The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-03

BtioOuS IMAM IL MOulh III tnt DuDllC 0OOu.
1t having been publicly advocated, the PEG.
pie had no means of knowing whether or
not it was put in practice; but many ct
them believe, judging from the past that
ii has been in operation and that the re-
suits would be seen on the happening of
certain event There was no class of our
citizens, outside of certain few, who be
lleved in or could brook the employment
of such means. 1t was counter TO their
ideas of free institutions. "What :" said
one of our most nira-tcmperance men.
shall the French system of espionage be
introduced in Rutland? God forbid" II
was too much of an innovation on repub.
lican-democratic practices to obtain tbe
sanction of Nermon,er EXCEPT in extreme
cases. II extreme temperance men felt and
reasoned in this way, Is il any wonder that
the moderate men felt more strongly on
the subject? Then when to these two
classes was added the more or less extreme
ant-temperance men, can we be surprised
at the result? The representative elect is.
we believe, strict temperance man, bur
he was not concerned. or believed 10 he
concerned in these movements, and hence
this afforded one reason for his election.
We don't say that the republican candidate
was or was not member of the ''citzens
committee" Il contributor to their fund, if
they had any, or an adviser as to their
movements, but such was the general be-
lief and the result was the same. Our DO
siton is proved by the acts and votes of
temperance men, Tuesday, as. also, by the
fact that n large number remained away
from the polls altogether. An ultra NAH
either way could not, in our opinion, have
been elected representative, Tuesday. Had.
however, the republicans nominated man
of ability, not extreme in his opinions
either, he would have been elected bv a
large majority on the first ballet. This
feeling in reference to the "crusade." of
which we have spoken, we may say, as we
pass along. was not confined to Rutland
alone. but extended throughout the county
1t is sufficient To say that the vote for
states attorney shows this, reserving such
comments rs we may have to make on that
subject until another time.
There were two other causes which con
trlbuted TO this defeat both of which we
shall briefly consider. The tax PAYERS of
Rutland are intensely interested in the mat
ter OF taxing frailroad property, and well
they nay be. Within its limits are more
miles of railroad than are included in those
OF any other town in the state. Without any
data TO refer to at hand, we should saw that
the Rutland railroad had at least twelve
miles, the Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.
six miles and the Harlem Extension four
miles of road in Rutland. To this is to be
added gravel beds, freight, engine and sta
ton houses, car shops, ETC., etc. With this
added to the grand list of Rutland, with A
proportionate share of the personal pror-
erty, what effect would it have upon indi-
vidual taxation? At the lowest calcula-
ton, we believe that the taxes of every in
dividual tax payer in the town of Rutland
would be decreased one-quarter. Even
with doubt in reference to the right to tax
this class of property, the voters of the
town, at the last March meeting, almost
unanimously instructed the listers to place
it on the grand list 1t has all along been
understood that the next legislature would
be called upon TO remove the doubt and to
provide for the taxation of the real and per-
sonal estate of railroads, Yet IN the face
and eyes of this expressed opinion OF the
town. the republicans nominated as their
candidate for representative a man who
was president of one railroad, vice presi-
dent of another and director of third.
Then there was the necessity of regulating
the rates of transportation by laws upon
the proper decision of which much of the
future prosperity of Rutland and Rutland
county depends. Is it surprising that the
voters could not believe that such repre-
sentative would make the interests of the
several railroads subservient to those of
Rutland? Is it wonderful that some voters
thought that railroad president, vice pres.
ident and director was hardly the man to
advocate very strenuously the passage of
laws taxing, for the first time, property in
which he was largely interested; or of
taking charge of a measure by which the
managers of these same railroads should be
compelled to regulate their charges for
freight? We have written at greater length
than we intended, but we wished to be
done with this matter at once and forever.