Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-24

The Irregularities In Taxation.
The dissatisfaction with the Grand LIST
as now made up. in city, county ana ''a'e'
is very great, and is growing no less very
fast. as the taxpayers get information ."
the subieet. individuals in this city, and IN
other towns who have made honest returns
of their property, and who find themselves
naving twice or thrice as much taxes as
men who by common repute and according
% tho hest information available are worth
FIVE or ten times a. much as they are, con-
slider themselves entitled to growl upon the
s,b;ect Farmers, who do not consider
,he,oselres men of wealth. but whose pro
perty is all in land, and who discover that
their lists are much larger than men whose
nronerty IS mostly in money and whom they
have reason to believe men OF large wealth.
Al not Ike the arrangement. There are
farmer. in this county whose lists are larger
than that of any man in Burlington with per-
hans one or two exceptions; but it Is not
easv Ia make them believe that the men
of most wealth are to be found, not IN the
city but in the county outside, or that there
Is any Justice in their being listed as high
a. men who have much more means than
tbav have This complaint l. by no
mean. confined 10 this county. There
!. M Doubt that great As are the
,naoualjtje. in Burlington, as whole
personal property is listed higher and
more ef it gets into the lists, here than IN
tb. other large towns Does anybody be
lieve for Instance. that there Is no man IN
Montrclier worth more than so ,O00-whieh
= tb. 6ru,r at which james r. Langdon
goes int, Tire list-or that there are not over
ten men IN that town worth over Slo'-
On07-wbi,h we must believe If we be-
lieve the Montpelier list to be truthful
document.
Bat what can he done about II e.? That
Is not an easy question to answer satlsiac-
torily. Doubtless a great change might be
made for the better by certain changes III
the law In Massachusetts, under better
law. property is far more equally and fully
listed than in Vermont. The provision oil
our law allowing an offset for debts Cwihg'
is unquestionably made an instrument, u
INSCRIPTIONS hands, of immense injustice
and wrong. 1t ought to be repealed, say
many. Yet it seems pretty hard that
merchant should be taxed ON a big stock
Of goods ia his hands, for most of which
be i owrc Is it any harder, however,
than that land owner should be taxed on
all hi- land, though it may be mortsaged
for two-thirdS Of its value? There Is no
doubt that the allowance Of Offsets on per
sonal property does not work as 1t was IN
tended t., in very many cases. Perhaps it
might be guarded by judieious amendment
of the law But We are not very Sanguine
Of much or speedy improvement in our law.
The very evils of our system tend to per-
pe:uate it,
One thing, however, is clear the case
is not made better by saying nothing about
it. As long "a things 60 along quietly, and
men make dishonest returns Of their prop
crty without protest, and listers find that
their work is not criticised, the inequalities 1
will continue to exist and to increase, and I
the official plundering OF honest people. for I
the benefit of the cutter and less scrupulOus, /
will grow. At present, the only effective
remedy seems TO be ali appeal to the sense Of /
right and duty Of both taxpayers and listers
Tax-p should talk the matter over, and
get and give all the light possible. lndiyi-
duais who know where property is covered /
up from taxation, should give the listers the
benefit Of their knowledge. individuals who
cover up their property should be made 10
understand that it is no more respectable to
compel other people to pay their taxes, than
to make other people pay their honest debts
Of other kinds With enough Of this sort of
agitation doubtless many of the wrongs in
the list may be measurably righted. And in
time, we may possibly obtain a change in the
laws, which may he p towards securing fair
and honest lists, and more equal distribu-
ton OF the burdens of taxation