Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-11-22

bub ~ uPkldlCu LutL litCtNtubS 4Ot INC
payment of pensions by the State already
exist. A person who was injured while
blasting stone for the former State house,
received a pension as long as he lived.
Another who lost his arm by the pre-
mature discharge OF a cannon with which
he ana other members Of a military com
pany were celebrating the Fourth Of
July, under orders of their captain has
received a pension for the last fifteen
years or more. In view of these preced-
ents, as we'll as Of the merits of this par
,ticnlar case, the bill was passed. In the
case Of John II. Skinner, the claimant
had pursued and arrested thief, and
the claim was for services and expenses
in so doing. 1t was rejected by the
committee because the uniform preced-
ent was rot to allow such claims till al
ter the conviction Of the fSlon. A per-
sistent effort was made to break over
the precedent, but the only effect was to
establish it still more firmly. The claim
was disallOwed.
Several bills bave been presented for
the laudablc purpose of encouraging
manufactures. One Of them proposes to
exempt from taxation for certain term
of years the capital to be invested in
manufactures. The House smiled when
it was introduced as if it were an absurd
thing, and there is no probability thatit
will become a law. Another bill, relat-
ing TO the right of flowage, provides that
! when any person shall desire to erect
dam for mill PURPOSES which will flow
the land of another, and cannot agree
with him upon the damages to be paid,
he may apply to the county court by
petition in writing, and have three COM
| mssioAers appointed to examine the
premises, hear the parties, and, if they
see fit, to establish the dam, determine
its hight, and assess the damages TO those
whose lands are flowed. Against this it
was argued, that it was unconstitutional
to allow one man to use or impair the
value of anOthers property, that no man
should be compelled to give up the
available use Of his lands even if he did
receive the assessabe damages, and that
| manufactures ought not TO he fOSteTed
/ TO the prejudice of agriculture, the lead
| Ing interest ot the State, But the farm
ers IN the House concluded % run the
| risk OF Whatever injury might happen In
/ this way, and passed the bill.
/ How to reach all the property IN the
/ State, a0d make il bear Its just propor-
! tiOn Of the public burdens, i problem
/ which always has ana PT0bAhy always
! will occupy the attention OF legislatures.
/ The House has made one attempt 10
/ solve it, by passing bill requirlng list
/ ers 10 examine upon oath every person
whose list they take. This ; reversal
/ OF the rule that every mar shall oe
presumed to he innocent nnIl he IS
+ proved 10 he guilty, and the setting np
/ OF a ruie tnat every man saaI oe pre-
/ sumed :" he liar t'i he proves himself
to be true man H. Is safe 10 guess
that thr Senate %jIl notconcur. Anoth-
er bill, OF very great Importance, SUD-
Jects the stock OF all private corpora
LIONS III the o'ate 70 oe SCI ID the IlSt
III Vhe Io"pS "herc Nhe sVochuoiueFs
live, at one per cent OF its true value,
aud so to be taxed. In the debate on
this bill, it was stated by Mr.. Clark OF
POultney, chairman OF the committee on
ways and means, that the loss to the
State by lack Of tax on thel Vermont
and Canada railroad was from forty to
fifty thousand dollars, and that the set
ting in the list Ofall the stock otrailroad
and other private corporations, would
add about four million dollars to the
taxable property Of the State. MIR. Clark
OF Poultney and Mr.. Pease OF Charlotte
read written speeches IN favor OF the bill.
Mr.. Park OF Bennington made the ablest
speech OF the session, In opposition
He spoke for an hour with 3 vigor of ar