Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-10-16


magic, be made spontaneously to yield the interest
and pour it into the treasures of the towns for the
use of schools 7tf M r...a r
The whole operation, SO far as it proposes to ben
eft the generation of 1873, is deusion. 1t is the
people borrowing of themselves, and adding the an
nual interest to the debt against themselves, and
sending this accumulated Indebtedness forward to
become the Indebtedness of generation thirty three
years hence for the purpose of benefting that gen
Grafton The truth is, that instead of sending them
benefit we shall send them burden, which, if
wise, they will, by abolishing the fund, shake Off
namely, the burden if they would carry the act con-
shutting the fund, into efect-of raising the utter
est on it by direct taxation, to be paid into the State
treasury, minus the expense Of collection, for the
purpose Of being sent by the commissioner of the
fund back to the people, TO be expended for the use
of schools 1t will not be very unnatural for the tax
payers of that day to enquire, why they should sup
port their schools by such complicated and expen-
sive process rather than by the simple and cheaper
one of taxing themselves for the purpose, in their
respective towns or districts.
If future generations would not be benefited by
this fund, neither will the present This is self evil
dent. Why then continue it?
In these remarks am understood, of course to
have spoken of that part of the fund which consists
of the indebtedness the State, amounting at this
time, to the sum of $224,30 So An act to annu
sum of $10590 "a, invested in individual securities,
bearing interest. None would think of suffering
this to accumulate, with the addition of the
six per cent on bank profits, and the income from
pedars licenses with view ofmaking them available
for schools, under the act of 1925.
The demand for funds to aid in putting in opera
ton system of common school improvement, such
as the State needs, and public sentiment evidently
demands, suggests the direction which might be CIV
en- to part or all Of these sources OF ncome when
released from their present connection. 1t is behev-
ed that the annually accrung interest on that portion
of the present school fund loaned on private securi
ties, together with the annual income from pedlars
licenses would be sufficient for that purpose. We
may thus institute system Of Supervision and ac-
countability, which shall give concentration and
ergy to the present efforts to raise the Standard and
multiply the facilities of education, until the minds
of the mass of our children--the happy minglng Of
the poor and the rich together-shall feel its equal
izing and elevating power. Thus while comforting
substantial benefits on the present generation we
may send forward an influence, which shall flow on,
in continually widening stream ofbenefts and bles-
sings to the generations that shall succeed us.
Should it be found that no interest of the present,
or of future generations, can be benefited by
tinuance of the state Indebtedness to the fund of
which have spoken, and the Indebtedness should
be cancelled, the state debt would then stand as fol-
lows:
Due the safety fund banks, including interest to
Oct L, $30,3S9 81
Due surplus fund, $l4,812 %
Deduct the amount loaned
out the past year. 11OO4 90
- 3sO8 %
Salaries DUE Oct /, 1,1O8 80
Due to towns for interest on .."
surplus fund, ., 444 36
Total, $35,75O 70
Of Sent was ~ -. $Is,417 81
Balance oftaxes due, 23,232 so
Total, $4l,650 Az
To what extent the service of the coming year
portion of which necessarily cons titutes draft on
the present bala noes in the treasury and taxes
will permit the application of part of those balan-
ces towards the extinguishment of the Indebtedness
of the state, may be determined, upon the careful
examination which ought to be made into every
branch of expenditure, with a view to ascertain
whether there can be any reduction, consistently
with the public interest. In looking at the expend-
itures of past years, | have been struck with the
large amount discussed under the heads Of "Supreme
and County Court orders" and "Clerks of Courts for
the expense of Supreme and County Courts" which
have risen from $20,405, in $780, to $28,970, in AS
The amount discussed under these heads during the
last seven years, has been $lS4300, averaging $685.
1923 per annum. | would suggest the propriety Of
an examination into the details of these large items
of expenditure-in regard to which it may possibly
be found that in course of years, abuses have crept
in, requiring corrective legislation.
The treasury is happily relieved from a charge
which, for many years, hung upon it, in the form Of
''mary ORDERS" which, for the five years previous
to- and including the year l643 when they ceased to
be a draft on the treasury, amounted to the sum
of $lS,50l. am happy to say, that by law Of last
year. the people are relieved from the still more bur-
densome tax of annual trainings the enrolled mi
ltia.
1t may be reasonably hoped that, by practical
BILE and not injurious reduction of expenditures, par
tluary in the heavy items to which have referred,
a sum may be saved which, with fixed appropria-
ton of the income from the bank tax-reeved from
its present pledge to the school fund, might within u
moderate period extinguish the entire indebtedness
of the state.
The reference have made to the items of expen-
diture in connection with the Supreme and County
Courts-a large portion of which results from crmi-
nal prosecution, suggests topic of much interest,
to which would call your attention. ..I
The great purpose of criminal law is reformation.
This purpose lies at the foundation Of the Peniten-
tiary system, which combines with Imprisonment,
hard labor and course of moral discipline suited
virtue But this system is applicable, under cur
laws, only to the higher Offences leaving large
class Of offenders without the benefit of any such
reforming process, and substituting for it confne-
ment in the county jas-n some cases, with the al
tentative ofthe payment of fines into the county OF
town treasures, for non-payment Of which, mprison
ment necessarily follows.
Whether confinement in the county iails is inhic-
ted as punishment, results from inability to pay
fnes it obviously has effect entirely the reverse
of reformation 1t is impossible to visit convict
thus thrown into county JAIL with little or no at
tenton to any except his mere animal wants. with
out feeling painfully impressed with conviction
that it is an unnatural and monstrous perversion o.
the power of punishment. Without employment o.
exercise, the convict is left to the conoding ant
maddening influence of the reflection that he is al
outcast from the charity and sympathy Of the world
and that the law and its executoners are alike hi
enemies. Every moments continuance of such con
fnement tends to weaken his purposes of amend
nent and prepare him for abandonment to the com
mission of higher offences. Where are cases il
which this is not true; but they constitute the ex
cepton and not the rule. If the history Of all TIN
State prison convicts were fully disclosed, It wou
probably be found, that large portion of them hav