Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-01-15

the advisability of requiring reason
able fee fEOm persons or corporations
asking for private and special legisla-3
ton.
Mr.. Davis moved that the House
non-concur with the Senate in it's re-
ference.
Speaker, would like, to have the
gentleman from Yarmouth explain why
he thinks the House should non-concur
on that order.
Mr.. DAVIES: Mr.. Speaker, 1t
seems to me that the order is entirely
out of harmony with the spirit of our
institutions. If the committee to
which the order was referred should
report favorably on it's passage it
would be, from my point of view,
entirely in the interests of those who
have rather than of those who have
not. 1t provides that there shall be
paid tax or fee by every corporation
or by every individual who comes and
asks for private or special laws. This
Legislature is supposed to be trl-
bunal of all the people. There has
never been any restriction proposed
until the present time upon any one
who might come here and ask for the
passage of any bill or any resolve or
any order no matter how poor or how
rich> he might be; and it seems to me
that it commits the State to an
entirely new and different policy. In
the past we have been satisfied to
grant to ALL proper consideration OF
what might be proposed, and, if it
RI oiUn tha 1apiSl9 fiOn q
passage; and for my part can see no
reason why the matter should be con-
sidered in the committee looking to
ward a report for the passage of a bill
on a proposition Of that sort.
Mr.. BIGELOW of Portland: Mr..
Speaker, l would like to inquire
through the Chair or of the gentleman
from Yarmouth if it is not true that
Legislatures of the past have been
passing countless bills, private and
special laws for corporations and at
great expense to the State, and If it is
not true that there probably will be
many bills Of the sort this year and
succeeding years, and that they have
tendency to delay the consideration
of public laws and greatly prolong the
sessions of the Legislature? I
Mr.. DAVIES: Mr.. Speaker, desire
to say in reply to the question that
corporation can hardly be compared in
the matter under consideration to an
Individual The corporation first pays
it's franchise tax which of course is for
the benefit of the State, and it also
pays it's proportional part of the tax
for the support of the State, which is
entirely different from the case of the
poor fisherman or the poor laborer or
the farmer or some one in his claSsS
who may come here and ask for some
special act that he may be protected in
his rights.
The question being on the motion to
non-concur with the Senate in refer
ring the order to the committee on APP
preparations and financial affairs,
The motion was agreed to.
The Speaker announced the appoint
ment of the following joint select COM
mittees:
On salaries and fees: Con the part Of
the House) Messrs. Porter of Mapleton,
Whitney of Gorham, Boswell of Stet-
son, Libby of Amity, Mercier of
Princeton and Harrington of South
Thomaston and Lambert of Orono.
On forestry and water supply: Con
the part Of the House) Messrs. Colby
of Bingham, Havey of Sullivan, Camp
bell of Cherryfield, Bisbee Of Rumford,
Clark of Hollis, Silsby of Aurora and
Corners of Bangor.
On Lincoln day: Con the part of the
House) Messrs, Hall of Caribou. Bige-
low of Portland, Donnell of West Bath,
Burleigh Of Augusta. Hyde of Bath,
Ross of Bangor and Hines of Lewiston.
On motion of Mr.. Allen of Richmond,
Adjourned until next Tuesday at
four thirty o'clock.