Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-04-12
The Legislative Outrage Of 1870

TESTIMONY or THE GENIUS.
The taxpayers Of Chittenden and Franklin
Counties need no jogging Of their memories to
recall the famous Equalization Of l87o'Fhen
committee Of our Legislature, aartily, Arbi-
trarily, upjus-ly, and Illegally, raised the as
easements CT real estate, "a returned BY these
counties, ftfy per cent for Chittenden County,
and thirty per cent. for franklin County. There
WAS abundant argument, after this wrong WAS
committed. to show thst it vas right, and
elaborate calculations were submitted, TO prove
that the property Of those counties, in con-
sidera,ion Of their population and growth,
ougsf to have the increased value set upon it
for taxes WeshoTed the fAllscy Of some Of these
at the time. We showed that the increase ret
upon the zeal estate Of Chittenden County by
the Legislature, wss hgaaty-Hiae per cent more
taan the increase Of its population would
warrant. But here was more effective reply
than thzl and that was, that in point Of fact
there was 10 such increase in theprices or value
q zeal estate in this county. No amount Of
figuring could convince the farmers Of Chitten-
Zen County that their farms should be ret in the
LET for take, at about double the rate per acre Of
the valuation Of the rich fsrms Of Addison ard
Rutland Counties, when, in point Of
fact, the Chittenden County farms would
realize no more FOR their ownerr. per acre,
either to cultivate or to sell, than the Adiiton
and Rutland County farms.
Bat the farmers Of this county submitted to
the wrong, paid their taxes (some Of them uu-
der protest. and have waited for time to right
the wrong, snd 20 relieve them from the imputa-
tons freely cast upon them throughout the
State, Of attempting to get cut Of paying their
full share Of The State tsxes
We claimed at the time that the property cf
Chittenden county wss assessed, as q result q
the action Of the State Equalization Committee,
at leA,t Twenty-Five per cent. above its proper
tionate value, ard we have never doubted that
az impartial valuation Of the properly Of the
State would demonstrate that fact
Such valuation and such demonstration
has now been furnished by The United Ststes
census
We received, three days ,ince, from the su-
perintendeut of the Census, the advance sheet,
of the Statistic, of Wealth, Taxation and
Public Iniebteiness" These contain tables
giving the value Of the real and personal prop
erty as assessed for purposes Of State taxation,
by counties; and also the actual value Of the
came, as estimated by the officers making the re-
turns
Superintendent Walker ststes that great care |
has been taken to make these estimates worthy /
Of confidence To secure uniformity, the duty
Of making the estimates w&s committed, in Yer |
mont and the smaller States, to single Deputy |
Marshal in each, selected with respect to /
special qualifications and character, and their |
figures, based on thorough personal canvass, the |
Superintendent tay,, may be Sssumed to be
reasonably just and clore to all the facts and
conditions Of the csEe.'' We copy below the two
columns Of assessed aud true valuations, and
have added to them column showing at what
per cent. Of the real value the severAl cean,ies
have been ssse,sed-the assessment If will no
understood, being that made by the legislature
Of 1870
1t will be seen that that whereas the other
counties of the State are Assessed 4; rx;es v.rv-
ing from 81 to 43 per cent Of the true value of
their property, Chit;enden County i, a.,e.sed =,
'tztyfour per cent, and Franklin County q,
Jyty-ei9hf per cent. Taking out those two coup-
ties' we ind the average assessment for the re,.
oil the State to be Jorty-oae per cent. Of the ,o-
'uai value. In other words. for two years tbi,
county has been paying tloenty-tlree per cent
more than its fair share Of the State t.xe, and
Hnnknn c'uniy 'sveEtsen per cent. more Tbs