Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-29


only our right but it is cur duty to q"
ST. and that We must so report accord
ing to tie dictates OF our own con
sciences therefore. Mr.. Speaker |
hrnt that this Legislature will adopt
House Fill No. 80. 1t Will bring relief
Immediately. 1t imposes. if YOU adopt
ills amendment. q tax Of FIVE mills
upon incomes Of whatever kind above
S2lG0. \ man receiving au income nj
500 contributes $40; an income OF
s30o0 50: of $500o $15. FOR the support
OF the state government: over Sae0o to
$40. 600 -. ills of his income: from
$4,000 tn $20U0a. l. mills Of his in
from $2u, 00o t. $1,000. II mills and
above $4,000. per cent. | believe that
this is a step IN the right direction.
that the people will say that we are
honest in what we profess, that this
is a bill. an actual bill. not a theory:
and | hope that the members of this
House viii adopt Bill No 10 for Il
State income tax.
Mr.. HERSEY Mr. Speaker, | was
elected To the Seventy-Fifth Lesisla-
ture of Maine on party platform
which had the following plank. We ia :
vor the ratification by the next LegiS-
lature Of the amendment to the federal
constitution as proposed by Congress
relative To an income tax, and ii |
did not favor standing upon that plank
for that legislation by this Legislature
but kept my silence down to the pres
ent time and allowed my party to eX-
pect me to stand by that party plan
to favor that ratification down To- the
present hour. and then rise in my place
and repudiate it and wish to substitute
something for that which my part had
not said | had right to substitute by
any party action am not dealing in
good faith with my political party. and
ii the gentleman from Great Pond or
those of his political faith in this Leg
islature can come to this Legislature
at this hour and repudiatc this plank
in the Democratic platform adopting
the proposed amendment in the Con-
stitution of the United States relative
to the taxation OF incomes, then they
say that they. having a majority OF this
House and of this Legislature. are I'M
faithful and have repudiated their cam
paign promises. Not only that but
should such a measure go through this
Legislature it should meet with the
veto of your Governor. for in his mes
sage he said, The people have been
promised that We will approve the pro-
posed amendment to the national con-
stitution authorizing the levying of an
income tax. That promise should be
kept" And | say, if the Governor
should not veto the action of this
II in,
promises, then he repudiates his mes
sage which he says comes from the
people of Maine.
Now, Mr.. Speaker, waited in this
House some time that there might be
such a resolution put before this Leg
stature, because ] understood at that
time that it was the policy of certain
politicians in this Legislature not to
endorse the income tax amendment, to
repndlate their party platform, and
dId not wish them to do it. A part of
my duty is to hold the Democratic par
ty to their party platform. and also the
Republicans; and any Republican in
this Legislature who does not stand up
10 ms platform in this matter is not
dealing faithfully with the people; and
mat VIII apply to the Democrats also.
ON Feb. >. | introduced this resolution.
The gentleman from Watervillc said
mat this matter was pending then be-
lore the taxation committees and | re-
lerred II to that taxation committee.
/ what did they do? They came to the
Legislature with this report. with this
Document No. $50, a long document. A
long blii, complicated and intricate, in
tle last hours of the Legislature, want
ing 70 substitute that of which the peo-
PIE OF Maine have said nothing. of
| "hlch IN party convention they have
Iedheh no actioh, which they have not
eaHed ior, which has come in here be-
cause certain men in the State OF Main.
came INTO the lobby of this Iegislature
ana wanted an income tax substituted
Tor national one; and you asked this
Legislature, without any request from
your political party, without any re-
quest from the people. i'm the last hour.
of the Legislature tosenact law which
| have not had time to examine, which
has not been discussed In this State
not discussed in the press ito any ex
tent which We haven't tines to know
whether we want it or not. DO vot
hlioW whether your party wants 1t en-
acted into law or not? What aetiol
will they take in the next eonventiol
about it? DO you want to take the re
sponsibility at this session as Demo
Gratis of saying that YOU are going 1
lenact this law whether your part
wants it or not? The gentleman fror
lGreat Pond says that he is willing t
take the responsibility Of voting as h
thinks he ought to vote. That is a.
right. AT times We must break ava
from our party, at times it is nccessar
to repudiate the party perhaps, but no
very often. The times when we do
are when we start out to play polite
on matters that our party never con
Iteriplated,, not the great principles 4
both parties, because they are stand