Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-04
from the Rutland Herald and Globe !

|, 900 shares of stock and estimated as worth
Sl5O,OOO pays no tax on personal property :;
another director, who lives entirely on the
income of his money investments, pays no
tax on personal property; or, TO sum it up,
but two directors of this bank pay any tax at
all on personal property, paying on 81 200
each. All of them are reputcd rich men all
OF them live at the rate of from 50, 900 to
$1,000 ayear. Several of them keep car
riage and coachman, and yet sane
people are asked to bclive that the
total personal property that this en-
tire board of directors is equitably
liable for is but &, ,O00 he rest of the board
paying only poll tax and on real estate that
cannot be hidden. Another wealthy Bur
lingtOn capitalist, worth $500, 900 at the
smallest calculation, pays no tax on personal
property. One of the assessors, himself an
old and experienced business man and bank
official, bluntly denounced these reports as
cooked, and proposed to add considerable
sum, and compel these parties to make oath
to their list but one of the bank directors is
on the board of assessors, and the PROPOSE
ton failed. The method of cooking these
statements is by an offset of debts owing
The debts owing" are in reality mere men
of straw, as any business man knows how a
straw debt of this kind can be created in
proper FORM and extinguished at will. The
untaxable offsets swallow all taxable assets,
and yet these unfortunate paupers ride in
chaises, while people honest enough to report
their personal property for taxation, have
never yet been able to save money enough
to keep COW. The result of all
this systematic evasion of taxes on personal
property is that an undue share of the taxes
in the community falls upon the real estate
and the polls. Every year there is more
cheating of this sort performed, and the re-
suit is that a poor man in Burlington, with a
large family of children, whose hungry
mouths he can scarcely earn money enough
to feed with salt and potatoes, pays poll
tax OF $500, the tax of Burlington being 260
cents. Every year the number of unscru-
pulous tax evasions increases, so that Bur-
hngton's tax is nearly as high as it was in
her most expensive days, because the enOr-
nous evaslons, etc, have so greatly reduced
the amount of personal property reportedfor
taxation, that after a growth of thirty years
which has doubled its population the asses
sors are obliged TO believe that there is not
as much taxable wealth in Burlington in
1879 as there was in 1880.
Now we don't suppose the condition is Il
whit worse in Burlington than it is
anywhere else in the State where there
is the same opportunity. In Rutland
same height, because here there is 4
very large quantity of capital represented
I by the various manufacturing corporations
i'll such shape that it could not readily eS-
/ cape observation and find any sort of con
ccalmcnt or evasion of liability. of course
there is always one stereotype answer to all
/ these statements, viz : the answer of Tweed.
/ well wha; 10 You propose - do about II -
! The proper thing 10 be done about it is to
| initiate Connecticut, Mississippi and Min
nesota, and allow no offsets = if man
claims offsets for what he owes. let him pay
I what he owes better that than system
that is II convenient shelter for every sharp
[ fellow who creates Il straw debt in Wall
/ street in order 10 Shirk taxes in Vermont.
Another sound reform would he to do rs
! they do in Mississippi MAKE ersIybOdg sfrepF
/ IN his tist and place the reported tax lists ina
| public place, and encourage their inspection
| by the general public. New Hampshire has
| largely added 10 her grand list by reform in
her tax law. So has Connecticut. Well,
suppose We are stupid enough To keep on
returning Bill Twecd's answer, and pcrpet-
uating increased cvaSions cunningly every
wear: Why, then we shall finally meet Bill
Tweed's fate-public rrtribution.
Our Rutland contemporary naturally finds
it easier to score in detail the sins of Burling-
ton taxpayers than those of its own fellow
citizens. From what information we have,
we doubt if Rutland, Montpelier, st. Al
bans, or any other considerable town in our
State, can hold UP Burlington rs a sinner
above others in this matter. As TO individ-
ual cases, there is often room for a mistaken
judgment The public do not always know
well as he does himself Such develop
ments as are coming out in Rutland. for
instance, show how sometimes great reputed
wealth may carry with it a great burden of
Indebtedness, not known TO the public.
Until, therefore, we have the means of
accurate information as to any mans actual
pecuniary condition, we are always shy of
charging him with evasion of taxes or false
hood in the making of his returns for taxa
ton. But that the total evasion of taxes
in this city is enormous, and that it amounts
to outrageous robbery of the poor and honest
taxpayers, cannot he denied. That men of
property elsewhere do the same is no excuse.
The man who wilhholds from the list prop
erty liable to taxation, simply roIs the man
who cannot or will not do likewise. There
is plenty of such robbery in progress. The
periodical state of indignation on account
thereof is also in progress; but how any ef-
fective relief from it can be secured il is
hard to see Every Legislature has the sub
jcct up, and every one adjourns with moth
ment that each taxpayer should make oath
To his list, in detail, would undoubtedly, if
insisted on by the listers, be here, Us it is in
other States, Il great safeguard against
evasion. Now, our list is practically made
up of the figures which the taxpayers choose
To hand in (in unswOrn staiements) as what
they are willing to he taxed on. The result
ing injustice is simply tremendous
This is no new subject with us. That
Vermont has not better tax laws is nn fault
of ours We are and have always been.
ready Ia join hands with any who will asiiaie
and work for a reform OF our system. That it
will come S,nttjmc, We sill hope; hut that
it will ever be- reached without making it the
main issue. and clcctinE a Legislature with
especial reference, tn it. We begin 10 doubt
\ SHAMEFUL FEATURE Of the Hull murl,r
ease in New York WAS the reckless haste
with which most rf the New York papers
charged the murder upon the aged husband
of the vicim. Tie was man ot over three
Scnrc Years and ten in feeble health No
earthly motive for his commission of such =
crime WAS adduccd and the circumstances
and facts seemed To forbid rather than en-
coura.,. the suspicion that he could he the
murderer But from the first the H'rH and
other New York papers assumed thai some
one in the house must have committed the
deed iump,l 10 th,. conclusion that the hus
band WAS the man. and mIdc haste To com
mcnl nn the ease. aS ii croundrSs suspicions
were facts The Worcester Spy well SAYS
This is what is called trial by newspaper.
and announced as one of the great andhcnrii
cent discoveries nf the aye. 1t should rather
he called assassination 10y newspaper. and
the men who are guilty "i II should hc de
uouncctl as the most viciuuS and dangerous
elements nf sncicty. II is too much to hope .
that they are ashamed of their conduct, 4
though they may attempt some poor apology
for il hut they ought at least to bc made To
feel that their cruel and cauStlcs3 persecution .
of an innocent and snrcly afflicted old man is
regarded AS infamous hN ull whose opinion I
deserves respect or whose good will is worth .