Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-08-20

question then under the sanction of
his oath, he said: Il believe the
| expenditures have been widely in
creased and whether they have or not,
the burden of the increase has not
| fallen upon the poor farmers of the
State or the manufacturers. 1t mas
| fallen in the State of Maine, as the
| increased expenditures of the nation
have fallen. in that indirect taxation
so devised as to reach best that sur
| plus wealth able to pay the tax"
Was Mr.. Pattangall honest then, or
is he honest now? How can you tell?
| How i'm Heavens name can he tell?
| Mr. Shelton then went on to make
| local applications of the way the mon
eys collected by the State were paid
| back to the towns and cities, and
showed that oxford county as a whole
| and the town OF Buckfield in particu-
lar. received more than it paid out in
direct taxes. This comes from the
indirect system of taxation of rail-
| roads, corporations, expresses, terc-
| phones. telegraphs and banks. which
Mr.. Pattangall commended in 1901.
Mr.. Davis. during his campaign. con-
| demned this system and charged the
| Republican party with having devised
| it and being responsible for it. He
| likened it to the stab of the assassin
in the dark If that is Democratic
doctrine and YOU agree with it, you
| should help them repeal it, If on the
other hand, you are willing that these
| institutions should continue to bear
| their part of the legitimate burdens,
you will make no mistake in support
ing the Republican party, which, as
| Mr.. Davis says is responsible for IT,
! | come now to the question of rail-
road rebates. This issue has been in
| jected into the last two campaigns
purely for political purposes. The
| Democratic speakers are no more frank
in it's discussion than in other matters
| The truth is. the precedent on which
| these rebates have been granted was
established in 1891 The whole North
and East section of the State asked
| that assistance be given the Bangor
Il Aroostook Railroad in order to open
| up that part of the State. There may
now be an honest difference of opin-
ion as to it's wisdom. l suspect, how
| ever. that if the matter were to come
up now as a new issue, entirely shorn
of all question of politics, the people
| regardless of politics would be as will
| ing to aid in developing great ex-
| panse of territory as they were then
1t is TO different in principle than
concessions that have been granted by
! practically every city and large town
| in the State.
However that may be, it was not
| marty question then The whole mat
ter was threshed out in public hear
| ings. reported to the Legislature and
! passed That Legislature contained 40
| Democratic members and not one OF
| them raised a voice in opposition. And
now they ask for a return to power
by stultifying their own participation
| in that act.
] WHY. on the very platform from
which Mr.. McGillcuddy was denounc-
| ing the rebate. sat Col. Osgood. who
was a member of the committee in the
| LEGISLATURE of 1901 which had this
matter in charge. Col. OSgood, broad
| minded. liberal business man that he
| is, with the full courage of his con-
| yictions, gave the measure his hearty,
| active support and joined in the COM
| mittec report recommending it's pas
sage And now Mr.. McGllicuddy
| would have the colonel elected to the
Senate as a rebuke to the Republicans
| for granting the rebate. Beautiful
| politics.
| Now they complain that the Repub-
| licanS will not join in an effort to re-
| pudiate the contract. If 1T was right
then when Col. Osgood and the other
A Democrats supported 1t, it is right
now 1t was a contract fairly ana
openly entered into. Nothing was con-
| cealed Nobody was deceived. On
the strength of it an additional value
| was given the securities of the road.
On the basis of that value savings
banks throughout Maine and New
| England and hundreds of investors.
many of them of small means, put
their money into the enterprise Inc
Republican party is not now, ana new
er has been, party OF repudla'loi''
The rank and file of citizens VINO nave
made Maine an honored State are not
now. and never have been, in favor
of reputation. And we are content
to leave this issue with them.
But the issue which above all others
excites Democratic orator. IS the
Sturgis law and the proposition to en-
| power the Governor to remove dl5-
honest local officials and appoint nom
est men in their stead, and I propose
to discuss it somewhat frankly.
am aware that there are many VINO
question the wishes of the enactment
, of this particular act. I do not know
how it appeals to any particular one
of YOU For the purposes of this DIS
cussion. I do not care. ! assume that
every law abiding, law-living citizen
of the State believes that some way
should exist to enable the State to Sc
; cure the enforcement of its laws. When
the officers of any particular locality
fail in their duty. To others we 10
not appeal.
The fact is that in 1904 conditions in
some localities, regardless of party pol
, itics. had become such that both par