The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-05-10

situation warranted, and that in all
respects the railroads should make
concessions and great concessions in
the interest of the general public.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, | shall add moth
ing, | do not think it is necessary,
to what | have said; and ask the
gentlemen of this House, i'll voting
upon this question, to consider the
opinions of the gentlemen who has
done SO much to advance the inter-
ests of the State of Maine.
Mr.. MERRILL Mr.. Speaker, l
would like to ask the gentleman from
Portland, q question Is Mr.. +. +.
Kicker a director in the Maine Cen
trail Railroad2
MIR. SWEET: | don't know; | un
derstand that he is.
Followed by Powers
MR.. MERRILL: Mr.. Speaker, | will
try to be very brief, but | want to
answer the gentleman from Houlton
as to who will pay the taxes. He says
if the tax is increased that the freight
rates will be increased and the pas
senger rates, and that it will be
detriment to the farmers of the State.
Let US go to the report OF the railroad
commissioners and see what won
derful help the farmers would get. |
will take the Portland q Rumford
Falls road, because my book opens to
that company, and under the heading
Of freight traffic We find that all the
products of agriculture carried over
that road pay 1856 per cent of the
freight. How much is the farmer
going to feel it, The products of
animals, live stock, dressed meat,
other packing house products, poul-
try, game, fish, hides, and leather,
cream, 98 per cent of one per cent,
making total of ga per cent of the
agricultural products and the pro-
ducts of animals that is carried by
the road. Now, won't it materially
damage the farmer if you increase
the tax upon that road? Let Us see
where their freight does come from.
Products of the forest, lumber, pulp,
wood and bark, 46 02 per cent of the
freight. Who Owls that lumber?
The great international Paper Com
pany, 46 per cent OF the freight is
made up of the lumber, wood and
bark that is hauled by that road. OF
paper they haul lis per cent, max
ing total of SO per cent of their own
products practically that they haul
told you that that is the argument
that would hold up here, that it was
the poor farmer who would pay this
tax Did he pay the increase tax of
1901? No, the freight rates have been
reduced and the passenger rates have
been reduced, and if you pass this
law they will reduce them still more.
ba nt Ion a
members of the committee who did
not sign that report have written
letters to the chairman. Well, that
is a very peculiar idea. He tells you
that they heard and understood all
about it and yet that they did not
sign report. They were not at the
hearing and one of them has not been
i'm this House nor upon the ground
since the hearing. He is a member
from Portland, serving upon the rail
road committee. That is one of the
other gentlemen who did not sign the
majority report, and who sends a
letter in here and asks that it be I'M
derstood that he il fer the majority
report. | can say To you, Mr.. Speak
er and Gentlemen, there il not a
member of the railroad committee of
Jnlb HOUSE Dub WHdb Will NObt against
this bill. | knew it whom the bill was
drawn. There is not IA railroad attor
ney in this House but what will vote
against the bill. There is not a man
in this House employed by railroad
but what will vote against it. | do
not rely upon that class of men to
help this bill through this Legislature,
The gentleman from Portland Mr.
Reed very fairly and very candidly
spoke of my position and thank him
for the kindly manner in which he
discussed what | said, but he was
mistaken in one thing, do not allege
that he did it Intentionally, but he
said that | stated that the grangers
we're here, as IA body, as a grange,
opposing this bill. | made no such
statement yesterday upon the floor
of this House. | said certain
granger was here, and | was told by
one of the high officials of the grange
in the corridor of this House yester-
day morning that he so understood it
and had been told SO. | have as
much respect for the grange organi-
cation as any man on the floor of this
House. There is no body of men in
our State that has done more in the
interests of agriculture and in deyel-
oping the social interests of the peo
pie than the grange have done in the
last decade But | say to you that
the grange is not opposed to this bill
When the gentlemen tells you that
that is the strongest argument in
favor of the majority report, | say, as
| said yesterday, that the grange in
terests of this State are in favor Of
this bill. He referred to the petitions
that had come here and that | had
not mentioned them. There are a
great many things that | have not
mentioned in relation to this bill. AS
to the petitions, you have heard them
read as they have been presented
here, and say to you that the peo-
pie of the State of Maine want this
bill passed.
The gentleman from Portland Mr..
Reed tells you that the profits of the
road are measured by its dividends.
| told you yesterday that the Maine
Central Railroad laid up as fund last
year ending June 30th, or that their
surplus increase was about 81 300, 900;
and has any gentleman here said that
it was not SO? Not even the gentle
mon from, portlan6 Mr. SWpttt who