Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-13


! amendment is as follows, to amend By
| striking out the word three in the
! fifth lines of sections one and two. and
inserting in place thereof the word
| two" Is the House ready for the
question.
Mr.. PLUMBER of Lisbon: Mr.
| Speaker, | would like to say one more
word. If the House please. | do not
| like in "A discussion of any question
| to descend to the consideration of how
| il will affect any one, or whom it will
affect. 1t seems to me that questions
should be discussed from a broader
viewpoint than that, as to whether
or not given proposition is just re-
gardless of whether it affects me or
any other member or members of the
House. ] argued briefly here, the otli-
err day, that a poll tax, as such, was
altogether an unjust tax, and ! tried
to place upon the bill an amendment
allowing towns the option of fixing
the poll tax at SO or under. That
amendment was defeated by the House;
but ! wish to submit to the House
that if this proposition ever comes to
a vote of the people, which ii may do
il you put it at Sand ii may be if
you put it at $2-that the poll tax.
if the people ever come to understand
it, will go pretty fast by the board.
| hold in my hand here a list of the
separate articles of real estate. and
the names and assessed valuation of
land and buildings as found upon the
assessors books for the year 1912 in
the town of Lisbon. This contains a
list only of the assessed valuation Of
the real estate. There is no personal
estate in there, except of some two
or three corporations, which have large
amounts. and which are put in. per-
haps for the satisfaction Of the eurios-
ity of the voters of the town. It will
be found in looking that over that The
poll tax in our town is 81, but il will
be found that any man in that town
with an assessed valuation of $1,000
and under will be better off without
the payment of the poll tax. That is
only people who are assessed for real
estate. 1t does not include people who
are not assessed for anything except
the poll tax. Now il you count all
the poll tax men, and all whose val
uation is under $1,000. you are going to
find-if il comes to the time when men
vote in their own nterest-the poll
tax Will be disposed of pretty quickly.
/ have not had time to look through
the whole list i'm this book: but in
running through about two-thirds of
it approximately l find. basing il on
the proposition. as / say, of $1,000. but
placing il under S2000-about one third
of the book find in looking 1t over
roughly that 11p names stand to gain
by the abolition of the poll tax. That
is. their tax will he increased less
amount if there is not any poll tax
their tax on their real estate would
be increased by n less amount than
they would gain by the poll tax. That
is to say, a mans taxes we will say
is $40 on his property. and 81 for the
poll. which would be s42 His tax will
be approximately s41.60 without any
poll tax; that is, he stands to gain
10 cents on that propositions: and of
that number that | have looked over
here find that while 81 will be found
To have To pay more money, lis will
be found to pay less. Now | submit
to you, gentlemen, that those who be-
licve in a poll tax had better look
around and see where YOU stand before
YOU vote To fix il at 50, instead of 81
The SPEAKER: The question is on
the motion of the gentleman from Lis
bon. Mr.. Plummer. that House Amend
ment c he adopted. Is the House ready
for the question?
A viva voee vote being taken,
The amendment was lost.
MIR. Plummer then called for d-
vision of the House
The division being had, - voted in !.
favor, and II against.
So the amendment was lost.
The SPEAKER; The pending ques-
ton is the third reading of the bill, Z
and it's passage to be engrossed a
Mr.. NEWBERT of Augusta Ma.
Speaker. l understand the t3ilf foI1e17
the present law which, rIliIik ii n "
long standing. Tue present ffWs X nj
understand it. is a good law. III leax<5
towns and cities tic right ID assess Z
poll tax from 81 To S3A NOW j subj
NIT that this is fair, and III Isl ii fIfse
with. | think, all our ideas ~ iocai
self-government in these fiiattcrH
do not know why the State az Maine
should impose upon the city pf 7ftxz
gusta an additional tax upon its po1is
of 81. | have no desire to impose my
ideas upon the town of Manchester or
the city of Hallowell. If the town of
Manchester says 81, il should be 81 /
1t it says 81. it should be 81 We Of
Augusta say 81, and are perfectly sat-Sf
isfied for it To stay at 81. Now in iinc@
with my position upon this matter.
and believing the present law to be-
"A good law, move that this bin be-
indefinitely postponed
The question being on the motion tus
indefinitely postpone the bill
A viva voce vote being taken.
The motion was agreed to, and the
bin was indefinitely postponed.
The SPEAKER: The next matter for
consideration is bill. An Act to amend
the charter of the Camden q Rock
land Water Company The pending
question is the second reading of the
bill. 81.
On motion by Mr.. Elliott OF Thom-
aston, the bill was assigned for spe-
cial consideration. on Friday of this
week.
The SPEAKER: The next matter
for consideration is bill An Act au-