Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-08-21

l
revising the financial system and
business administration Of the present
government.
After declaring that the majority Of
the Democrats did not take the con-
stitutional convention idea seriously,
Mr. Milliken pointed out three ob1ec-
tions to it: The difficulty in selecting
proper people to the convention, the
expense, and the danger that once a
new constitution were submitted to the
vote Of the people that it might be de-
feated. That the State is willing to
spend money when 1t gets value receiv-
ed Mr. Milliken admitted but he argued
that there was no certainty THAI value
would be received from constitutional
convention. Certain amendments are
needed to the constitution, nut these
the speaker said may be secured by a
two-thirds vote Of the Legislature. One
amendment needed is provision for
equal suffrage, and another should give
| the Governor power to remove an OH
cial when he has violated his oath of
Office.
| It Is true, Mr.. Milliken said, that Gov
ernor Curtis has announced he has some
grand idea for changing the present H.
nancial system. But we can't discuss
this because we don't know what It is"
said Mr.. Mlliken. 'If the present gov
| ernor is not elected we will not know
/ about this financial idea and he will never
| tell about It," Mr.. Milliken said that all
the progressive legislation enacted IN
Maine during the past few years has oee1
brought about by Republicans. and thaS
| the present methods OF securing money
| are sufficiently satisfactory. He called
| attention to the fact that report OF the
| State auditor for the year 1915 which
| should have been issued in January has
not yet appeared. He also took occasion
| to commend the open letter from former
State Auditor Timothy F. Callahan, pup
| lished in the papers OF the state, anu
suggested that everyone should read II.
He described how in the Legislature OF
1913 the exact needs of the State had been
discussed at meeting OF Governor
Haines, the president of the Senate, the
sneaker of the House and the committee
IN financial affairs When these needs
were determined they were reported to
the LEGISLATURE, resolves passed and the
tax TaJe -
nothing like this but insisted on 1o-miil
tax rate without regard to the appropr'a-
ton.
In discussing the great bank balance
about which the present administrator
boasts. Mr.. Milliken said bank balance
was not necessarily indicative OF gooo
business administration. He forcibly IL
,ustrated this by comparing the aHalrs
Of the state with the homely procedure
IN a town meeting where the voters naa
! authorized money to be expended ana tue
se,ectmen had refused to spend the money
hit had instead placed 1t in the oahH "
have a large cash balance.
Mr. Milliken emphasized the fact that
all of the money going into the STATE
treasury as a result of taxes paid eitner
d;ract,v or indirectly by the people. 1T is
the duty of the Legislature to appropci-
ate money to be spent Tor speclnc paf-
poses and then to fix the tax rate SO thdt
this money may be provided. The gov
ernor has the right to veto any resolve
that he may please, but after the Aesis-
lature has adjourned he has no right to
do ANYTHING but to carry into effect the
will OF the Legislature. The Plaisted
plan was to do nothing but to accumulate
a bank balance. Governor Haines, dur
ing his administration. was forced to care
for things neglected by Plaisted as well
az the work authorized by his own Leg
islature.
The vetoing Of an appropriation Of fifty
thousand dollars for the Industrial School
for Girls at Hallowell was mentioned by
Mr. Milliken. Governor Curtis did this
because he said there would not be rev.
enue enough to secure this sum. Either
he did this to keep down appropriations
or else he did not know the resources or
the State for the next two years, SAID
Mr.. Milliken, Those who did know about
the finances of the State advised Gov
ernor Curtis that an increased tax rate
was unnecessary. but he insisted and Sc
cured because Of the increased rate and
the increased valuation about $4s7,Ooc
Taking up the cash balance in detail.
Mr. Milliken pointed out that Sso3,S4S.sa
was on hand in the treasury because OF
money not yet expended by the highway
department. This must be spent. but for
some reason it has not, yet it has been
placed in the cash balance as If it was
erately held back measures appropriating
$41O,O2S.67 which should have been spent
in 1915 as directed by the Legislature.
The present governor has said that some
of this money is now beng spent yet of
the eighty-five thousand dollars for re-
modelling the male wing at the Augusta
hospital just twenty dollars had been
spent up to August l. The governor has
placed the eighty-five thousand dollars
in his expenditures and he has also plac-
ed it in his cash balance. OF the fifty
thousand dollars for the woman's reform
atory only $442.13 was spent in 1915, and 4
little over s11 900 up to August /. Mean
time this money had been carried as
part of the cash balance. 1t is provided
in the law that money not needed for
maintenance OF State hospitals one year
shall be turned into the fund for main
tenance the succeeding year. From the
Augusta hospital eleyen thousand dollars
and from the Bangor hospital eight thous-
and dollars should have been carried
forward in this way, but Governor Curtis
had insisted that It should go into the
treasury rather than to have 1t used for