Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-26

! crease and not allowing for any special
| increase would be about $500. 600. \
, three mill tax ON the property of Maine,
which has been the tax since 1897 with
| out variance, yields approximately ST.
| $50, 900 annually. If We exceed the eX-
penditures of the last two years we
must perforce either run the State in
debt or increase our direct State tax
| rate beyond three mills. Now it seems
to me that every member of this House
is bound in good faith to keep the eX-
penditures of the State to a point where
no increase in the direct State tax will
be made. 1 made a few-Domocratic
speeches during the last two or three
campaigns-not many, for / have not
been a member of the party long. /
have listened to a good many Demo-
cratic speeches. I have never heard on"
in which the charge was not made thai
the Republican administration of af
fairs in this State was eXtravagant, and
if we had the opportunity we would eX
ercise a wise and just economy and
would cut down State expenditures. In
our last platform we accused the
dominant party of extravaganza and
state that we would be economical if
we had the opportunity. Ii seems to
me 50 far as those Of US who affiliate
with the Democratic party are concerned
that we are bound by our party pledge
to keep faith with the people and to keep
expenditures as low as possible And
those of you who are Republicans. who
are still Republicans, who have not yet
,l,,,., g..
your party at it's last convention also
made q protestatiOn of economy in pub
lie affairs: and following that platform
you elected upon it a Governor who I
think believes in it sincerely. Your
Governor in his inaugural address here
charged You to keep faith with the
people of Maine and to preserve Il just
economy in dealing out the public mon
cy. SO that men of both parties are
bound by their party platforms and by
their campaign pledges not to increase
taxation in Maine unless they are
obliged to do SO.
Now l go further, because I desire to
bring to this House the proposition that
YOU cannot in good faith pass this re
solve. ] say that the people of Augusta
and the citizens of kennebec county are
bound by solemn personal pledge made
by their representatives that they will
ask for the passage Of no such resolve
as this. Two years ago 4 question arose
rs to the possible removal of the State
capital to the city of Portland Per
onally l was opposed to it and should
oppose a similar proposition today. In
the debate that occurred on that subject
Senator IIeselton of Kcnnebec represent
ing this county, and representing it we'll
said in answer to the criticism made by
Cumberland Senators in the Senate
Chamber, when they alleged that in two
years Augusta would be asking for Il
large appropriation for the State House
here because they claimed its accommo-
dations were inadequate, Senator Hesel-
ton said-I read from the official record
This Capitol has for all these years
furnished all needed conveniences to do
legislative work and now only requires
4 few additional offices, offices which can
be hired yearly for a few hundred dol
lars or constructed for a few thousand
dollars That was the position taken
two years ago by as able and conscien-
tious and sincere a representative as the
Republican party of Kennebec ever sent
to the Legislature. In the House this
same proposition came up. and there in
debate Judge Danforth of Skowhegan.
speaking for the people of the city of
Augusta, speaking in benalf of those of
us who desired to retain the capital here
said, 1.-The Office rooms in this building
are inadequate'-and / think a few of
them are-"and an office building can
be erected back of the State House for
a comparatively small amount at an ex-
pense of from $4,000 to 500, 900" So
that two years ago when the question
was being debated from the standpoint
of what we could get along with the
cheapest and Augusta stood for economy,
at the outside estimate the State was
only going to be put to an expense of
100000 to make our Capitol adequate
for all our needs
What, my friends, has, happened i'm
two years to cause us to need to expend
$250,000 more Are not the people of
Kennebec county, of whom have the
honor to be one, bound by the utterances
of the men who fought their cause two
years ago. or are we going to take the
position that as citizens of this coun-
ty we were insincere then, that we were
SIMPLY putting up an argument with
which to get by the Portland people and
did not mean what we said? Are we
going to take that position? Are we
going further and say that as DEM
ocrats we have, been shouting economy
for 10 years and did not mean a single !
word Of it, and are you Republicans go
ing to say that you did notImean what |
you put in your platform? Every Demo- |
crat who votes for that resolve goes |
squarely back on everything his party |
leaders have stood for twentyS years |
Every, Republican who votes for it goes
back upon his platform and his Cover |
nor's inaugural; and every Republican,
Of kennebec county who votes for 1t
goes directly back upon the arguments
with. which kenneBAc county saved the