Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-24

SAA' ali lilc ldItQ safes llldt
We're ever made, some $4,000; and ]
say to you, gentlemen, that if it is
to ply DeForrest Keyes, or if any
other man in the past can show a case
can prove his case, that the State OF
Maine should pay the $50, GOO, because
IL IS a question of honesty. Now out
OF that $4,000 the possible amount, as
matter of probability there will be
very small portion indeed. I under
stand that in the last q years the total
amount would be $651O.25, that in the
last 20 years the total amount less re-
demptlon would be s5220S4. l do not
care ff that whole $4,000 is to be paid
by the State at some future time We
Hlust pay 1t II We are convinced that
the State Of Maine in order to main
tam its own honor must pay it.
Inc state has this young mans mon
sS: l don't care whether he has been
Negligent, whether he has refused
warnings, he certainly did not intend
I" make the State a present of his
money. 1 have not much sympathy
with him. 1 think likely he came here
largely as d matter of speculation. l
am not looking at that phase OF the
49, iiC AuCStlOIt- Is DIS 10 l1itH At
tltuGe of the State of Maine. Whether
he was speculator, whether he was
negligent, whether he was foolish, is
aside from the question The fact is
the State has got this money and has
never given him any equivalent for il
We are holding it dishonesty as / be
ileEe. VIII the people of the State of
Maine want you to keep the money?
don't think they will. I don't think
you ought to keep it, and | hope the
motion to indefinitely postpone will
not prevail.
Mr.. DAVIES of Yarmouth: Mr..
Speaker, l shall detain the House but
moment. The gentleman from Water
vile saw tit to say something about
ale and my consideration, of the case
when this matter was before the Leg
tslature couple of years ago and it
81 ems fitting that l should tell just
what my position was at that time. I
think the gentleman from WaterVillc
is in error in that he said that 1 eX-
an1iued the case and saw no merit in
it. AS a matter of fact the matter was
referred to this Legislature for final
consideration and no final Judgment
W as IbetoStli uDOll lI!t' Vase Ill Tie ftSl
egisiature At that time in the COM
mittee 1 made a statement that l be-
leved Mr.. Reyes should have his mon
ey, and think one or two members of
the committee in the last Legislature
also made that statement; but the
time was getting short and we thought
it was a matter that ought to be
threshed out in the House and that the
representatives. should very generally
unde r:;tand what the circumstances
we're; so it was agreed by the COM
nnittee that it should be referred to
this Legislature.
Now l did not quite understand
from the gentleman from Augusta (Ir.
Rurleigh) just what the State treas
urer advertised, but my recollection
was this, 'the following titles have
been forfeited to the State for unpaid
taxes" That was the advertisement to
which Mr.. keyes responded and came
here for the purpose of buying these
tax titles, and was he justified il, do
ing it: Is there anything about that
which would put him
uron inquiry that there was some de-
feet in the description? "Ihe following
IllleS nave UGtII lOIltilcu ~ tiiO ho'HeN
for unpaid taxes" 1t always takes two
or more people to enter into gamble.
One man cannot do it alone; he must
have some one else Now are we go
ing to put the state of Maine in po-
sition as gambling with Mr.. Reyes
from New York state? That is the
question we are obliged to answer
here. Never mind about what Mr..
Keyes' opinion might be. The question
is, shall the state of Maine be honest
in this matter. we have got $lS,0oo
down stairs in the treasurer's depart
ment which was paid by that young
man for which he has received nothlng'
and the attorney general told us Wheh
he defended the case that he bought
chance. l do not think that the state
of Maine should be in the chance buS-
irass. I believe it should give value
received for every single dollar WHICH
is paid into it's treasury. l thlnK tie
only fitting thing for this House 10
do is to see that that sum of money
is returned to him.
believe the gentleman from Water
willie took occasion to say something
about what Governor Fcrnald would
DO. | 40 IlOl utlitNC ti'N'N
anv one who can conjecture what tht
attitude might be, ana until
something has been heard dlrecliy
from him think it is entirely unneces-
sarv and rather untimely to bring the
Executive department into this as
cussion. .,-
Mr.. HERSEY of IIoulton: Mr.. SPEAK
or T think perhaps that all the members
of This House have not read an editorEil
statement in the issue of February -"r"
of the Waterville Sentinel. l Will read
it.
"MR. KEYES' PETITION.
"Once more has DeForrest of Oneonto'
Now York. submitted his petition TO the
Maine Legislature for reimbursement OF
finds invested in worthless tax deco
titles in 1902. The case possesses some
neculiar features, serious as we'll as
comcal-
This man KeSes inherited some mon
ev which he described to invest in some
undertaking which would return gen
erous dividends. He was not entirely
IGNORANT of the rules of business as ne
held a responsible position in local
bank and it was due somewhat 10 ms
hank position that he learned of prohts
accruing from investments in wild iands