Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1844-08-30
From the Vcrmont Watehmon.

Tx Inv u ChAND VI lfOOOr
, ga short expose Of the management ofhe fl.
nances Of The Slate of Vermont, addressed
TO The yfreemen and Taxpayers, By a member
Of The State Legislature"
| This is the title of a pamphlet, which We
/ call The last card of locolocoism'-its author
is anonymous. Somebody--we know not who
. sent us copy Of this precious document.
but at so late an hour as TO preclude detailed
exposition OF The rascaity of this pretended
exposure We shall merely touch upoD The
principal points so far as TO show the character
of the document. There IS FIRST compara-
tive statement of expenses from 1926 to 1850,
and 1889 TO 1913: il is a grossly deceptive
statement. For instance: the ORDINARY ex-
penses' OF 1913 are set down at $3.50, i79 So
when the author knows, if he is not more
ass than knave, that during that year the debts
of the State Prison, accruing for years past,
were paid, making for the prison alone an ex-
pense OF $I4,99l &c, and by the adoption OF
the new financial system, funds were advanced
to clerks Of courts for court expenses TO the
amount of S1S,270 3d. There is a sure test
to show whether the expenses of government
have been advanced beyond the natural in
crease OF population, governmental business,
&C., and that is The amount Of tares Have
the taxes been increased, or do the ordinary
means of government fall below its ordinary
expenses! We answer-No.
The writer has selected sundry items for spe-
cial animadversion. As illustrating the knave-
ry Of the whole pamphlet, we will notice the
principal ones.
De6entures of the Legislature. From go
10 80 this item was SOIL 4s-ifom $50 10
'43 $sl, 479 65-being an increase Of $l6,S06
II in five years, or S9,4S5 90 per year; but he
concedls The facts that in the latter period we
had Senate of 80 instead of the old Council,
and that in that period also occurred the extra
ordinarily long session in which the whole stat
ute was revised In addition TO this it should
also be remembered, that the increased popula-
ton and business of the state would naturally
produce an increase of legislation.
An allowance of 1854 Sc to the treasurer is
the subject of a great flourish. The simple
TACT is that the treasurer was required TO re-di-
vide and re-distribute the surplus revenue 10
all the towns in the state-a purely erfraordf-
nary service, not coming within the duties he
is usually required and expected 10 perform,
and Tor which it was perfectly just that he
should be paid. This knave, however, does
not condescend to give The reason Of the allow
ance, which was made with the approval of the
Committee of Claims, Of which nearly one half
were locofocosl This very Committee, Loco
locos included, were in favor Of paying the
treasurer still further sum last year-though
not asked TO do so by the treasUrer-and the
proposition was prevented by vote of the
House-aye, and by Wing House.
A similar allowance TO the auditor is another
bug-bear. The fact was that the auditor was
required TO perform an extraordinary labor,
covering the whole financial system of the
State, and embracing the investigation Of ac-
counts for years. Should he do il or nothingq
The Committee of Claims thought not-and
every reasonable man will say tina. il was but
right for the State 10 pay for services which
we're required.
The auditor is charged with making liberal
allowances TO political friends. This charge
8 an unmtigated falsehood-a litel upon that
'iiicer. We venture TO say THAI every maa
who has passed through his hams will testify
hat he has been too rigid rather han TO liber-
II. That is our experience.
This anonymous slanderer then makes an on
laught upon the Seageant-at-Arns, and abso-
utely represents him as receiving fer his own
ervices-as costing the Stnte'-s1 200. This
'fcer receives the same pay as nimber dur
ng the session, and the expenses fually in
urred, which are for repairs of The fate house,
urniire, stationery, oil for lampsSc. These
TENS all went in to make the sumof 81 100
nd yet that sum is knavishly represented as
he PAY of the officerl
The next item is the state printing, which
set down at the enormous amoursoi So, 500
0 $500 per year (ess we have no doubt,
nan any other State in the Unin Of equal
opulation, pays,) and the people se told that
his enormous patronage is paid 10 our firm
10 ensure the predomnance OF the dig party,'
nd 'to distribute, gratuitously, ,hig papers
mong the lleemen of the Stale We know
OF the author of these charges but be he
HON he will, we pronounce tlsse charges
Utterly FALSE. We ref. the reader
, page Sd of the Revised Status for the law
'hich regulates the principal par Of the State
rlntlng, and assure him that whave secured
lat printing only in accordance With the law,
nd because we offered to do il oeaper, better
nd quicker than our competition We distri-
ute no papers at our own expose for political
lrposes. Altogether, the presentation of
lis pamphlet is viIlainousIy Use, and a base
opposition upon the public.
Let no man be deceived by falsehoods and
representations of this ch5acter. Above
!, let them not induce you to upport party
no would rob the State of hr share Of the
lbllc lands-a sum more thaeQual to ALL
e ordinary expenses of the safe.