The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-10-18
REFORM SCHOOL


offenders having become our policy,
provision for its necessities the COM
ing year should be made at this SEES
sion.
1t is my elief that great good is be-
ing done in elesatipg our wayward
youth, and preparing them for useful
and honorable lives, and | am con-
WINGED that a familiarity with the ope-
rations Of the Vermont Reform School
would commend it to your sympathy
and support. For information on
this subject, you are referred to the
interesting reports of the Trustees and
upelintendent.
RESOURCES or THE STATE.
The resources Of the State, rs de-
veloped i'll it's agriculture, its manu-
features, its quarries, and it's mines,
merit and should receive your careful
attention. The Legislation on these
subjects should be such as to secure
to our people the greatest advantages
from these sources, by inducing the
influx of capital for their development.
and inviting investments, without
hampering them with unnecessary
conditions and restrictions, for extend
ing our manufactures, opening and
working our quarries and mines, and
increasing cur railroad facilities.
In most particulars our laws com
pare favorahly with those of other
States in these respects. In some of
their provisions, however, | shall have
occasion to indicate reforms which
seem to me to be needed
Vermont is pro-eminently an agri-
cultural State having thirteen TWEEN
tleths of its four millions of ncres un-
der Improvement, and we have cause
of gratitude to the Oliver of all things
for the abundant harvests that have
rewarded the labors of our husband
men during the year.
The increased value of the real an 4
personal estate in Vermont, from 49,
so 70 1860, as given in the census,
was n little over thirty millions of
dollars, and this upon gold basis
OF this sum twenty-eight millions was
IN the increased Value of real estate.
Had we statistics TO the present time,
they would show still larger rate of
increase. This large advance can ON
ly be ascribed to the system of rail
roads put IN operation during that
period, opening to producers easy
communication with markets before
inaccessible. Take up our iron rails
and you reduce tho value OF our farms
and quauies more than the entire
cost Of the roads Those within few
miles of our railroads derive the most
benefit from them Therefore open
ening OF new roads to accommodate
more remote sections would aid large
ly in developing the resources OF the
State
When we turn 10 our lnanufactur-
ing and mechanical industries, we find
that, with superior facilities, in many
respects we ale far behind our sister
States OF New England At The TAX
ing OF the last census, we had only if
teen hundred establishments. usinr an
aggregate capital of nearly ten millions.
and employing little over ten thous
and persons, with sixteen millions of
dollars IN annual products; while our
neighbors on the other side of the Con-
necticut river show results three times
as great. 1t cannot with truth be
claimed that they hold more favora.
bic position, or have superior natural
advantages; but when we look on their
legislation, we find that they encour-
age manufactures by the exemption of
ne" establishments from taxation, and
by otherwise laws throw about them
the fostering care of tho State. In
TINS connection, permit me To repeat
the Recommendation of former execn-
tlves on the subject of attachment os
property on mesne process, and partic
ulariy to call your attention To that
part OF our system which gives priori-
W 10 the hrst attaching creditor. If
we would keep pace with our sister
States III the development of orr abun-
dant resources, we must sea that a..
are not behind them III providing for
IA Just and equitable distribution amony
all creditors Of the assets of any deho
tor who' by the risks attendant ON
new enterprises, or from any other
cause hnds himself unable to meet his
obligations
oapltai comes to us less freely. and
credit is less readily accorded in other
States to our citizens, than it would be
IL the capitalist or the creditor were
sure that IN case of any inability Ia
pay III iull, he could rely on sharing
ankle with other creditors, instead Of
seeing his property applied to the full
payment OF another's debt, and HIM
sell lett with no part Of his lust due.
a reformation of our laws in this re-
speet seems to be demanded. Nov
our sons seek in other States that
protection and fostering care over their
industry which they fail to find Mt
nome, and to this law on our statute
book IS largely TO be attributed the
iact that during the last decade our
iatio OF increase of population was less
than That OF any other State of the