Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-08-25
State Expenditures.

State Expenditures.
In our issue of July 2Sth, we made gen
eral review of the whole subject of our state
expenses in refutation of the sweeping
charges made in the platform adopted by
the state Democracy in their convention at
Burlington. The constant reiteration OF
these charges by the Democratic press and
speakers as the day of election draws near,
and the recently completed reports of the
state officials for the last biennial term, give
occasion for more detailed examination of
this matter about which our Democratic
friends are so much concerned. The latest
phase of the current Democratic position
on this subject is embodied in pamphlet
entitled "Facts for Vermont Voters which
their state committee is distributing
throughout the state. This pamphlet seems
to be made up of editorials and items taken
from the Argus and Patriot, the recognized
organ of the Vermont Democracy. The
leading article is an editorial, Some Things
about State Issues" from the Argus of
august tbls III lllS tlOlClc ~ 10 hooci bcu bIdu
"the current state expenses have increased
from one hundred and SIXTY thousand dollars
Just before the war to t,oo hundred and
t,oenty-nine thousand just after" Gravely
conceding that during the war some in
crease of expenditures was inevitable the
writer proceeds to say that call extraordi-
nary expenditures ought to have ceased
with the declaration of peace" but that
"they now reach the enormous sum of four
hundred thousand dollars" Tacitly admit
ting the wisdom of appropriating "a small
sun" for our public institutions-educa-
tional, charitable and acknowledgement cas-.
ually abiding to the fact that {" the state is
not largely in debt" the writer exclaims
"and yet our state expenditures are increas.
ing from year to year."
We propose to show that not only are the
statements false as to the amount of our state
expenditures at the periods named, but that
they have steadily diminished since the
period "just after the war, till, during the
year just ended, they are comparatively less
than "just before the war;" Our Demo
cratic friends, with that indefniteness which
always characterizes weak cause, do moi
fix any precise dates, by means of which
the truth of their statements can be tested
but the year 1860 may be fairly taken al
the period "just before the war;" By ref
erence to the reports of the state officers fol
1860 it appears that the total expenditures
for that year were S230,4S9.42.
OF the sums drawn from the state treas
ury for court expenses and salaries of judges
of probate, which are included in the
above amount, there was repaid to the treas
urer:
By S Sdses Of Probate Tor fees s1es5
Making total s,75l6;
which, deducted from the total expendi
lures, leaves S22l,737.7 as the actual ex
pense Of running the state government TO
the year 1850, or "just before the war;" in
stead of 100000 as claimed by the Demo
cratic organ. There are two facts which W
wish to mention here. One is that in 1856
the expense of prosecutions under the stat
liquor law was borne by the towns. Subse
quently it was assumed by the state and ha
since formed considerable item in GU
court, and consequently in our state, g,
penses. This fact must be remembered i
making comparisons of this with subsequer
years. The other is that the state owed 9
this time 1892, 43S.0i. The state tax fc
this year was twenty cents on the dollar {
the grand list. AS the grand list was the
somewhat less than $9S0000 an additions
tax of twenty cents, making total of fort
cents, would not have placed the sta
finances in as good condition as they we
at the close of the fiscal year ending Jul
81, 1880, when the great complaint is tn
the state tax has increased to forty cen
on the dollar of the grand list. 1t is props
to state here that the expenditures durin
1860 for public institutions were;