Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-04-17
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THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL IL.
TAXATION.

Gently made ly the Hon. Alexander H. Bul-
lock Sneaker of the Massachusetts House Of
REPRESENTATIVES, his subject being " Massa-
cbusetts and the burdens Of the war" he sta
ted some facts relative TO the progress ol thu
Raw State in material wealth, which will
str,ke many, even of her own citizens we
dare say, with surprise. Mr.. Bullock main
fains thai true policy requires that the great
burden of taxation should fall on personal
rroperty. rather than the real estate OF the
country. He insists that the condition of the
real estate of a country is one OF the stand
ards of its civilization, and tha ''e stability
and uniformity of its value must be main
,ained by all practicable legislation Thus
in Great Britain, where taxation is reduced
10 a science, the lands pay directly out tr-
90 more than one.sixth Of the whole TAX. If
n. same policy as to taxation shall be pur-
sped IN this country, Mr.. Bullock shows that
the people Of Massachusetts will be compelled
nv the circumstances of their domestic conGi-
non to pay an amount of the expenses OF the
var largely beyond their proportion Of pop
1aton, it appearing by the census Of 1860
hat while Massachusetts, returns one-seven-
-eenth part OF the real estate OF the loyal
States, she actually returns one-eighth Of the
1 personal estate In this particular no State
IS her equal, except imperial New YORK, and
even that State is absolutely but little in ad-
vance of Massachusetts. while relatively she
s far behind for though New York has
/ more than double the value Of real estate,
4 her personal properry is in excess Of that OF
4 Massachusetts by a mere fraction: Mr.. Bnl-
ock proceeds to say:
These are striking facts They place US
q far in the van of the other States in respect
q 70 our personal property and personal prop
Il artv is peculiarly an exponent of our indus
n NAL power, one of the chief instruments of
n our production, the tools of our industry and
S enterprise and these agencies Of production
III and industry are 10 a great extent represen-
q tatives of the proportion in which we shall
II be brought to bear the expenses OF the war,
81 If now you ask whether Massachusetts, will
q not be called upon to sustain burdens beyond
q ANYTHING she has experienced IN the last for
d ty years, answer, certainly she will. II
u then X be asked whether she can bear the
NJ load. answer, undoubtedly she can. / in
NJ woke the testimony of her history and expe-
n rience. Her people in days gone by have
81 illustrated both the ability and willingness 10
q support government and liberty by every
q conceivable sacrifice. / cannot forget that
q within two years after the engagement which
is commemorated by yonder shaft, tax o
n 100000 was laid upon the State when
n few had a competency and none could boast
M of abundance" | cannot overlook the fac
N that in 1880 the debt of Massachusetts wa
$4,000 900, or one-fourth of the estimated
@ valuation of her property. | cannot speak
Nh of the present war without being reminded
a# that during the revolution, and up to 1890
M Massachusetts had actually paid toward the
public expenses six and half millions o
8 dollars, and that this amount was atterwarC
A@ increased to ten millions by the incredible ex
M ertions of her small population. While | an
@ discussing our present necessities and thu
ri adequacy of our resources to meet them,
81 file in the area before me and report that du
ID ring the twenty-tour years succeeding tn
III adoption of the Constitution, the Fedora
M Treasury had received from Massachusett
n ,alone thirty million of dollars And we ar
@ TO remember that these amounts were pai
d when not only were our population and val
q ulation comparatively small, but especial
d are We to remember that they wers pai
y when the productive forces OF the State wer
~ confined within the narrow limits of the oil
& dispensation Of her industry, which has sine
@ passed away and been succeeded by anothe
and better Those great productions of tn
d world, those great taxpayers of nations
@ Arkwright and Crompton, and Watt an
Whitney and their compeers IN EXPERIMENT.
ssience-had not then waved their wand owe
the dead level of human empl yment Th
field of our producing power presented I
that period only the few original occupation
OF men undistinguished and undiscriminatin.
"a plodding along unconsciously towards thi
# higher destiny of the division of labor wbic
is blessing our day with a harvest of publ
d wealth. Steam and water had not yet bee
81 tanned to fellowship with the click of tf
loom and the song of the spindle. Neve
tbeless, in al the simplicity of their pursul
and IN all the poverty of their resources, IL
men Of that period responded at length
every public claim, redeemed at length ever
Il public levy, and transmitted to us the recol
q of their sacrifices without the taint of repud
q alton, and without so much as the blemish
non.payment. The herit ge hich they b
8 queathed to US, and which for halt centul
We have improved and embellished, this ter
pie Of our present Zion, ought now to fa'
away forever before our eyes, il with DO
faith, if with exultant alacrity We do n
"a l,ather around it with all our hearts, aud d
vote all our resources to its defence.
1t would have startled the Federal Co