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

| mer) is correct ! have had some eX-
| perience in town affairs, and / have
| always believed that each town should
have unlimited power to govern its
! own affairs, and | do not see any rea-
son why this bill should be adopted.
| Why should not towns be allowed to
apportion their taxes as they see fit?
Some towns wish to have a small poll
tax and other towns wish to have a
| large poll tax. Permit me to say that
our town has Il poll tax of three dol
! lars, and it seems to be only Just and
right; but why should not town, if
they so desire, have their poll tax two
dollars or one dollar if they wish. |
think that each town is absolutely able
to decide that question for themselves,
and l hope the amendment win be
adopted.
Mr.. NEWBERT of Augusta: Mr..
| Speaker. / see no reason why we should
not have uniform poll tax. The city
| of Augusta had a poll tax of four dol
l lars, and cut il down to three dollars
and then cut again to two dollars 1t
is my opinion that this city has no
desire to raise it's poll tax; certainly
| it is satisfied with the two dollar poll
| tax. 1t seems to me that there GER
| tainly should be local option in the
matter of assessing of poll tax. If the
city of Portland is satisfied with two
| dollars, the city of Augusta with two
! dollars, and other towns with three,
and some with four, l should leave it
to the citizens of those towns to decide.
| AS a citizen of Augusta, representing
| Augusta here. | simply object to a
uniform three dollar poll tax because
I think the city of Augusta is perfect
! ly satisfied to assess two dollars
| Mr.. IRVING of Caribou: Mr. Speak
er. 1 wish to place before the House
the finding of the committee and why
/ they voted to recommend the passage
Of this bill. There appeared before the
committee several witnesses. who testf-
| fled in regard to this difficulty. that
/ where adjoining towns had different
| pollN taxes there was considerable in
! convenience. the transient people 81
working men would make their resi-
dence temporarily in the place where
| the small poll tax was paid, and fire.
quentiy the collectors were presented
1 with receipt for a poll tax paid in an
\ adjoining town. poll tax of one dol
lar or possibly two dollars in lieu of
| that three dollars that the collector
would present a bill for to the party
who was scheduled as a citizen of that
town.
The average poll tax paid in the
State, as I recall twas a tri7e under
| 500. II was also indirectly recon-
mended by the department that it
i would be much more convenient and
much easier and equally as uniform
for all the citizens of the State, to make
the poll tax uniform. 1t is true that
there We're those who appeared before
the committee and advocated q poll
tax of one dollar. We approach the
matter-anA II is matter for the
House to deeide-your committee de-
cided that It would be we'll to recon-
mend the passage of this bill which
provides that all citizens shall pay a
poll tax of three dollars wherever they
may reside. The present law provides
that he may pay poll tax of not
greater than three nor less than one
lidollar. The amendment which is Of
fered makes the same provision as to
Il the three dollars. but it also preykles,
as | understand it, that there shan be
|
vote to ASSESS no poll tax.
7 1t is not a question as to whether
il shall be one or two or three dollars,
but whether il shall be uniformly three
or whether it shall return to the old
law which makes it not greater than
three nor less than one, or whether if
you adopt this amendment which
practically throws the matter wide
open and returns it to the discretion
i of every town. whether they shall have
a poll tax or not
| Mr.. BOMAN of Vinalhaven: Mr..
Speaker, in reply to the gentleman
from Caribou (Mr lrving) | will say
that there are men everywhere who
are jumping their taxes, paying no
poll tax or property tax, and who put
their property away where you cam
not reach it.
Mr.. SARGENT of Portland: Mr.
Speaker, the poll tax is one of the
most unjust taxes that we ever had
1t makes the man who cannot earn
more than fifty cents or a dollar a day
pay just as much as man who gets
$40 or S25 day. 1t is unjust, and
II we are going to make a uniform
tax let US make it at one dollar.
| Mr. RoLFE of Portland: Mr.
Speaker, the position take upon this
. question is this that the younger men
growing UP have manhood enough
about them that they want to pay
something towards helping the com
munity in which they reside. / think
that Is the first element of the poll
tax question. / don't assume for a
moment that any young man growing
up wishes us to exempt him from
helping in that matter. The question
of the gentleman from Caribou (Mr
lrying) makes it very much compli-
Gated for the assessors in the differ
ent towns to assess the tax, which
may be $3.50 in one town or $500 and
$500 in another town For example
a man having property back in a town
if he is SO unfortunate as to own real
estate, he may be paying 800, 5000
or $500 tax in that town, and he has
no privileges and gets no direct re-
suits from the improvements, the
: schools or roads or anything i'm thai
town, while the man who simply paws
: a poll tax is getting all the benefits