Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-31

struction of this Act the gross income
would amount 10 $1,000 or over. But |
cannot sec how that construction be
made. because in Section , IL reads from
all The gain. profits or income and we
certainly could not construe The gross in
come as meaning profits. 1t could not in
any way be construed IS meaning that.
| think That would be one OF the objec
lions that might be ruled OUT. However,
1t might b. well To amend IL that 1t
would be clear the nei incomes. The word
gross might be stricken out.
Now the national resolve, or the 18th
amendment tn the federal constitution,
it seems TO me is sweeping, and perhaps
not all of the members of the Senate
have read or comprcheuaed Just what the
amendment is or how it reads. II reads
like This: "ConGrcSs shall have power ~
I,ft- and collect ta&"s On incomes from
whatever source derived without appor'
tinnmrut among the several states and
without regard to ans census or eHumera-
ton" You can see by the reading of that
that we give them absolute power to do
what they wili-from any source what
ever to tax incomes under the provisions
III that AIntluiittIIt- .H'h' Wv w ''+''e
To give Congress that power to tax iH-
comes from whatever source derived!
Would it be u wise thing To do? IT has
been urged 10y our people and thihS
urged quite frequently, that Congress Is
cxtravaGaut that they do CXpend large
sums of money, that immense amounts Oh
money are put in the rivers and harborS
and irrigation projects, for building Dat
tlcshps, and all that sort of thlng. NO"
can't We see that with Name repre-
$, ntation growing smaller every decaoe III
our national council. as it must hecessaii-
y grow smaller, that when Maine > iiio''-
cy goes into tilextreasuFy OF the ei''eu
states that we have very little chance Vi
getting anything back in proportion 10
what We nay ing The West and especial
ly the extreme West, is growing rapidly.
They have the soil and the climate ana
they are getting the people And as they
get the neople, as their population grows
and n,,,ltiplies. as it must-thc East IS
contri,,,,ting to the West all the time in
non,,otiop-do we want to contribute to
them of what little wealth we have?
Names representation in Congress mas
decrea cod during the last decade. The
annOrt iUflfne0l HOW ttfouN ~ ~
makes Names representation less Whiie
we mid the same number of congress
mon and senator's. still the aggregate
amount in the national Congress mas IN
cres sed so that Names representation Is
LOGS In the next decade it will certainly
no aecreased more SO that our pun, IL
T may use the word, in Congress VIII be
lessened all the time. and the pull from
the West will he increased all the time
in the years that are to come. That must
nocessarly be so. Now the proposition
IN before this body is to choose between
tho federal income tax and the State.
what objection can be urged to Maine
income tax? What good reason can be
advanced why Maine should not assess
tax on her own income and use it for
State purposes to pay, or help to pay, the
running expenses of her own state? 1t
is pot new idea, or revolutionary idea,
as suggested by Senator Osborn. 1t is
practlced now. They have now in six
states of the Union a state income tax
can see no reason why even if we
should have an income tax it should not
be State income tax. This question was
argued before the taxation committee and
It IS safe to assert that no question that