Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-12-02

rom tholr accustomed channel and made 10
no" INTO ih's basin Of future learning. Thus
the wheels were sot in motion. and some peo-
pic were wise enough 10 indulge in bright
dreams of'the superior advantages which this
glorious provision seemed to promise to their
descendants of the fourth and fifth generations.
But il so turned out after a few years that the
State wanted new Capitol, and although every
body admitted that want, the impression was
general that tax large enough to build such
one as the Green Mountain State ought to have,
would fall heavily upon the people, and they
might be discontented with the arrangements
We'll, the State House was built and a grand
and costly one it is. A good deal of election.
eering has been based upon those granite walls,
on both sdes--but it is of little consequence
which side is to blame for tho expenditure, az
far as my subject is concerned. The house was
built and must be paid for. No one thought
seriously of levying tax upon the people for
Sl30,OOO TO build Capitol. 1t must therefore
be borrowed-whcre Here was fund crea.
ted out of revenues legitimately belonging to the
State, for which the people had paid taxes, and
which was producing no present benefit to any
body. 1t was the States property. A simple
act of the Legislature of the State had given il
different character. No living being had &C.
quired any vested rights under that act, and The
money was therefore just as much at the dspo.
sal Of the State as if no such act had been pas
sed. The plan was accordingly adopted Of
dorrotctnS from this school fund, the money
which belonged to the State before hand, and
was only nicknamed School Fund, 10 suit the
purposes and whims of those whose ewes saw
far into the future, and beheld boys and girls
loaf ng around school houses with those mystic
words printed on their hats.
This sum so borrowed by the state Of the
state for the state, has ever since been serious.
y chrlstened state debt Not by every body.
to be sure, but pretty generally-and ever since
1884 the state have paid the Treasurer hun.
dred dollars year extra, for fumbling over the
notes on which the fund is loaned, and coming
over by Daboll's rules, how much more the
state owes itself for interest on this borrowed
money and of COURSE, at compound interest,
the debt rolls up with accelerated velocity.-
Every year the Treasurer as Commissioner Of
the school fund, charges over the accumulation
OF interest to the State on the books oil the fund,
and reports the same with due soemnty to the
"assembled WISDOM" who as in duty bound ell.
evate their eyebrows to behold the fearful
strides by which the right hand brecches pocket
, of the state is getting into debt to the left
Now ask, is there a man from Alburgh TO
Vernon, or from Canaan to Pownal that does
not see where this thing must end Suppose
we let things run on as they do now, according
TO Senator Dllngham's computation, it will
take forty three Tears Before the fund amounts 10
t,co millions Of dollars; one half the sum neces.
sary TO carry out the wild scheme olthe founders
. of the fund. By that time, | opine, most Of VI
S who now "stru our brief hour upon the stage,
+ will be beyond the cares and perplexities Of
6 school funds, as well as our children, and good
. many of our children's children after us. Then
q, they must wait twelve years more, according &c
Mr. Dllingham's arithmetic, until half Of still
another generation have melted away, before
: the stupendous results Of this mighty school
c fund can be realized by human being And
C then, how Will this debt from the state to the
c school fund be paid Is there man outside
y
;. ro', or in it either, who believes that the Yer
g montcrs OF that generation, viii submit to have
q us tell them how they shall tax themselves t,
keep up schools! Does any man believe the,
> will submit to be taxed to the amount of fou
y millions of dollars 10 be collected in bulk, an,
c then strewcd about on loan, for the purpose o
d making them pack Of lazy fellows, by gvin!
them education without effort or sacrifice =
n No man believes this Every man must SCI
= that they will turn round and address GU
- ghosts somewhat in this wse,-"Gentlemel
"ancestors we don't wi sh to be dsrespectfu
"to your memories, but really, we cant he'll
i "sayng that YOU must have been eycessivel
is "green to think we were going to have YOU
n sold fashioned dodgers as you were, tell us il
r "tbis "age of progress" how to tax ourselves
a 'educate ourselves. We are much obliged t
id "you, have no doubt you meant well, but mus
re- "beg TO be excused as we prefer TO tax our
"selves in our separate towns and districts
-, "and eXpend as much or as little as W
u "please, and eXpend it too, where it is raised
SO without png the whole school tax togethe
at "and then making a new division Besides W
IN "believe we estimate our privileges by whs
ye "they cost and should not therefore care niue
.ir "for school kept up without our aid. And
e- "nally we think if you had laid out more none
&c "and pains on your own and your children
" "education it would have done us more goo
/" and saved us the necessity of telling you VIII
d. "we think of your school fund humbug"
on Would not this be in substance what our d,
20, scendants would think Of usl Undoubtedly. Al
lat the consequences would be, that they won
Sc just get together at Montpelier. and by simp
he wave OF their magic wand pay this mighty de
, order the Treasurer to cancel the state del
and declare the school fund abolished.
Ifthis is so, why not abolish this foolish che
b. no,c' Wl it be paid next year, the year ate
70 or ever! No one believes it. Then why ell
,r. tail humbug upon future generations, and lie;
N. credulous people to think that somehow or o,
ID. er" it is going to be great and glorious THU