeley
Lakes Il. Il. Co. common stock. $780,
900; bonds owned by the railroad, Ok
ford Paper Company. $666, 600; Internal
tional Paper Company, debentures,
s1S9 900: International Paper Company,
| fi-.t ,onrtoaoo So0 0OO making a tot "A |