Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-03-11
The Council Of Censors.

The Council Of Ccnsors.
Tie following excellent article, full Of
valuable suggestions and statistics, is
taken from the St Adams Messenger
We have already noticed the call for
the State Convention 10 nominate candi-
dates for the Council of Censors.
The duties of the Council are defined
in Section 43 of the second part of our
State Constitution, and are, generally, to
inquire whether the legislative and ex-
ecutive branches Of the State Government
have properly performed their duties
under the Constitution whether the pub
lie taxes have been properly laid and coll
lectel, and in what manner the public
moneys have been disposed o., and whether
the laws have been duly executed TO
pass censures and order impeacbments,
and finally to propose amendments To the
Constitution and call convention to pass
upon sucl proposals of amendment.
OF thesa SUBJECTS OF inquiry there are
but few that viii be likely to demand
much attention from this Council. There
needs but little inquiry to find that the
legislative and executive branches of our
State government have worked harmonic
ously aud without encroachmeut on their
constitutional prerogatives our taxes
have been promptly collected and oar
public money! economically ami honestly
expended F; the laws have been generally
well executed, and nowhere in the world
have the rights Of person and property
been more secure than with Us. The
Council will have no occasion 10 order
impeechments and but little q pa.s cen
sure.
1t does seem 10 Us, however, that there
Is occasion for inquiry as 70 the manner
OF laying taxes. Oar laws require that
taxes be assessed on the fair v4lui of
the property of the tax payers. Except
ing the polls and the amount of dog list,
the grand lis, of this State should e one
per cent of the yal..e or property in the
State. At this rate, according 10 our
grand list, the whole value Of the property
Of the State i little over ninety-three
millions Of dollars, which is Just about
what two men in the city Of New ork
are worth. Now III fact this j. not 20.
The who State of Vermont is worth more
than ninety-three millions OF dollars A.
T. Stewart and Commodore Vanderbilt
are not worth enough to buy the whole
State. \ little attention 10 the details
will show, not only that the valuation
expressed by the grand list is toe -;4all,
but that tie disparity !, increasing from
year to year.
Since 1880 the valuation Of real estate
in the State has probably more than
doubled. The census return OF 1850
shows that about four millions Of acres OF
land are appraised at sixty-three millions
of dollars, or over fifteen dollars per acre
The grand list of 1868 shows five millions
OF acres appraised at seventy-one million
of dollars or about fourteen dollar. Der
acre.
Since 1850 the whole valuation of prop
erty, as shown by the grand list OF tue
State, instead OF increasing 100 per cent
has increased only - per cent
In 1897 the valuation of real estate wa
So, 30 600 personal estate, Sl7, O0s .9i9.-
40 total. $SG,Ss2, ji9iG
la 1868 The real estate was SCI ,l12 ll3
personal, S2l ,S46,G91 total, S93,01s,SO4
an increase of little over SIX million,
dollars. Within the eleven years the
marble quarries % single town have in
creased III value more than that. Taking
into account the depreciation OF cur
rency, the valuation of lSJ, was one
hundred and thirty millions in green
backs, which, compared with 1868, shows
falling off of twenty-seven millions, or
nearly one-fOurth Ia 1912 the grand
list was $743. 026 40, making valuation
of over $62 100000.
These are illustrations taken at random.
and they show that while the property OF
the State for the twenty-five wears or
more during which our present listing
law has been in force has trebled in nom
inal value in currency, and. more than
doubled in actual value in gold. the APP
praised value is less in gold now than IL
was then.
Again. take the lists of any of our
towns and compare the appraisils with
the cash sales of the same property, and
for an average the appraisals are not over
one-third of the cash value. Or again,
compare the lists of deceased persons with
the inventories of their estates, shown in 4
the records of the Probate Court, and the I
disparity is shown to be fully as great /
Now the law requires the appraisal for
the list to be the full value of the prop
erty in money, and the listers make that
appraisal on oath. 1t is very harsh to say
that SO great number of respectable men
as constitute the listers OF the several
towns are guilty of violations of their
oaths, yet it requires great stretch of
charity to say otherwise.
If this false valuation were uniform
and equal, it would not be SO bad but it
is not equal. The records of one town,
for example, will show the real estate of
the three listers appraised in the aggre-
gate at less than one-fourth its cash value,
while in the same town the homestead of =
widow is appraised more than she paid
for it within few years of the appraisal
This may be an extreme instance, but
when 70 great disregard of Just law is
it would be more than probable
that some favoritism should be shown in
almost every town.
Again, this evil aggravates another and
greater one. Since tangible property is
not taxed at its full value, when that 10
Dold and converted into money or debts
due, it would be very hard that the whole
~ IL - A. /