Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-06

Reed better than T do, my acquaint-
ance with him is at the BAN
| quet table, and 1t is not
always 1t the banquet table. Mr..
Chairman, that We can make accurate
Judgment of men--I refer. Mr.. Chair
| man, to myself, hot to Mr.. Reed.
I recognize the fact that he lives in
community more deeply devoted to
the cause of Temperance than MY city
But. Mr.. Chairman. as / said before,
my friend, Mr.. Reed. shines as a law
yer. Whether he knows real estate in
the city of Portland. or not you know
better than l. bat when Mr.. Reed
comes here and tells you, as he did at
the last hearing. that a suitable site
can be purchased in the city of Port
land for such 4 State House as the
dignity OF Maine and the civic pride Of
Portland would demand as her right,
for $4,000, 1 simply say to you. Mr.
Chairman, that he knows more of law
| than he does of real estate conditions
of the city of Portland for I think l
have been in Portland some. My bus
mess calls me there often. My pleas
ure calls me there oftener. The hos
pitaiity Of the city Of Portland that
has been undeservedly but most gen.
erously showered upon me. often has
carried ne there: and l think. Mr..
Chairman, that | am within reason
when l say that you know and that ]
know that 100000 will not buy in the
city of Portland, the broad and spa
! cious grounds situated where the State
House ought to be that would he in
line with what Portland is and what
Portland will be and with what Maine
is and Maine will be.
Il it we're ever changed, Mr. Chair
man, if the time over comes in the his
tory of Maine when We must change
We viii make the change free handed,
literally and IN Il way that COMFORTS
with the dignity and honor of the city
Of Portland and OF this grand Old conf
monW"aiti. We will not put it down
on any small alley in the city of Port
land where my friend. MI Reed. can
find a bunch of real estate for $4,000
paltry dollars.
But. take his figures, correct his conf
putations, add to It his real estate. view
the problem in tho light Of these official
letters that come here to our secretary
of State from the secretaries Of state
of other states, and You Will have
among them a circular letter of Nj.
Brown and you will see that it was
purely Don-c0mmittal, non partisan,
calling for official information from
| the states, and when you study them
l submit this prop ssition to you: That
there is no man within the sound Of
my voice that will doubt for n moment,
Mr.. Chairman, that when you have
bought your land and built your build
ings and have furnished it and have a
state House in which to do business
that Tie State of Maine will have in
vested at least four millions of money.
1t is Il question of business for you.
What does that mean to the taxpayers
of this State? I suppose, Mr.. Chair
man, we are all familiar with the fact
that the state of Maine cannot issue
bond. We ere all familiar with the fact
that the state Of Maine has no borrow
ing power save that of our temporary
loaning power OF 100000, which We
cannot surrender even for state Houses
which the State treasurer always needs
between the payments OF taxes. Not
one single dollar can be borrowed. Ev-
cry dollar you invest in the supposed
necessity must come by taxation fro!:l
the pockets of the people
I have taken pains here, Mr. Chair
man. l thought that it might not he
amiss-I have here taken pains to fig
ure what would be the proportional
part of that four million dollars, of
the towns in which each of the MEM
bers of this committee live. 1t is good,
easy figuring, as Scion Chase used to
say. 1t is a rule that every member
of this Legislature can carry away and
apply I have reduced it n little. T
have given Portland the benefit
of the argument little, in order to
make the figuring approximate. Four
million dollars is something more, Mr..
Chairman, than one per cent of the
valuation of the State of Maine. But,
reducing the four million to three and
one-half million you would then have
one per cent. In other words you pro-
pose to reach out with the strong arm
of the law and take Onc dollar out Of
every one hundred dollars of wealth
that there is in Maine to put into
new State House in the city of Port
land, to say nothing OF the abandon
ment Of this million-dolIa building.
Here is a good easy wa.v to figure
it; you all know your valuations. Take
one per cent. of your valuations. or YOU
gentlemen that are town officers can
figure it in any other way-yOur state
tax last year was One-quarter of one
per cent. Multiply your State tax Of
last year by four-that IS another way
to get at it. And. if my friends arc
right that this thing can he done for
two and a half millions, scale those fig
urcs n little. The difference to tho
Taxpayer between a scale of a two
million and-a- half basis and three
million and half basis--you can cas-
lily get at it.
Port lands Shar" would be s51f, .I2;
Newport (and I throw off the odd dol
ars) 5000: Noblnboru. s235":: s;kowhc-
gan. s35.1 Fas: rort s17.112: Bruins
wick. s@9.@ii: Deer Isle, $3.50; Rich
mond, $1o12S: Corinth. sf24S, and Wash
neton, s.712.
Think you. gentlemen, that the reo-
pie that toll upon the hills to earn that
money will endorse yuur action.