Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-01-15
Qbs ftteman.
MONTPELIER, VT,
WEDNESDAY.JANUARY -, 1873.
Rebellion.

Rebellion.
The people of Franklin County have,
through meeting of the selectmen of the
various towns in that county, resolved on
rebellion against State authority in the mat
ter of taxation. They may hereafter recon
s;der this resolution, but while it stands as
their determination, it is proper 20 treat 1t
as expressive of serious purpose to resist
at pr. sent any State taxation. Aud ttey
have come to this determ nation. not for
the purpose of bringing the question Of the
legality OF The tax before the courts for a
juc icial decision, but to avoid paying the
tax irrespective of its legality; or rather,
perhaps, it ought to be said, because they
are satIr fed, after taking legal advice, that
the tax cannot be resisted Ia legal grounds.
We are quite amazed at such q conclusion
arrived at by any portion of the law-ablding
PEOPLE of Vermont and it is sufficiently ex-
traOrdnary to warrant careful inquiry into
its cause and justification, if it has any.
The laws Of the state provided Tor d qun-
quennial valuation OF the real estate in the
several towns in the first place by the lis
tiers of the towns, in the second place by the
county averaging boards, and then by the
equslizing committee Of the General Assem-
bly,; this last action receiving the approval
of the legislature. The appraisal in 1870
was, so far as we know, in form, strict com
pliance with the statute, no one Of the inter
mediate steps being taken by any unauthor-
lied bodies. The complaint is tha at the real
estate in the counties of Chttenden, Fr4nd-
lin and Grand Isle was fixed uItim ltely at
valuation too high in comparison with that
of other counties IN the State. This may be
true; but, unfortunately. perhaps, for those
making the complaint, neither the laws nor
the constitution of the State make the people
of those counties the ultimate judges of that
question. The legislature of the State is the
tribunal of last resort on that question; and
while that tribunal may enact injustice into
law, under our theory of government re-
dress can only be sought through the people
and the action of a subsequent legislature.
That redress the people of these counties
have invoked and we are by no means prepared
to sag that they did not make such show
ing before the legislature last fall a fully
warranted the favorable action asked for
sSsslI sheAlegislatut BEL. in the exercise OF its
ssiacassed powers, refused the relisf asked
4or; add b0v the eDuntiss asscref o RSia'ka
a6ay By Wat action talk 1t refaasling By what
are really measures Of violence, Ina Oh
as the refusal of an officer to perform duty
imposed by law is as essentially resistance to
law as the actual resistance of the individual
to the executi of legal process-to pay
their State taxes.
Is it not tolerably plain that such course,
if permissible, destroys all State auth )rity
Can one county or three counties determine
what shall be law for the whole State
Must an appraisal of real estate be satlstac-
tory to every body, in order to be binding
May any individual in town rightfuily re
sist by force any tax that be believes unjus
toward him? Is the appraIsal of the listers
only of force against those who agree that Il
is lair aud just?
These are only a lew of the many question
to which the action of the F ankIn COUNT
sslectmen at once gives rise. SJuth Caroliu
ooce refused to allow duties u be coIlectt,
In the port Of Charleston because the peop
of that State did not agree to the justice o
those outies The duties were coIlec6e d
however
We had hitherto supposed that Republican
forms OF government were meant to make
rebellion unnece sary; in other words, tina
they meant that each individual, and similar
ly each town and each county, agreed it a
lowed voice in making the laHs, 10 b
bound by the laws when made. The law
may not always be Just or right. but the re n
edy is not rebellion it is an appeal to the
people al the next election, and the utxt,-
and the next,-until justice is finally reached
If this is not the philosophy OF our theor,
of government, then it Is no improvement
upon it's pr decessors, and an election and
Legislature are purposeless and useless.
it is the true principle, what justiicatio
can there be for the course proposed by tn
selectmen of Franklin County?