The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1842-04-08
For the Spirit ofthe Age.
REFORM, NO. e.---sTATE DEBT.

tlc lIcusuIy ueplitiHeht, " h""o "'' 'SP"'''f ~
as to present TO the reader an amount Of revenue
of some 10 or Is thousand dollars annually, more
than is in fact applicable to the expenses OF The
State, and thus imposing gross deception upon
The people, and having also alluded to The deceP-
tive course of the leading wing papers IN denying
i. Inc existence of State debt; we will now show
from official documents not only the existence Of
such debt, but that it has fearfuy and rapidly in
creased within the two last years
| On The Journal Of the House for 1880 at page
36 of the appendix will be found the Report of The
Treasurer. on the ''indebtedness of the State"
dared Oct. Is, 1899, by which it appears that The
State debt, at that time amounted to $ss ,527 SO -
This repor, is signed 'IIenry F. James, Treasurer"
and although this sum is doubtless far too small,
yet for the present we assume it as the true one,
and the estimate is made to the 30lh September
1885,
| On the journal of The House for ls4l pages 63
and Ga of the appendix is the report of the auditor
con the Indebtedness Of the State" aud although
somewhat garbled and junhed (for the purpose Of
rendering it Ineligible no doubt,) we find the fol-
lowing results, to wit: The amount of liabilities
$250,9l6 Sc We are then directed to deduct
therefrom $44 ,655 90, which was school fund
"lying on loans 10 Individuals" which leaves The
balance Of debt $206,2 POI AZ. To this we are d.
reccd to add $1,000. for salaries due and unpaid,
which makes the debt $2O7 ,26l A. lie says also
there was due from the State arlornies and clerks
olhe courts, "probably about $40 900 and fortaxes
$40, 6l2 G6,whch amounts to $50, 642, &c and dc.
Quoted from the debt, leaves the balance of the
State debt on the both day of Sept, ls4l, s 1885,
GlS 81. Thus showing an increase Of debt in two
years of SIS ,09l 43, or more than 80 ,OOOa year.
Now is there no cause Of alarm 10 the tax pay
ers when the little State of Vermont is running in
debt al the rate of lIllR NINE THOUSAND
DOLLARS year, with no means of iquidaing
the same, but by direct toroiion? Yet, the federal
papers are endenyoiing To conceal this fact from
the people, and for the purpose of diverlng their
attention from their own immediate concerns, arc
raising Tie cry of 7arV, TARIrr-Pr Protection.
PRoTEcTIoN-and getting up conventions IN all
parts of the State, as they did in the days Of clog
cabins, hnrd-ciier and coon SKINS"
| Under these circumstances it becomes the irnps
rious duty Of The Democratic press 10 sound the
alarm, 10 extend il TO every cottage and 10 the
utmost corners Of The State, and at the same
time 10 give the trumpet II "certatn sound."--
During the campaign Of 1910, it was the federal
policy, 10 blind the people to the condition of their
own State, by making promises of grea, nationa!
blessings, vi ich were certainly 10 rcsul, from The
accession Of "'Ippecanoe and yler too.' Such
base and wicked deception was never before prac-
lIced upon civilized community Those scenes
have passed. and the pronisors nave either forgot
'"" "' deny their pledges, ~ but not SO with The
poor delnded pronis>ecs, they Irnrnber and will,
to their setting sun, they are now wrihng under
the ash they have been dclrauded of their votes,
and IN many cases the self same demagogus that
deceived them, is now Wrestling from them their
last morsel which is not protected by law. 7hey
can't forget.
But let US examine the manner in which Mr.
Berry arrives ut some Of his conclusions, in relation
to the state debt. lie supposes there was abou,
Sl00 600 due from The ullornies and clerks because
he says, that since the 3Olh Of September. there
has been paid into the Treasury, "fiom four coun-
ties only, about $4,000" Now how is the fact7
This report is dated Sept, %, ls4l, and en- the
lih of October following, this same auditor
makes an additional report 10 the Goy in which
he states that class of receipts as follows, to wit,
"Iroln States aiornes,' $50 90, Clerks Of SUI
prene and County courts, S27l so, in all 1854 so
instead Of - ,OOO But if the "a, 600 was actually
paid ill., why is it not accounted lor' Bot even il
it were so, the conclusion of the auditor is too
whiggsh. 1t is this, there are II counties, and 4
of them have paid in $1,000 each ergo, the other
ten owe a thousand dollars each, It's If the same
was TO be expected from the small counties Of
Essex, Orleans, Lamoille and Grand Isle, as from
Windsor, Rutland Sc, the truth u.s. from all these
pretended arreauges,,he state will nev,r realize
$1,000 twill be found also that more than $1,000
of the taxes reported as due by The auditor are old
and unavailable balances, and extend as far back
us 1886. |, appears also from The auditors annual
Report that the Governor had been paid but $500,
towards his salary leaving $3.50 due, that the
Judges had been paid bu, S5,1l4 IS, wh.h left
due ,l3l. The Secretary ofSate was paid but
half Of his years salary which left due $751;
50, the assistant Clerk Of the House but half a
years SALARY leaving due s62 So The Secretary Of
the Senate was paid but hafa years salary ,::rav-
ing due SIPS, the engrossing Clerk was paid but
halfa years salary leaving due him SIS, making
The amount Of salaries unpaid s ,Gsl, yet in his
special report the auditor says i, is "about
1000. ut appears also Ivy the additional repor, Of
Oct Iith, that the State had received The further
INN of S3,s26 81 for school fund and l,Ol2 so for
afely fund, in all Si,s3o H. Now add to thi,
$4,000 over estimated as due fom Clerks
&c, $1,000 unavailable taxes and 500 due for
alarles not estimated and the amount is slI,539,
'hch added TO the amount Of debt acknow lodged