Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-12-29


far as discussion being stifed in the
House, it is fact which every member
knows, if he knows anything about it,
that the opposition to the adoption of the
majority report consumed at least four
times as much time as those did who ia.
vored the majority. 1t is we'll known
that the House had some time previous to
calling up the report, adopted the five
minute rule. The gentleman from Bur.
lington and also the gentleman from Mil.
ton will not deny that they even INDUCED
considerably more than their allotted
time, neither will the gentleman from
Fairfax.
The Free Press Dc Times of the 23rd
| inst, contains a communication copied
from the st. Adams Messenger, written by
&c. A. B." one of the members of the
State Equalizing Committee in which
| he saws, thot the usual custom is to .caIl
the committee together early, and give
time for turning the subject over and
considering it carefully, and well. Not
so In this case, no meeting of this commit
tee unless it may have been a few choice
spirits) was held until the very last week
OF the session and at a time when every
member desired to be in the House at all
It's sessions, and in consequence the work
was hurried through in manner credit
able to no one, but satisfactory, suppose
to those who purposely delayed the meet
ing to effect their design of drawing
money from our pockets and put Into their
own" Shameful. If there was any de-
lay, and am free to admit, that there
was, what seemed to most of the committee
very unfortunate delay-who is respon-
sible for it. Does not &c. A. B." well
know that their delay was unavoidable or
that the committee was compelled to wait
for the Legislation, that was asked for by
Chittenden County, Orleans County, and
some other sections. Does he not know
these two counties by the inaction of
their County Cmmittee. held the State
Equalizing Committee back to the very
time named by him, and that when the
committee finally did get the material to
work with, that they worked diligently.
| Does he not know that as soon az the
returns had hao-. deposited In the Secre-
tary of States Office by those County Com
mittees, that the State Committee was
called together-if he does not know the
fact, | think every other member of that
committee does know it.
If any member of the COMMITTEES is re-
sponsible for the delay, it may as we'll be
claimed that it was &c A B." a. any
other, but the feet is, that the committee
are not in any way responsible for the de.
lay, and that the insinuatious of &c. A B. y
are unjust and without the slightest
| foundation.
He says again that 1.-The member from
| Rutland and the member from Franklin
stated their respective counties were APP
praised. the first at 81 and the last at S.
per cent. Yet Rutland was reduced 1C
per cent. and franklin raised 80 per cent
| Answer.-The member from Rutland
did not Estate that his county was appraised
at 81, but did state, and proved by all
the evidence before the committee that
Rutland was appraised at about 70 cents
on dollar
The member from Franklin may have
stated that his county was returned, as he
says, but evidence of listers and those
who pretended to know, was that she was
appraised at from so to SO cents on dol.
lar Now Mr.. Editor. I do not intend
again to trouble your columns with com
munications on this subject. Having
served that com mittee as we'll and as inn
partially as l knew how, and having had
occasion before to give the names that
guided me in the part l took in commit
tee, propose to pay no further stten-
tion to the complaints, feeling that the
complainauts are not disposed to accept
any thing that is said on the part of the
majority.
They are determined to find fault and
will not be comforted. 1t IL, however, re-
freshing to- know that Chittenden county
is not unanimous in the views expressed
by the Free Press and Times Some OF
these gentlemen, and such as have en-
joyed large experience in Legislative and
in municipal affairs, have been frank to
say that the committee did not raise the
county of Chittenden any higher than she
ought to have been, and that if they had
raised her still higher they would not
have dealt upiustly by her.
ONE OF THE MAJORITY.