Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-05
Equalization.

Editor Rattland Herald Dear Sir
The Free Press of the 28th inst. is agair
out on the subject of Equalization.
They copy communication which ap
peared in your paper OF the Goth inst OF
the same subject, and comment upon it
For once at least, that paper has giver
credit to one statement that has beer
made by the majority, or perhaps I should
say has given quasi approval, for in thi
case they do not frankly admit the fac
Jas we have right to suppose public
journal would do but they say "we de-
not think it can be fairly charged that the
equalizipg committee was to blame for the
delay in getting TO work 1t is noto
rious fact that the committee were anx
ious to enter upon their work early in the
eession-that they were prevented from
doing so mainly by Chittenden county, as
that county occupied most of the time ot
the session in arranging and figuring
their own Grand List. That they worked
diligently and that they had difficult
task to perform, perhaps, ought not to be
questioned when it is known that they
succeeded in reducing it from $14,54O,.
sol so to $6.403, sos 2G. 1t must be ad-
mitted that work of this magnitude re.
quires labor Again they say "the signi-
ticant admission that the majority of the
State Equalizing Committee had deter
mined not to allow to the minority the
amusement of discussing the report, will
be noticed"
How the Free Press can draw any such
remote inference, however ingenious they
may claim to be in seeing things as they
please, is more than we can conceive.
The sentence alluded to was az follows ::
"No one was cut short in committee, no
one claimed time to make arguments, and
even if they had, the limited time of the
committee would not have allowed them
to indulge in any such amusement" This
expresses just what it means, and that is
that no gentleman of the committee
asked to be heard in argument and that
there was no time at their command for
such purpose. There is no admission"
that any of the committee desired to shut
of discussion, and s4oL ~ ~e 44vt the foot
They further refer to communication
No. ., from Mr. Whittemore in the same
issue. Both the Free Press AMI nj.
Wh;ttfmora labu- hard to sh0v tbat farm
land- in Chittenden county stand higher
than in other couuties, by the present
Repatriation" per acre.
That the average value of acre property
in Chittenden should be much greater
than in any other county we have no
doubt. If there Is one hundred or more
acres of land about Burlington that
is worth from one to two thousand dollars
per acre, it must of necessity effect the
average of the county. How is it in
other States ? is not the acre lands of
in which the Furnishing towns
are situated more valuable than in other
counties OF the State Is it not a fact
known to every one that in Suffolk
county, Mass, New York county, n. Y,
Philadelphia county, Pa, Wayne county,
Mich, Cook county, Illinois, the lands
will average worth from ten to twenty |
times as much as the lands of the State
will average outside those counties; and
so in every other State. it will be noticed
that the average value of the farm lands
of the county in which is the principal
town of the State, is much greater than
the average of the balance of the State.
This condition of things is true to
greater or less degree in Chittenden
county. Where is there another county in
he State in which large tracts of land ("in
crude stateM are held to be worth 81 900
2er acre and upward. For strictly agricul-
ural purposes such lands may not be more
,aluable than lands in other counties,
)ut they have value above that, being
by the enterprise and thrift of
heir surroundings. The minority cam
lot deny these facts. and in justice they
hould frankly admit them, but whether
hey do or net, they are facts nevertheless,
md will readily find endorsement by the
avs of trade and by the public generally.
Mr.. Whittimore says that only seven
members of the committee voted at first
or Judge Parks resolution, but that one
more Joined them, ,gmaking in all eight.
Vow, may it not be claimed that so far
g that vote is concerned, it was unani-
2ous in fact, did any member vote
gainst the resolution !? He says the law
pecifies that the chairman shall sign the
eport, and insinuates that because the
eport was also signed by others of the
ommittee, there must have been some
esign. True the law does say that the
hartman shall sign the report. The .
hartman did sign the report and oten
ther members of the committee signed it
lso. Is there any provision in the law !,
nat deprives any or every member of the
from signing the report. He
ays then eleven signatures were at ,
sched TO the report before it was known
nat the minority would make a report.
hat is very probably true, we do not I
now, bat if only the man conclusively 6
roves that the only desire of the chair 8
ian was that all might share with him t
1e honor. 1t certainly was courteous in '
i'm to give all an opportunity to join in
le report. q
We are pleased to notice that the gen. 9
eman disclaims having intended to say !
ne committee entertained ill-feelings |
'wards Chittenden county. We felt
onident that he was in error. t
II we thought injustice had been done
Chittenden county or any other county :
9 would promptly state it, but we know
lat SO far as any evidence has appeared, o
le only now stands equal with the rest {
the State. :
Mr.. Editor, I did not intend again to |;