Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-21

Col. "A. r. Nealey Of Lewiston opened
the evening session with hearty en-
dorsement of the BILL believing that the
good points therein effectually offset the
parts that appear unfair at first
The next speaker was c. R. Hall of
Wilton. He rather favored the bill as a
whole, but didn't know but what the
amour: that would be raised bv mil,
tax would be little too much for a be.
ginning
Col. A. S. Bangs of Augusta paid high
tribute to Commissioner Sargent, COM
plimenting him On his bill and declaring
that he was heartily in favor of the
whole bill. Mr.. Bangs said If the citi-
Zens of Maine can have their minds dis
abused of the narrow conception of the
question as it has been presented by some
of the opposition this afternoon, ! think
they would all be in favor of it. I think
that there is a feeling in the State that
We are proud that there is at last a
tenn of good roads,
NJ. L. Merrill Of st. Adams was the
next speaker. In opening he said:
Il was sorry that there seemed to be
an effort to line up the citizens of the
country against the city. That should
not be. We cannot afford it. We are all
citizens of the State of Maine"
He then produced Il copy of the report
of the Maine tax commissioners. a very
rare volume. This commission was ap-
pointed in 1889 and reported in 1891. He
read several excerpts showing that the
farms are bearing more than their share
OF the taxation.
1t has been said that city's valuation
has been raised because they have put
in water system. So it has. And why
shouldn't it?
up in Somerset county we have road
reaching from the Canada line to Bing
ham, and every December I sit down in
my office and assess a tax to maintain
that road. We cannot tax those wild
lands. We have got to increase the State
tax
"The Democratic party has been prom
ising for 10 years that if they got in
power they would do it. 1t is perhaps
fortunate that the cities went Democratic
keep their word and we will carry this
through Dy Il UNANIMOUS vote
Mr.. Merrill spoke of the compliment
paid Maine roads by the Glidden tourists
and pointed out that those results were
not nalf of good as they could be under
the Sargent bill
Mr. Haines took the floor at this point.
In answer to Mr.. Blanchard. he said that
he didn't feel that he was called upon to
furnish the committee any inventory OF
L.
not affect alone the blacksmith or the
carpenter or the lawyer, the man, the
woman or the child, but everybody. He
couldn't understand why I favored this
bill when Waterville was not going to get
as much as she paid in, and you heard
my answer.
Next to the Holy Bible the State treas
urer's report is the most valuable book
a citizen of the State Of Maine can read"
He then went on to analyze the report
pointing out the various sources of taxa
ton and then read a few Of the expendi-
lures.
Mr.. Haines characterized the $1,000 to be
expended in engineering as the cheapest
expenditure that it ever made.
You can go on scrapinG the same old
mud up into the center of the road where
it will be washed Oft again in the spring
so you can haul 1t back again. You spend
hundreds and thousands of dollars of
your money doing this same thing
Mr. Haines then took up the good roads
bill and said that the State Board Of
Trade had been working four years to get
sentiment back of some such bill. Two
years ago the State hired Mr.. Sargent
and set him to figuring. and the present
bill is the result Of his labors.
"Now just tell me if you cam" he said.
chow you are going to get your good
roads? You have all been telling how you
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