Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1846-05-14
TO THE TAX.PAYlNG COMMUNITY IN
VERMONT.



ucaton OF the people Is sufficient to conduct them
10 a correct judgment, in the common cases Of ac-
counting, as between man and man. Mine and
thine, are expressions requiring no definitions. The
laws have clearly defined the rights of things,
as the rights of persons and while those laws have
assured to man the right to control his own prop
erty, it has with the authority interdced all
improper interference with, and control over the
property of another No person, in possession of
public property, can appropriate it to private use,
without being subject to the charge of cmbczzle-
ment, fraud or peculation Public property must
be transferred to private use by operation of law
or no title passes. No man can or ought to make
| the application himself, though he may believe he
has rendered full equivaleut. This would be to
make a man Judge in his own case. Public funds
retained under such circumstances, are public
funds still, and should be accounted for One in
olden time, said of anothers property found among
his that "that shall be accounted stolen with me-"
And ought not property, in the possession of one
but rlghttully belonging to another, while secretly
and iraudulGnty detained to be accounted as siO-
LEM" Its demorazlng and corrupting influence,
upon the conscience and the heart is the same, as
IN the case OF theft. If So then it becomes sa-
cred duty, binding upon the Legislature, to enact
laws, which shall compel every man to a strict &C =
counting for all public property in his hands This
view OF the subject Is Of vastly more Importance
than the safe keeping of the public funds for Their
own sake. Where the law does not guard the pub
nc funds from pecuation and embezzlemeut, cor
ruPtion VIII stalk abroad, with bold front, unre
STAINED throughout the length and breadth of the
land and offices and officers will be bought and
sold like chattels, in the political SHAMELESS
Public accounting should be essentially of the
same strictness as between man and man the
same scrupulous exactness, and the same compen-
sation for the same amount OF similar SERVICE In
all cases, where the law has defined the service
and hXed the compensation, that should be the on
| ly rule to govern The terms liberal and Liberal
can have no place IN such accounting. All is re-
duced to justice and injustice and the law and sci
| ence OF arithmetic must be the eXponens of what
is just and the elements of all just accounting. In
administering and executing the law, relating to
this subject, the officer entrusted with that duty
has nothing to say in regard to the amount of the
compassionate that has been, or should have been,
! settled by the Legislature.
| Every detention of public funds, beyond the pc
rlod provided by law, becomes a breach of duty,
and continued TO certain point becomes embez.
element, fraud or pecuaton. But how few would
feel the power of moral obligation to such an eX-
tent, as TO secure a just accounting, for public
funds in their hands, when the knowledge of such
| fact was confined to their own bosom.
One thus situated might not design finally, per-
haps, to deraud the public, but accounting would
be delayed to Il more convenient season; time
which would probably never occur. 1t is an inju
ry to the individual Entrusted with public property
|
periods, appointed by law. 1t is besides practical
injustice to collect taxes, TO be squandered for any
other purpose than for the support OF government,
economically administered. Were all our taxes to
be collected OF one individual, and to be dsbursed
IN the form Of fees to another for services alleged
to have been performed, the injustice of paying be-
yond the conventional, or legal compensation,
would be at once perceived, The case is the same,
between the tax paying public and any individual,
claiming and receiving Illegal fees. In such case,
the public are called upon 10 advance money, in the
form of taxes, to be discussed in the form of tees,
for services not rendered, more than the statute
has prescribed and this we call practical Injustice.
All our revenue, at least with few exceptions is de-
rived from direct taxation, and the tax-payinr com
munty have Just claim TO know for what purpo
SEES and uses their money is drawn from their pock.
cts, and they should be heard in their objection 10
the illegal disbursement Of the funds of the Treas
amount fixed by law, is not difficult but where the
law has committed to an officer power to allow in
his discretion, sum for a service not defined thc
accounting officer should be liberal sit is for tho
State the services were rendered, and the State can
afford TO be liberal But it should not be FORGOTTEN.
that liberallty, to such claimant becomes extor-
ton from the taX-paying community, and that the
terms liberal and illiberal, can properly have no
place in this matter, Jastlce and Injustice are the
be the only lrbter between the two 1t is not sup
yerted but still the practice has been widely differ.
ent from the principles here laid down, and this
from an early period of the government.