Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-18
From the Burlington Free Pressl
The Legislative Outrage OF 1870
TESTIMONY OF THE CENSUS.

The taxpayers of Chittenden and
Franklin counties need no jogging OF
their memories to recall the famous
"EuualiZatiOn" of 1870, when commit
tee of our legislature, hastily, Arbitrarily,
uniustly and Illegally, raised the assess
ment of real estate, as returned by tnese
counties fifty per cent. Tor Frahkllh
county. There was abundant argument,
after this wrong was committed, TO show
that it was right, and elaborate calcula-
tions were submitted, to prove that the
property of said counties, in consldera-
ton of their population and growth,
QUAINT to have the increased value set up
on it for taxes. We showed the tallacy
of some of these at the time. We
showed that the increase upon the real
estate of Chittenden county by the leg
islature was t1oenty.fUe per cent. more
than the increase of its population would
warrant. But there was more e1fec-
tive reply than that and that was,
that, IN point Of fact there was no such
increase in the prices and 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
yaulation of the rich farms of Addison
and Rutland counties, when, in point OF
fact. the Chttenden county farms would
realize no more for their owners per
acre. either to cultivate or to sell, than
the Addison or Rutland county farms.
But the farmers of this county sub
mitted to the wrong, paid their taxes
(some of them under protest. and nave
waited for time to right the wrong, and
to relieve them from the imputatlons
freely cast upon them throughout the
State. of attempting to get out OF pay
inc heir full share of the State taxes.
We claimed at the time that the prop
erty of Chittenden county was assessed
as a result of the action of the State
EQUALIZATION committee, at least tacentg-
fge per cent. above its prOpOrtiOnate val
ne and we have never doubted that an
impartial valuation of the property
of the State would demonstrate that
fact
Such a valuation and such demon
stratiOn has now been furnished by the
| United States census.
We received, three days since, from
the Superintendent of the Census, the
advance sheets of the Statistics OF
Wealth. Taxation and Public Indebted
ness" These contain tables giving the
value of the real and personal property
as assessed for purposes of State taxa
ton. by counties and also the actual
value of the same, as estimated by the
officers making the returns.
Superintendent Walker states that
GREAT care has been taken to make these
estimates worthy of confidence. 10
secure uniformity, the duty OF making
the estimates was committed, in Yer
mont and the smaller States, to single
Deputy Marshal in each, selected with
respect to special qualifications and char
acter, and their figures, based on a
thorough personal canvass, the SuperIn-
tpnd5nt saws, may be assumed to be
reasonably Just and close to all the facts
and conditions of the case" We copy
below the two columns of assessed ano
true valuations. and have added to them
column showing at what per cent. OF
the real value the several counties have
been asseSsed-the assessment, 1t Will bt
understOOd being that made by the leg
islature of 1870.
1t will be seen that whereas the Other
counties of the State are assessed a
rates VARYING from 81 to 43 per cent. o1
the true value of their property, Chit
tendcn county is assessed at Sirtyt0u'
per cent, and Franklin county at my
ejqht per cent. Taking out those two
counties. we find the average assessmen
for the rest of the State to be t0Tty-oH
per cent. of the actual value. In othel
words, for two years this county ha'
been paying tuenty-thre8 per cent, more
than its fair share of the State taxes
and Franklin county seoenteem per cent.
more. The amount paid by this county
in excess of it's fair share is about S23,
000
The State equalizing committee pro
fessed to have assessed the various cOun
ties at uniform valuation of 66 per cent
OF the actual value of the real estate
assuming that about the same proper
ton of the personal estate would b
listed. These figures show that only II
the case of Chittenden county did the,
approach that proportion, the total TO
the State being but 43 per cent, and TO
the State outside of Chittenden an
Franklin counties but Al per cent. Ihes
figures carry their own argument. W
as k the other papers of the State to la
them before their readers.
Total assessed True valuation
l value of real of real ana
Il Dc.