Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-26

Cumberland county, and ] agree with
him: and the members Of the Cumber-
land delegation would prefer to have
it come from the county treasury, but
it is impossible. The only way in
which it can be adjusted Is through
the passage of this resolve. The sena-
tor says that it would establish q pre-
cedent. 1t seems to me that we need
not be disturbed by this spectre OF a
precedent which he places before us,
and | think l can make that clear 70
YOU. This law went into effect in 1905,
but the question of establishing sal
aries for all the county and State ofil'
Gals was first presented to the Legls'
lature of 1905; and that Legislature APP
pointed a committee which visited all
the counties of the State, had public
hearings and in that way fixed and
established the salaries of all the State
and county officials. SO that anybody
seeking an Office at the election OF
1904 had definite prior knowledge OF
what the compensation of his Office
was to be. He took office on the first
day Of January, 1895, with full infnr-
nation as to what income he would
ONLY persons who would have any
grievance from the passage of this law,
wherever it reduced their compensa-
ton, were those who We're serving
four years term, commencing in Janu-
airy, 1903; and those were the Judges OF
probate registers of probate. clerks
Oh courts and registers of deeds. Ill
most of the cases those officers were
elected in 1904 and were not holding
over on the first day of January, 1908,
from the election of 1867; and If you
will look over the list of those county
officials, you will find that in very lew
cases did the Legislature reduce their
compensation. In a few cases where 1t
did worl, a reduction, it was 50 slight
and so trivial that they would have no
valid claim against the State.
Now as to the payment Of this from
the county treasury. While we regret
that We are obliged to ask the State to
reimburse Mr. Eaton in this way. 1t
may be new, l submit, for the State
to contribute anything to the county
expenses of Cumberland county. 1t
never has been done before in the bis
tory of the state, but it is not a new
Ties in this State. The State of Maine
to lay contributes annually to purely
county expenses in several of the coun-
ties OF this State, including the county
of Aroostook, represented by the SEN
atOr who opposes this resolve.
| suggested to the Senate the other
day that, undcr the present law re
lating to the collection of taxes on
lands in unincOrrCratei places, the
county commissioners of the county in
which tlose lands We're situated as
sesscS the land for the county tax. The
county commissioners then certify the
amount OF mat assessment to the State
treasurer and the state acts as a COL
lection agency and it collects those
taxes for that county. But it does
more than that. 1t pays to those ccun-
ties the full amount of the county
taxes which they have assessed, Wheth-
er the state gets the money or not. In
other words, it appropriates from the
state treasury every year the differ
ence between the full assessment made
in those counties for county purposes
and the amount which 1t actually sue
ccalS in collecting. The difference is
appropriated out of tho state treasury
for purely county purposes. and the
county of Cumberland pays one-fifth
of that appropriation and has always
dorc so, for the benefit of the county
Of Aroostook. for county expenses. for
the benefit Of Washington county. for
tho benefit of Franklin county, for the
benefit Of PenohScot county and for the
benefit # Piscataquis county; and we
1Din ~
have asked that the state contribute
anything for any county purpose in
the county of Cumberland. And it
seems to me that it comes with i'll
grace from the senator from Aroos-
took. which is receiving State assist
ancc every year for county purposes.
to object to this resolve on that ground:
and I submit TO you frankly that if it
We're possible for us to pay this from
the county treasury, the Cumberland
delegation would not ask to have it
come from any other source.
This matter was referred to the Cum
berland delegation. That delegation
consists Of 26 members of this Legisla
ture, there being five Democrats and
q Republicans. The membership is al
NEST as large as the membership of
this Senate. At q full hearing, where
the county commissioners We're pres
cnt, together with Mr.. Eaton and many
others Interested in this matter. with
a full Knowledge of all the facts, and
a full hearing. the Cumberland dele
CATION unanimously recommended the
passage of this resolve; and the Cum
herland delegation unanimously re-
quests its passage from this Lngisla-
tura.
Mr.. MILLIKEN of Aroostook: Mr.
President: | tried to make it plain
in what little I had to say moment
ago that the objection to this resolve
is not the fact that we are appropri-
ating money to Cumberland county
shall cheerfully vote anything reason
able that Cumberland county may ask
for; but the senator has said that those
elected in 1904 had full knowledge of
what their salary would be I can
not agree with that, and no one who
was in the Legislature Of 1905 could
agree to that. They differed from those
elected in 1902 in this respect, that they
knew some change was to be made