Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-16

and shoes. These exemptions and reductlOne
will lessen family expenditures and be relief
to all Glasses Of the community. Dress ma
kers and milliners, welding potent influence,
as they do, will no longer be treated ss men,
ubject to taxation. but as deserving OF favor.
Though they may tax US, we do not propose
to tax them. Provisions or products OF the
farm it has been the policy from the start
land It's wisdom has been only exceptionally
ouestioned) to keep free from taxes. All fer
,llizers, draining tiles, and many OF the more
! expensise implements of agriculture 1t is now
also proposed to relieve. Freights, perhaps
the MOST Indispensable tax we have had, per-
petually checking commerce and adding to the
price OF purchases as well as diminishing the
price OF sales, it will be seen are to be utterly
abandoned, as are all the articles in schedule
A, except gold watches, silver plate, billiard
tables, and carriages valued above $500, as by
the testimony OF the collectors the tax upon
| all the other articles therein embraced
amounted 10 less than the cost of collection,
while it imposed domiciliary, visits, always
obnoxious to spirited people. lie has been
considered important not to check any enter
prise tor building or for repsirs of buildings
aud to this end building materials such as
brick, freestone, marble, slate, roofing slate,
lime, and cement, have been placed on the
free list. The lax imposed upon paper books,
/ and binding, enter tanned with little hospitality
from the first, IL surrendered the first opportu-
nIty without regret The tax on know dge,
as il has often been styl d, IT 1t ever existed,
1T Is to be hoped will be now abandoned. The
tax Upon all repairs, always indeh mite and OF
dubious propriety, may also we'll be rem wed
1t horse runs away with d Carriage, or d
locomotive gets smashed, 1t seems oppressive
tor the Government to seize the opportunity
Of such misfortune for lie ylng fresh tax.
/ u h.,ra r. ng.al ANY
tax. Ii we regard i1 as article of fuel we
cannot any longer afford to dealers the excuse
of q tax for = dear price. 1t we look upon is
az the raw material from which gas is made,
| the tax on the latter would seem to be as grea {
rs We ought TO subject article to so Indis
pensable to the population OF al! our cities aud
most considers ole Towns. Ii We look upon 1t
as the chief source-the hidden giant-ot steam
power, which drives 50 large part OF our ma
chinery used IN manufactures from which SO
| much OF our revenue accrues, IL certainly pre-
| SCENTS strong claims 20 be tree.
Iron being an article of such large consump-
! ton shat ped into such multlar lous forms Tor
the use OF mankind, employing numbers 50
vast IN It's, production, and an abu ndant supply
being almost a prerequisite IN peace or war 10
national Independence, the Committee OF Ways
and Means have been willing TO wholly exempt
pig iron, railroad IRON, railroad iron rerolled,
iron. Cheap iron Is an advantage 70 the whole
country, and especially so to agrlcuiturists,
to artisans, and even TO the day iaDorer who
yields but or spade. Ii is also I'M
portant that We should not discourage rali-
road en- terprises by making theI. cost 50 great
as to brighten away ali capitalists. Our iron
should be made at home, but let us give our
own people a tair chance to make 1t cheapiy.
That The universally OF tax upon all de-
scrIptions of manufactures IN any state OF con-
ditlon when offered for sale, tends To dupl-
cation OF taxation, Is sufficiently obvious, and
the Committee of Ways ana Means have
sought to remedy this evil 50 tar as they could
consistently with their duty 10 the Govern
ment. whose wants though diminishing are
still Imperative. The increase Of the tax on
all manu- tactures last year, one It'll, or twenty
per cent, as our law OF last year provided fDr +,
IT now proposed 10 repeal. Steel being IN
the nature OF a raw mster'a 3 manufacture
IN ITS infancy and In some peril rom the pres
sing competition OF The Old Word, 1t Is deemed
expedlent to entirely exempt from tax, ana
more especially rs 1t VIII mostly be taxed
when 1t reaches a more advanced stage OF man
uiacture. The same argument appiIes to ron,
which we have not yet felt able u wholly re-
lease ; and also 10 copper, lead, zinc and brass,
which do propose TO release. The bill,
however, will show for itself. The reductions
have been made with the sole view OF the
greatest good of the greatest numoer; and Ia
the main hope they Will be accepted by tae
House. Ii Is very likely TO be true that man =
arucles not now relieved be pointed Gu,
having equal claims with those proposed Tor
favor but the answer Is, clvl!ly but firmly,
the time tor those has not yet arrived. The
release OF the tx upon many articles ha. not
been done So much favor them OF any par
tIcuiar branch OIL manufacture to favor
those which remain s;ill bearing the burden
OF taxation.
The removal, 50 far as il at present seemed
prudent, OF the cJnstant duplication OF taxes
will certainly tend to diminish the cost OF q
large number of articles, but until reach
the solid basis OF a currency equal 10 value {,
com, pr ;es must remain dear and unstable
aud producers at,d manu- ia ctures while work
70 Z under circumstances of inflated cost, Will
be exposed 10 the chances OF making sales In d
falling market Tne reduction must come a
some time, and the paiu will be severe If II
comes suddenly, or lighter II 1t comes mor'
slowly. 1t lie the same IN the sum tota
whether hasteneI or retarded.
Savings banks, or proyIcent institutions
by far the must appropriate name-lt will b,
seen are to some extent relieved from the tai
Oh deposits, entirely relieved when such de
posts are invested IN United States securities
or when made in sums not exceeding $500 Dy
any one perxon. Ii cannot be QIu btel that a
is sound pubic policy TO induce those havln.
but small earnings to establish habit o
thrift and economy by using ,hese savipg
banks as q place OF trust. Does not spesl
we'll for the character OF our people, as well at
that of our country, that these instItutioni
now hold of these small earnings OF the com
mon people $500 100000? " here else Cal
1. similar fact be cited? Women, young per
sons. and those unskllied In making loans an(
taking securities, who possess too little TO b.
reached separately by taxes, should not b.
taxed when assembled together. but rathe
deserve the paternal care OF the Government
The tax on the gross receipts OF express
companies was raised Ia the oill first re
ported from three TO five per cent, but upor
further consideration, IN the revised bill TIN
rate has been restored TO what it Is b,
existing law. W hen We are reducing taxa
tion IN every direction, II appeared too invid
lous to single out one class of business, ant
that one giving marked distinction to Amer
can enterprise, and COON 1t to d tax equal Il
twelve or fifteen per cent. upon it's net annua
receipts.
The tax upon telegraph companies has ais
been placed upon the came level, reduce,
from i've 10 three per cent. One of the com
panies last year paid to the Government a ta.
upon $7OO,OUO gross receipts, amounting {
$4,000, when they bad made an absolute los
OF 100000 besides the tax.
Express and telegraph companies may no
all deal literally with the people, aud ma
seek extravagant profits, but the Government
OF the United States could hardly be expecte
to base Its legislation upon resentments thu
engendered, unless the companies were I'll
creatures of Its own creation. Such abuse
| cd nv le Ia