Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-06

simply lose the tax. 1t seems To me
| in view of this question which arises
so frequently in towns that there
should be uniform poll tax. 1t
| works no hardship upon any one.
Three dollars is not so large tina; any
young man, or any poll tax payer,
would need to throw up his head very
| much to have to pay. 1t seems to ne
i We could get rid of this difficulty and
miX-up of paying tax in one town
when he ought to pay it in another;
and so | am in favor of the bill,
Mr.. PLUMMER of Lisbon: There
are one or two points brought up here
which it seems to me are very easily
met. The question of lodging tax has
been brought up here-that a man
will move To some other town. 50
far as / know, by the laws of the
state of Maine, a man has a right 20
live where he wants to in this State.
OF even TO leave it; and if he sees fit
To live in some particular town by
reason of the fact that the poll tax is
lower there, or to claim his residence
there by reason of the fact that the
poll tax is lower than in the town
which thinks it ought to have his
money, why all that town has to do to
get him back. or to hold him at least.
is to put the tax down. 1t need not
legislate that the other towns put its
tax up.
Now, another thing has been stated
by the gentleman; that no young man
wants To be exempt. There is nothing
in this amendment that exempts peo-
pie from a poll tax unless it is so
voted in a town. AS to a man paw
ing a tax in another town for which
he gets no benefit, it looks to me like
man showing poor business judg-
ment, and l do not know that more
legislation of uniform poll tax, and
that is all it wanted, why did not it
put it don to one dollar, which is the
law limit now, or why, even. did ii not
put it at two dollars. which is the
medium limit, and which rn3tny of the
large cities and towns in the State
Portland, and 4 think lewiston and
AagustaAeharge9 Why did not it put
1t at that? No; it saw fit to take the
extreme that the present law allows.
But l submit to you, Mr. Speaker, and
gentlemen, that there is no man with
in the sound of my voice here. OF.
| outside of it either. that can give any
| reason why a poll tax should be SO
| rather than 81 or 81 or $40: and there
is no man, so far as / ever knew, that
attempted TO reason it out in a Iogi-
cal manner. Many of us went into
our town meetings, last Monday, and
We raised a certain amount for ex-
penses for the coming year On the
first day of April, and thereafter the
seiectmen of the town will go around
and will place a valuation upon the
property of the towA Taking out this
poll tax, whatever it may be, the re-
mainder will be assessed against the
estates of the town, and will be ar
rived at by logical and mathemati-
cal process. That is to say, as YOU
all know. the selectmen, or assessors,
Will divide the amount raised by the
| total valuation, and that will give
them the rate on the dollar or on
| the thousand. Taving taken that,
they say to A, Il, c and d figuring
up the valuation of your property
your tax is So much. | will not now
say that is just tax; but say there
l. Way That il can be. arrived at
'mathefffatied7Iy but / say that there
! is no man here that can tell why he
| thinks a poll tax ought to be three
dollars, or two dollars, or one dollar,
| or any other number of dollars You
| can ask yourself, gentlemen. the
| question. If you can answer that
| question fairly in your own minds
then vote to put the poll tax wher-
| ever you think ii. ought to be. If you
| cannot answer that question fairly in
| your own minds, and give yourself a
| satisfactory feason-a logical reason
| a reason that you can define logically
| and automatically, then at least
| vote, ii you cannot vote to dispense
| with the poll tax altogether, to give
any town that finally concludes it is
| wise enough-if wise it be-and hon.
| est enough-if honest it be-to follow
| out it's own conclusion any town
| that canot see why a poll tax should
be three dollars, two dollars, or one
4 dollar, let that town decide for it.
self that it won't have a poll tax oil
| that it will fix it at that rate OF
| amount at which it does arrive by
| such reasoning as it can utilize Or
| the vote l call for yeas and nays.
| ne 81 FsAnGLIt. L he gentleman
| from Lisbon, Mr.. Plummer, demands
the yeas and nays. Those fayorine
the demand will rise and stand il
| their places.
A sufficient number not having
| arisen,
The yeas and nays were not ordered
The question being upon the adop.
ton of the amendment A,
Mr. Newbert of Augusta called fol
a division.
A division being had, 43 voted il
| favor of the adoption of the amend
| ment, and 65 against
So the amendment was lost.
| Mr.. Plummer then offered House
| Amendment b, to amend by strikins
out the word three and inserting il
| place thereof the word "one' in thu
fifth line of Section / and 9
The question being on the adoption
| of House Amendment b,
A division was had, and the amend
| ment was lost.
Mr.. Plummer then offered House
| Amendment @, to amend by striking
| out the word three wherever it oc.
ours in Section / and 2, and insertins
in place thereof the word one.