The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-11-27

synopsis OF the proceedings OF Inc ia1e SEES
sion OF the Legislature. says--
"a bill to repeal & section of the Central char.
Ter, and the resolutions of Mr. Swift assailing that
charter, were dismissed by decisive votes of the
House. The last was the only really exciting
question in the House, and for reasons growing
out of the extraordinary circumstances attending
1t. We shall give history of the matter when.
ever necessary
1t is lilte remarkable that this is MOI!
the firs,, nor the second, time that the
Clerk Of the Central Railroad Company,
Mr E. P. Walton, has chuckled over the
dismissalof bill, "introduccd by Loco"
10 repeal "a section of the Central Char
ter" as though it were n triumph for that
Company. Some people will resort to
gerry small clap.iraps. The writer Of the
foregoing paragraph knew very well that
no Wing, in Vermont, would vote for any
such bill. where The right to repeal has
not been reserved TO the Legislature; and
ye. he appears to leap for joy because
Vernon, Legislature didn, do wha! he
knew they would'n! do! We were al
Montpelier good deal during the recent
session, end We heard OF nobody who was
in favor OF this bill I, was in truth, still.
born. BuI let US lock little further into
the cause OF this rejoicing OF the Clerk Of
the Csn!rsl Company. The bill in ques-
ton proposes to repeal that section OF the
Central Charter which exemp,s "the stock,
property, and effects OF the Company"from
taxation. Now in the frs. place. as We
have said, such bill couldn't pass. In
the second place, nobody wanted it TO pass
if it could, because i. is entirely unnecessa.
~. The stock, property, aud effects Of
every Railroad "Company" in the State
are, and should be, exempt from taxation;
since, by taxing the shares Of individual
shareholders in this Safe, all the property
is reached that ii is desirable, or good pol.
lev, 10 reach. Bu,the Central Company
have proclaimed from the house tops, and
their Agents asserted and re>a.seyted in
Boston, ,hatilhe stockholders in tina. com.
pany, were not liable TO taxation in their
individual shares. This extraordinary
and most unwarran,ed assumption, which
claimed that two or three millions OF pro>
duc,ive property in the State was released
from bearing its share of the burden Of
taxes. unauthorized as i! was BY the terms
of.he charter in question, but most per,ina.
eiously and pugnaesously insisted on by
ito friends ~ and advocates. rendered ii
the imperative duty Of the Legislature to
pass declaratory act in relation to it,
And this was done. The act relating to
the Grand List. passed. at the last session,
directs that The shares of individual share
holders in the Central s. o.hcr Railroad
Campaniee, shall be placed in the lists and
taxed as other personal property, -'the
stock, property, and efi>cls, ofthe Compa-
ny" remaining as they ought to remain
exempt. This knocks ia the head the bare.
faced and groundless claim OF the Central
Company OF exemption from taxation, and
is an act which one would think would
dwell little 10 the memory oftheir Clerk.
But The reader wil look in rain, in the
synopsis Of The procssdsngs cfMs Legssla
lure alluded 10, to find a syllable of ref
erence 10 any such aGtl It was very con.
venient mol to remember it, because the
Wa;chmau goes to B 'slon. where it is an
object 10 keep the truth Of the matter lit
tie longer concealed.
But this is not all the food for reflection
furnished by the paragraph a. the head Of
this article. "a bill 10 repeal section Of
the Centra Charter. and the resolutions OF
MIR Swift assailing that Chartsr, were
dismissed by decisive votes" &C., says
the Watchman. Now we assert that the
resolutions o! Mr. Swift did NOT, 10 any re.
spect, assail the Central Charter; and it
Is despicable calumny on the known
character OF Mr. SWIFT, to insinuate any
such thing. Mr. Walton very well knows
that SAMUEL SWIFT is the las! man in
Vernon. to assaI any charter granted by
lie Legislature, in the sense here intended,
and ii the interests of any Vermont Rail.
road in Bosom are TO be promoted by mis-.
representing and vilifying our citizens, il
would seem to be high time that some less
erpsnsios method Of securing those
RailHnaAa Rhnnld hn nnnnhi for Tho