56 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



unduly, needful appropriations. That system of taxation is faulty 

 which does not make every voter feel in some degree the burden 

 of expenditure which he would not unwillingly aHow others to 

 bear, and which by his vote he can place upon them. 



It is submitted also, that by the present method the polls of 

 the State bear an inadequate proportion of taxation. 



Personal Property. — In the Revised Statutes of Maine, chap. 6, 

 sect. 5, we read that " Personal estate for the purposes of taxa- 

 tion, shall include all goods, chattels, moneys and effects, where- 

 soever they are ; all ships and vessels, at home or abroad ; all 

 obligations for money or other property ; money at interest, and 

 debts due the persons to be taxed more than they are owing; all 

 public stocks and securities; all shares in moneyed, railroad and 

 other corporations within or without the State ; all annuities pay- 

 able to the person to be taxed, when the capital of such annuity is 

 not taxed in this State ; and all other property included in the 

 last preceding State valuation for the purposes of taxation." 



Equitable taxation of personal property can hardly be expected. 

 The taxing of real estate presents no serious difficulty, but the 

 taxing of personal property is attended wilh so many and so 

 serious difficulties that conflicting opinions exist in regard to the 

 expediency of this assessment. There are those who claim that it 

 would be better to avoid all "inquisitorial" methods and levy 

 assessments only on real estate or "tangible property and fixed 

 signs of property;" thus exempting a large portion of the wealth 

 of every civilized community. 



There are decided objections to such a method ; among which 

 may be noted the most obvious, viz : disproportionate taxation, 

 in that those possessed of "invisible" property, who are gener- 

 ally best able to bear the burdens of taxation, escape them most 

 largely. A full discussion of this method would transcend the 

 limits set for this paper, and may well be omitted, since any radi- 

 cal change of State law in regard to taxation of personal property 

 is not at present to be expected, if indeed to be desired. A rig- 

 orous enforcement at the hands of assessors, of the law as it now 

 stands, touching "all goods, chattels, moneys and effects, where- 

 soever they are ; all obligations for money or other property; 

 money at interest and debts due the persons to be taxed more 

 than they are owing," would distribute the burdens of taxation 



