Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-19

sneaker. it seems TO me that the Slate
is now i'm possession of $1,000 which does
not belong to it, This proposition may
he called speculation or a gambling prop
osition. Now. are We intending to be
honest in this matter? l wish to present
several reasons why this resolve should
be passed at this time. These reasons
are as follows:
!. The assessors failed to make any
legal description of the lands claimed
to be forfeited, hence:
>. There was no forfeiture OF the lands
until and the State therefore had moth
ing whatsoever to sell.
8. a notice issued from the State
treasurers office, stating that certain
lands had been forfeited on account OF
the failure of the owners to pay the
taxes thereon, was misleading, 10 say
the least, for there was no forfeiture
whatsoever.
4. Therefore the State had no tax
titles to sell, although it led prospective
purchasers to believe that it had.
5. If the description of the lands made
by the assessors Office had been sutI-
cient, and if there had been forfeiture
yet there was no conveyance of any tax
titles to Mr.. Keyes, because the deeds
given We're of antiquated form and did
not meet the requirements of the State
laws, and therefore no valid conveyance
could be made, providing every other
step had been properly taken.
6. Mr.. Reyes, trusting in the notice
that certain lands had been forfeited 20
the State for non-payment of taxes, paid
his money to the State and got nothius
whatsoever for it.
l. Such transaction between indiyid-
uals would have been promptly rectiiesi
by our courts and repayment to Mi.
Keyes would have been made.
8. 5lr. Reyes has no remedy agains
the State. He cannot sue the state III
our courts and the matter rests with the
Legislature to do justice in the prem
Uses.
9. As Mr.. Burleigh says. who was a
members of the last Legislature, at IS
a question of honesty pure and simple.
Shall the State of Maine. because it can
not be sued in our courts, refuse to DO
justice in the PREMISES
10. The Legislature is the general
court of the State to which and in which
such matters as cannot be brought be-
fore our courts are supposed to be ad-
Indicated.
II. Shall the great State of Maine de-
lberately take from an individual his
property and refuse to give him anything
for it?
u. If it shall still be unjustly claimed
that the claim of DeForest Reyes has
passed from his hands and that parties
are making an effort to have the claim
allowed in their own behalf, it may be
absolutely denied as unfounded and false.
and it has so been stated before the COM
mittee on claims in the most emphatic
manner
| hope that every member of this
House will take this matter into care
full consideration and ask himself if
he does not think this is a just pro-
position, where a man steps up and
gives into our State treasury the sum
of $4,000 and gets nothing in return.
on the other hand it may be said that
our State treasurer warned him and
told him that it was gambling pro-
position. and that he seemed perfectly
willing To enter into the matter. 1t
is true, perhaps, that this condltlon OF
affairs does not exist now and that
our courts and our Legislatures have
corrected it; but in this case the in
jury has been done and it ought to be
rectified and something given back in
return for this money which was paid
by Mr. Keyes
Mr.. AUSTIN of Phillips Mr.. Speak
er, | would like to ask If the Char
would read through the three reports
as they are not long, and give the
House better idea of just what we
are voting upon, this morning.
tThe speaker then read the majority
report and minority report Al
Mr.. AUSTIN of Phillips: | Will say
as a signer of the majority report
that there is no question about there
being some merit to this claim. JUS