Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-04-19
From the Burlington Free Press.
TuR "LBGIsLsTIpB OUTH.fGB"
OF 1870.

The taxpayers Of Chttcnden and Franklin Counties
need no jogging Of their memories 10 recall the IA
Equalization Of 1870 when a committee Of our
Legislature hastily arbitrarily, unjustly and ileg
ally raised the assessments Of real estate returned
by these counties, my per cent for Chittendeu
County, and Thirty per cent for franklin County.
There was abundant argument after this wrong
committed to show that II was right, and elaborate
calculations submitted to prove that tho pro-
perty Of those counties, in consideration Of their
population aud growth, ought TO have the increased
value set upon II for taxes We showed the faacy Of
some Of these at the time. We showed that the in
crease set upon the real estate of Chitenden county
by the Legislature, trenty mine per cent more
than the increase Of it's population would warrant.
But there was more effective reply than that
that that in point Of fact there was no such in
crease in the prices value Of real estate In this
county. No amount Of figuring could convince the
farmers Of Chittenden County that their farms should
be set in the list for taxes at about double the rate per
acre Of the valuation Of the rich farms Of Addison and
Rutland Counties, when, in point Of fact the Chit
tenden County farms would realize for their
owners per acre, either to cultivate or to sell, than
the Addison and Rutland County farms.
but the farmers Of this county submitted TO the
wrong, paid their taxes ome Of them under protest)
and have waited for time to right the wrong, and to
relieve them from the imputatons freely cast upon
them throughout the State, Of attempting to get out
| Of paying their full share Of the State taxes.
We claimed at the time that the property Of Chit
tenden county assessed, result of the action
Of the State Equalization Committee at least tuety-
five per cent above its proportionate value and we
have never doubted that impartial valuation Of the
property Of the State would demonstrate that fact
Such a valuation and such demonstra ion has now
| been furnished by the United States census
We received three days siuce, from the supern-
tendent of the Census the advance sheets Of the
statstics Of Wealth, Taxation and Public Indebted
ness" These contain tables giving the value Of u e
real and personal property for purposes of
State taxation, by countless and also the actual value
OF the same, estimated by the officers making the
returns.
Superintendent walker states that great care has
been taken to make these estimates worthy Of conf
dence To secure uniformity, the duty Of making the
estimates was committed in Vermont and the smaller
States, to single Deputy Marshal In each selected
with respect to special qua ifcations and character
and their figures, based thorough personal cam
vass the superintendent says, "may be assumed to
be reasonably just and close all the facts and condi
tions Of the case" We copy below the two columns
Of assessed and true valuations, and have added TO
them column showing at what per cent. of the real
value the several counties have been assessed-the as
sessment, it will be understood being that made By
the legislature Of 1870.
It will be seen that whereas tho other counties Of
the State are assessed at rates varying from 81 to -
per cent OF the true value Of their property, Chiten
den county IL assessed at sirty four per cent and
Franklin county at 6fy-eight per cent. Taking out
those two counties, find the average assessment
for the rest Of the State to be Joryons per cent of
the actual value. In other words for two years this
county has been paying tpentythree per cent. more
than its fair share of the State taxes and Franklin
county 'spenteeH per cent. more. The amount paid
by this county in Of its fair share about s25-
900.
The State equalizing committees professed to have
assessed the various counties at uniform valuation
of66 per cent Of the actual value OF the real estate
assuming that about the proportion OF the per-
sonal estate would be listed. The figures show that
only in the Of Chittenden County did they APP
proaoh that proportion the total for the State being
but 43 per cent and for the State outside of Chten-
| den and Franklin counties but Al per cont. These
figures carry their own argument. We ask the other
papers of the State to lay them before their readers