Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-25

Der, and his argument so inn
pressed me that ! sat silent in my
seat and watched the bill on
which / had reported Ought to pass
so to indefinite postponement here I'D
the House. When he arose in his seat
and said what every fairs man anu
every student knows, that every dol
lar Of tax comes out of the poor man
and that on that account we ought
not to increase the poll tax or the poor
men of Portland by legislation, SYM
pathized with his argument and Silent
ly voted with him by not opposing IT,
| want him today, and l want the rest
of the delegation from that city who
desire to keep their poor constituents
from paying one dollar more poll tax,
to remember that the $4,000 appropri-
alton recommended here comes too out
of the poor men OF the whole State
nearly as every dollar OF taxation
must eventually come. Do not appeal
alone to your poor voters or Portland
Appeal to your poor voters or the en-
tire State and save them an uEneces-
sary increase of appropriation if you
can.
One word more. If the committee
on inland fisheries and game have be-
come impressed with the proposition
that Maine has no resources excepting
inland fishing, no resources save trout
brooks and lakes to which men can
go to fish, they are utterly and entire
ly mistaken. We had better spend l
think a fair amount in developing that
side of Names life, and spend more
money in developing still more i'm
portanI side of Names life. 1t is not
true--I hope it is not true-that Maine
can never hope to rival her sister State
of Massachusetts in manufacturing.
Without great water powers, the
cheapest power in the world which
can be converted into. electricity and
carried to the seaboard wnere tie
cheapest transportation on earth eN-
lists. there is no reason why Maine
with her Industries properly fostered,
with ner back turned for a moment
tn the Log Cabin and her face turned
for part Of the day at least toward
the business interests of the State, cam
not grow to be a great manufacturing
State. Rival Pennsylvania! Why, the
Maine rivers will be furnishing power
for manufacturers after the Pennsyl-
vania coal mines are exhausted. we
will rival any state in the Union in
commerce when we have an opportuni-
ty to exercise the right of commerce
with our neighbor; and in agriculture
where are Massa chusetts, New Hamp-
shire, Vermont, Rhode Island and
Connecticut, any part of the Eastern
United States, compared with the
grand opportunities for agriculture in
northeastern Maine. We have Other
| resources, my friends, than the bring
ing to us of actors and actresses from
New York. Uaugfter). We have 9th
er resources than the bringing to US
Of the summer visitor much as we
like to get their money. Spend your
| money for this industry, 1t is matter
which does bring money to the State.
but don't, as l said before and ] re-
peat it with all the emphasis of which
l am capable, don't spend all that
somebody asks you to spend, but what
you believe you can fairly spend TAX
| ing. into consideration the needs OF
every other department, every other
| institution, every other branch Of the
state government, and remembering
| that in keeping within the reasonable
| bounds of the income of the State lies
| the safety of our legislation. Cap
plause)
Mr. BURLE1GH of Augusta: Mr.
Speaker | do not rise fer the pur-
pose OF making d speech, but | am
very sure that the gentlemen from
WatcrVille would not wish to mislead
| this House in any particular and ]
rise simply for the purpose OF max
ing a correction, that is, il | correctly
| understand the facts, that the figures
given us by the gentleman from Port
land (Mr. Bigelow) apply exclusively
to the inland territory ana do not in
clude the seashore resorts and the
| seashore business I think that the
House should understand this fact in
voting on this measure, n It be fact
as | understand it to be.
Mr. MONTGOMERY OF Camden:
Mr.. Speaker: would hesitate to say
anything to the House on this question
but for the fact that my people in
| Knox county are very mucn interested
in it. This is 4 business proposition
to us all. 1t comes as Il business
put up as a business proposition by
1t has been put to this House as a
business affair by the committee who
nave reported on it. Now what is
the business view of it? We are told
here that the amount of business of
the railroads and all such enterprises
for the next year is likely to be very
much restricted. Allow that to be
true, and then what is our duty toward
the State? If that be true, our duty
toward the State is to make this in
dGStry lust as favorable to our p"o-
pie as possible. Everything that it
will produce We have no wish under
these circumstances to curtail in the
least. What is this industry we are
talking about? 1t is the fish and game
industry of this State. What does it
include. 1t includes all the lakes OF
this State, al the rivers or this State,
all the streams of this State, all the
brooks Of this State. 1t is a mighty
industry, and I wonder myself today
how the fish and game commission
have got along with $4,000. and l don't
wonder that they are criticised ana
severely criticised for with only 80