Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-08-28
Exemptlng Farms from Taxation.

The Chicago Tribune having published
an editorial on this topic, Hon. John Went
worth, Of Summit, Ill.,, sent that paper the
following letter:
have just read your article upon this
subject. Whatever may be my individual
views upon the merits of your entire prop
esition, think we had better stop little
short of it. would first try exemption to
land actually under cultivation or in crops.
This would do away with the cry OF "Land
Monopoly and give the man who owns a
thousand acres and cultvates only fifty, no
more exemption than the man who owns
only fifty and cutivates them all. This
would make the battle in the interest Of the
consumers as well as in that of the producer.
To be sure the luborng classes want beef,
and ought to have it and you cannot raise
cheap beef unless you raise it in large guam
titles, aud it requires broad acres for broad
steers. But the graziers would get some re-
lief in the exemption Of their corn crop, so
necessary in the winter months. So | would
not include hay and pasturage at first, in
view ofthc cry Of LAND .Monopoies. The
farmers can 20 no faster in their movement
than they eau commend themselves to the
interests of the purely industrial classes !;
and, in my labors to unite the two, | have
found this the best compromise ground-oue
that will do to begin upon If it works well
as know it will, then we can extend the ex-
empton to pasture and hay lands; aud
eventually make universal the conviction
that a prosperous husbandry is the best
| guarantee Of successful manufactures and oil
national wealth aud defense. Let us dis,
cuss this matter and stop for while gar
nishiUg the sepulchers Of our fathers by dis
cusSing the antiquated and never-to. be-set-
tied issues of the tariff, the currency, stump
tuary laws. &C., &c. Let us have n com
mittee upon graveyards and cemeteries, and
consgn thereto without debate all these
questions of impractical nature, and bring
before us the most important Of all ques,
tons : that Of cheapenng breadstutfs that
Of lessening taxation, and staying extravp'
gance that leads to temptation without and
corruption within" Let US "rememb,l
Lots wife"
1t is true that high taxation is drlviu!
agricultursts from our state, and it is equal
ly true that high taxation is keeping manu-
facturers out of it. And it is especially tru,
of Cook county. Several German farmer,
in my region have left, aud others have ad
vertsed their farms for sale, for this reason
Your estimate OF 80 per cent is none too
high. There is a struggle among every
class to throw taxation upon some othe
class Aud as the farmers are morgan
lied, except between old political parties iol
the purpose Of fighting each other, nearly
the whole of taxation finds resting place
upon their domain. 1t reminds one Of tn,
old fable, where one party of robbers set the
man and his wife to fighting, whilst tn,
others robbed the house.
Now beggars should not be choOsers ant
as lumber forests, which grow without Guilt
walton amid all hazard Of the weather, re
ceive the aid of government, are the farmers
asking too much when they beg that at leas
crops which require incessant toll, anC
which are dependent originally upon every
vicissitude Of weather, and finally upon the
fluctuations Of the currency, the whim o
every railroad, and the combination of every
money ring, shall be free from the conse
quences Of the extravagances, the defalca
tons and robberies, which neither Of the ole
parties has been able to prevent, and which
are not likely to be prevented whilst Their
are farmers willing to foot the bill ?