The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-01-16

Democratic press and the tax reform
or to pick out and tell me just which
ones and how many of these shall be
abolished-for That Is the place where
there might be a tax reform in State
affairs. But ! don't want TO be the
man TO advocate it, because / have
spent good part of my political life
in helping To establish and MAINTAIN
a great many of these institutions.
| also want to call the public's at
tention 10 few other things relative
to the assessment of State taxes. |
will make some comparisons between
the year 1900 and 1908 to show which
way we are actually going in our sys
TEN Of raising money tor State pur-
poses.
The State valuation in this time has
increased S57, 1886, BAL or II $40 per
cent. Of this increas 70 cities have
contributed 244 per cent, the towns
and plantations in Aroostook county
81 per cent, the manufacturing and
summer resort towns 30t per cent; all
the other towns and plantations in
the ID other counties, which are the
principal farming counties, only per
cent; the wild lands alone 3O4 per
cent. And will note IN passing that
the valuation on wild lands since 1898
has been increased l25 per cent.
Now comparing the State assessors
report of 1900 with that of 1906, find
that as whole there has been de-
crease upon the cities, towns and
plantations of the State of sl8,629, 03,
while the State tax assessed on wild
lands alone in 1906 was S28, 1924
greater than in 1900. We also find
that the total State tax assessed on
the farming towns aud plantations
in the fifteen counties outside of
Aroostook was $780, 900 less than III
1900.
| wish to note in this connection
that the tax assessed by the State as
SCISSORS against the various State cor
porations in 1900 was only $716, l01.71;
whereas for the year 1906 it was l.,
29S, 717.80, an increase of 1852, 606. Is,
almost twice as much as required TO
pay all the legitimate expenses of the
State after deducting those items
which are not the absolutely neces-
sary expenses of the State government
after deducting those items watch are
not the absolutely necessary expendi-
lures of State government. The
politician SO often makes an appeal
to the individual against the corpora
tlons, that | cannot help calling at
tention to these figures, which show
that the burdens of taxation are be-
ing constantly increased on corpo-
rate property and reduced on the
individual property of the State, SO
far as the purposes of State taxation
go.
1t is undoubtedly true that most Of
the cities and towns in their munich
pal affairs are increasing the amount
of taxes they are paying, but they
gather at their own town meetings
and raise and appropriate this money
for their own town purposes, and 1t
is a matter wholly with themselves
whether they make their taxes more
or less. But if they have modern
improvements, they will have to pay
for them the same as the cities do,
although the State has just entered
upon a system of State road building,
by which, through State taxation,
large sum of money is to be aised on
all the property of the State, which
is to be apportioned relatively much
more to the smaller towns than TO
the cities or larger towns.
| note that in my own city of Wa
terville, i'll 1880, the year that came
here, our tax rate was IL mills and
that we raised and expended only
$3S, 100.11; where in 1906, our tax rate
w as 23t mills and we raised and APP
propriated Sl36, $500. We have also
largely increased our bonded debt.
But when | came here i'll 1880 we had
practically no sidewalks, no paved
streets, no street lighting, no water
supply, no sewer system, and but few
schools. The past twenty six years
have brought us increased burdens OF
m unicipal taxation, but in return we
have practically every modern con
venience and luxury enjoyed by any
community in America. These things
cannot be had without paying tor
them. What we have done i'll Water
willie has been done, to degree, III
practically every city and town i'll
Maine and in the nation.
The first re quirements on the sub
ject of tax reform are facts and fig
ure and a disposition to give them an
honest and fair Interpretation and
understanding. This can never be
done with the demagogic cry ordi-
narily invoked by the tax reformer
who is a candidate for office, who
seeks to array one class of citizens or
kind of property against another.
L have watched the proceedings of
the Maine Legislature for quarter of
a century and | have seen therein
different interests contending in diff
fe rent ways for different things in
regard to taxation, and as whole !
have seen our public burdens for
State purposes constantly and large
ly transferred from the farms and
other tangible property to the money
deposited in savings banks, railroad
corporations, insurance companies,
and other monied interests of the
State. Certainly some other subject
will have to be agitated in Maine TO
create greater public interest than
that OF tax reform as applied to our
State expenses and finances"