St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-10-16

development of our quarries, mines land
other resources.
One step towards the removal OF these
objections, is to tax the real property of
corporations in the several towns where
such property is situated, upon IFS actual
value, irrespective of dividends. By
this means all the towns on the line of
the railroads, or in which any corporate
property is situated, will receive their
just proportion of the taxes.
In this connection would renew the
recommendation of the last annual mes
sage, in reference to the collection of
taxes. This matter is one of Importance
to taxpayers, and should not be passed
over without that consideration its mer-
its demand.
UNITED STATES SENATOR.
The provisions of law require that you
should proceed, on the second Tuesday
of this session, to the election of United
States senator for the term of six years
from the 4th of March next.
NATIONAL CEMETERIES.
l transmit herewith the report of Ma
jor William Rounds, trustee of the An
tietam National Cemetery association,
and have, as therein recommended, GER
titled to the auditor of accounts the pro-
portion to be paid by the state. have,
also, communication from the board
Of commissioners having charge of the
National hcemetery at Gettysburg, re-
questing the adoption, on your part, of a
resolution recommending the transfer Of
that cemetery to the care of the general
government These papers are placed
at your disposal.
EDUCATION.
The report of the University of Yer
mont and State Agricultural College is
worthy of your careful attention. The
officers say that they are endeavoring to
do faithful and valuable work for the
state. An investigation, that has been
made with care, shows that during the
last collegiate year, only one hundred
and sixty or seventy young men of our
State were members of any college or
scientific school, either in Vermont or
elsewhere. Not more than forty can
have graduated during the year. This is
very small number of young men, for
our population, To be pursuing thor
ough intellectual training, and larger
number of our sons should be encouraged
to enter the colleges of our state, where
they may receive that preparation ''ef
value TO men in every worthy vocation"
The condition Of our common schools
may be learned from the report of the
secrs AIRY of the board of education We
are expending annually nearly five hun
dred thousand dollars in the support Of
free schools, with an aggregate average
attendance of nearly fifty thousand chill
dren, while the number of children of
school age Is about seventy-slx thousand.
Should we not seek Tor some means of
securing 4 larger attendance upon our
schools 1t is the ignorant aud idle
that furnish inmates for our reform
schools, .iails and prisons.
1t would seem that the obligations of
parents to their children ought 10 be SUI
ticient to secure the attendance of a
much larger number OF scholars upon our
public schools. 1t has, however, been
found necessary 10 enact laws regulating
this matter, and we are asked i'll the
Secretary report if these laws cannot in
their operation be made more effective
by making it the duty of the school Off
GERS to inquire into, and prosecute vio-
lations.
Is It not a matter of prudence in the
expenditure Of our public money, that it
should be paid only to we'll qualified
teachers As means of securing them,
and receiving the greatest benefit from
our schools, we should, by generous aid,
develop the full power for good of our
Normal schools.
As required under the act of 1867,
the state has been divided into three
military districts. The first district con-
-ists of Addison, Bennington, Rutland
and Chittenden. The second district, of
Washington, Orange, Windsor and
Windham, and the third of Caledonia,
Essex, Grand Isle, Lamelle and Orleans
The necessary orders have been issued.
under which organizations can be made
to ill up the reg ments and battery As
yet only eight companies and two sec
tions CT artillery have been organized,
but il is believed that the continuance of
the present policy will secure a full or
ganization in all the districts, and give
some vitality to our militia system.
a considerable portion of the expenses
incurred during the year in this depart
ment have been in collection, as required
by law. of the arms and equipments in
the hands of the state militia, and put
ting them in proper order. There now
remains outstanding quite an amount of
property belonging to the state, the re-
turn of which can only be insured by the
enactment of a law more stringent in its
provisions than the present statute.
STATES ATTORNEYS.
The operations of the law providing
what in most counties of the State is
wholly inadequate salary for the duties
that should be discharged by our states
attorneys, leaves undone a large amount
of criminal business to the great injury of
our communities. An increase of salary.
or what would be better, q return to
system of fees, would more fully comply
with that constitutional provision which
requires that claws for the encourage
ment of virtue, and prevention of vice
and immortality ought TO be constantly