Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-08-14

Inc financial oppression which always tOl-
lows All inflated issue of irredeomable pa
| por money, has overtaken our people. Its
| first effects are always manifested to and
| among the producing members of society.
| The farmer, mechanic and day laborer are
the first and the largest sufferers, from the
evils incident to n faulty monetary system.
The wages of the mechanic and the laboror
havo been reduced; the ability to pur-
chase the farmers productions has been
impaired; prices have fallen; the mort
gage on tho farm grows larger, instead of
smaller the capitalist and the broker de-
mand extravagant rates of interest taxa
| ton increases, while the ability to pay tax
es dlmlnishes. 1t Is only by the hardest
| exertion and the most painstaking econo-
| my, that the "wolf can be kept from the
door" The result Is that our small farms
are being abandoned by their occupants.
They gather up what is left of their shat
tered fortunes, and leave for the prairies of
the West, or for our crowded towns, and
still more crowded cities, in the vain hope
OF lettering their condition. These causes
have not only created anxiety and forebod-
| ing among the best portion of our popula-
| ton, but they have directed public atten-
ton to the means and methods by which
some of those burdens which bear so heav-
| lily upon the producing classes can be
made lighter. The meeting which was
held at our town hall on the evening of
August LIST, and which stands adjourned 10
the 18th, Is one of the indications OF public
| sentiment.
Windham county and the town OF Brat
| tleboro are fair illustrations of the whole
State. There Is no town in Vermont, and
no county in the State, of the same popula-
ton, where the proportional aggregate of
wealth is so large. BratIleboro has within
| its limits one savings bank with Il capital
of almost one and one-half millions OF dol
lars; another, nearly new, with II capital
| of q quarter of a million two banks of
| discount with capital and surplus of more
than half a million, aud many men OF
large wealth. You cannot count upon
| your fingers, Mr.. Editor, tho men who in
| our favored town have fortunes exceeding
hundred thousand dollars. 1t is the
| great dividing centre for Windham cuuu-
| ty and portions of New Hampshire and
Massachusetts. Its merchants are among
tho most enterprsug and prosperous in
the State. A large amount of capital is in
vested in mercantile pursuits; IL still larg-
er amount Il manufacturing interests, OF
which wo are justly proud. We have in
our beautiful town the model insane asv-
lum OF New England. 1t is the property
Of benevolent corporation, and is worth
at least quarter of "A million. We have
some of the most costly aud magnificent
churches in the Stale, costing with the four
or five parsonage, at least one hundred
thousand dollars. Within the last decade
the wealth of Brattleboro, in the shape of
bonds, bills, notes, stocks, uIolt cages aud
money has more uan doubled.
Yet, who pays the taxes? Is ii the cap
talist, the manufacturer, the merchant,
the banker, rich corporations, the churches
and Railroads.&c. Not at all. All their prop
erty is protected by he law. The larger
portion Of the time of the legislature, the
| courts and The officers OF the law, is devut-
ed TO their interests, and their protection,
but yet they pay almost nothing toward
the expense OF this protection. The man
ufacturer shields all his property, real and
personal, from taxation, with the law Of
1869, which exempts it for five years. The
churches, parsOnages, and insane asylum,
are kept out of the list of taxable property,
because held for "public, pious and benev
client uses" The railroads, because their
managers have for years controlled our
legislatures, aud by judicious use of
free passes" aud "retainers," have kept
all the millions Of railroad property in the
State out of its grand list. The banks pay
some portion of the taxes, but'far less than
they should pay. The broker, the capital
lat, the merchant, all avail themselves of
tue statute authorizing II deduction for
debts owing, to keep nearly all their per
sonal estate, even their bank stock out OF
the grand list.
A few statistics taken from oar grind list
illustrate the truth of the above statements.
In 1868, after all the personal estate that
could be got into United States bonds, aud
thereby placed beyond the reach of taxa
ton, had been thus placed, the appraised
value OF the personal property in Brattlc-
boro which went into the grand list was
1921, 678 in 1874 il had fallen to SAC, s73-a
loss of $3.50, 1903. While the taxable person
al property of Brattleboro has in fact
doubled since 1868, the grand list shows
that it has diminished $3.50, SO3. In 1868 the
real estate Of Brattleboro was appraised al
81, O40. 497 in 1874, 81, $50, 3s3-an increase o
$685. 1856. or the large capital invested in
the mercantile business in town, only $751;
329 pays any taxes. OF tho whole amount
of money on deposit in our savings banks
only $4,000 was returned by their officers
as taxable in Bratteboro and large por-
ton of that belongs to persons who do moi
reside here, but have falsely given their
residence as Bratteboro, in order to escape
taxation where they do reside. Does any
man suppose that Si46,s73 represents itht
taxable personal estate of Brattleboro? Is
1t fair, is it honest, that more than three
fourths of all the public burdens borne by
direct taxation, in Brattleboro, rest upor
its farms and householdsH Is there any
more reason why the shops, machinery
and capital of the manufacturer should bC
exempt, than there is why the home Of Tho
man who works ten hours each day in
one of those shops, to support his wife and
children, should be2 Is the business of a
manufacturer more honorable, more pro
motive OF the good of society, than that Of
the farmer, mechanic or laborer? Why
should the Legislature give to capital priv
ileges denied to laborP Why should no
the church, the parsonage and the insan,
asylum, pay taxos2 III the answer Is, "be
cause they are good institutions and pro
motors OF the welfare of society,"" that rea
son will not bear examination. The pull
pit Is no more worthy than the minister
who stands in it, and points out the way
to a better life and the path to a better land
II you say that the church should not be
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