Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1871-01-06
Land Grants for Soldiers.

There are three bills now before Congress,
embodying the giving of land by the Uni
ted States to soldiers who served honorably
in the war for suppressing the rebellion
One, that Of Mr.. Logan, provides that the
soldiers service should secure him complete
title within reasonable time after settle
ment, allowing him to count his term of ar
my service az part of FIVE years settlement
which is required by the law before title
can issue.
Another, introduced by Mr.. Voorhees,, gives
land without requiring settlement, amount
ing in fact to an increase of pension in land,
but not an additional bounty to the able
bodied soldier.
The third, the bill Of Mr.. Beatty, proposes
that land granted the soldier shall be subject
to the claim Of his heirs in the same order as
provided by the bounty laws, thus provid-
ing homestead for orphans and widows of
deceased soldiers.
The Grand Army Journal opposes any
rropositioS to grant land to the soldier
which does not require an actual settlement
on it. The grant Of land titles would be
virtually a small additional bounty to those
who would sell them, and harvest FOR claim
agents who would buy them up foI capital
lists but j. would be advantageous to the
United States to give homestead to every
veteran who would settle On it.
Resistance 10 TAzEs.-Iti is suggested By Mr..
G. Whittemore Of Milton, one Of the Equal
izing Committee Of the Legislature, IN an article
in the Free Press, that meeting Of the select
men of the several towns in Chittenden county
be held, to consider Whist measures they Should
take in the matter Of taxes. The Free Press
saws the action taken should be concerted &C
ton, not only in Chittenden county, hut IN the
other counties aggrieye1. We are surprised
that the Free Press should advocate the doctrine
Of resistance to the collection Of the legal taxes
Of the State-Rutl1Hd Herald
The FREE Press has not advocated resistance
10 anv legal taxes. It is the opinion Of eminent
lawyers that the grand list Of our State, as
"equali-ud'' by the State equslizing commit
tee, is an Illegal enc that that committee was
never legally qualified to cqualize the list, having
never taken the oath prescribed by law to he
taken e. before they proceed to make such equal
iza,ion - that without taking this oath they
had no right to proceed to equnize, and their &C
ton is therefore illegsl and void ; that the law
AMI the constitution have been violated in other
respects in this matter, not necessary now to
mention and tina, consequently no State tax
can he legally collected On the present list.
OF course towns which choose to pay the State
taxes Of their own free viii, will do so but is
not surprising that towns which regard the allot-
ment If the tax as grossly Unfair, as well as
illegal, should decline to DO 50. Considering
tLatc course TO he Cue to themselves and piece
Of putli: eerv:ce. We understand that the select
men o. s5as tovas have decided to instruct the
cons,ables not 10 execute the warrant Of the
stare Treasurer. for The collection Of tie State
tax. It seems 70 us proper that Az the towns
10 the COUNTIES azr.ieyei in this matter should
unite in such action. The burden Of establish
i1- the legality Of the LIST Will then be brown
upon The State and the people Of the northern
half o.. tie tate. at least. viii be sb.e TO visit,
with entire ,ousuinity, till T. IS established