Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-18
Less Taxes.


er. is just now agitating the matter of
taxes in most edifying manner, and we
will give our readers some idea of some Of
the methods proposed by which this most
desirable change is to be obtained.
Some have proposed the reducing of the
number of judges of the supreme court,
hut Bro. Thayer objects to this-there are
now none too many judges, and they are
worked to degree that it would be iuhu
man to add in the least iota to their labors,
or subtract from their salaries. But he
would abolish side Judges and grand
.iurieS-they are objecs of useless orna-
iuent, and he also would recommend the
passage of a law providing for the appoint
ment by the governor, upon the recon-
nendation of the selectmen, of trial
justice for each town, whose duty it shall
he to try all civil cases in which the sum
in dispute does not amount to over five
hundred dollars, the same as they are now
tried in the county courts, either by jury
or by the court, as the parties may deter
mine, and also try all the smaller criminal
cases. We would have the law so framed
that an appeal could be taken from the
decision of trial justice court to the
held, on law points, as is now allowed
from the county courts to the supreme
court"
1t is supposed that the inability of law
yers to find LAW points on which tC
take an appeal would materially lessen
litigation in county courts.
A correspondent who evidently has wei
defined ideas of the cause and cure fol
high taxes, thus clearly puts the matter
before the public;
There is u moral weakness somewhere
either in the framing of the laws of taxa
ton, or in the instruments of their eXecu
ton. The greatest legislative blockheaC
can see the injustice as well us the absurd
ity of millions of ratabe estate being un
taxed, and other property, | was about t.
say, but mortgage which the state nov
compels the poor man to pay a tax on
not property, but most convincing proc
of it.
Certainly; there's no disputing that.
But Bro. Hoskins lays the AK at the roc
of the tree in the following letter to tn
Farmer:
CHEAPER COURTS.
Mr.. Edjtor:-Cheese pairing economy
g l.. T., 4
judgeships, etc., is not going to amount t
much. But if we had the courage to abol
ish the whole legal credit system and lie
every man trust another at his own risk
we should sweep off at least three quarter
of our taxes at one clip, and set prout
example of common sense to the rest G
the states. Throwing out the few grea
railroad suits, the cost of collecting debt
by law is greater than the recoveres, al
going to the benefit of lawyers and cour
officers. If this cost was confined to the
litigants it would not be so bad, but mos
of it comes out of peaceable and sensibl,
people who never 60 to law, and who, ST
far us they can, have already repudiatet
that relic of barbarism, the legal credi
system. Horace Greeley put the whole
thing in a nut shell, when he said that i
A was fool enough to trust B he had nj
right to call on G to contribute to the cos
of collecting the debt. OF course the ma
iority always think that what has beer
must be. Every reform must be Tough
out against the moral inertia of the mul
titude. do not expect the old fogieS t.
see the point. If any of them had beer
in existence when God created the eartt
they would have exclaimed in horror
"Chaos is going to be destroyed Blu
let us drop the idea that the legal cred
system is costly absurdity into the mind
of our young men, and perhaps the neg
generation will vote it down. Most {
the good done is done in that way. The
who plant the seed rarely see the fruit.
We fear Bro. Hoskins is rather too cor
sentative. Why stop here when 50 exec
lent a field opens beyond for further +
formP If A steals BIS horse why shou
G be compelled to help catch the thief III
support him in Jail till court sits, and pr
all the costly process of his trial and
discharge-or if by some msadventure
be convicted, his keeping in prison for
term of years? Or if A. in the heat of
quarrel or otherwise, bats B over the hea
why should G be called on to catch a
punish him, while B sits in corn
and wipes his weeping eyes? Or furth'
if A seizes possession of a piece of la
belonging to B, why should G be called
to help drive him off?
1t seems to US there is here fine fie
for retrenchment, and we claim the cree
of first expounding it, but willingly gi
the doctor the credit of the leading hint.
But old fogies are so slow, and so mu
fear sweeping changes that we fear refor
must come by the cheese pairing econon
rather than in such radical though who
some changes.
l learned from an old Methodist minst
an EASY chean and effectual nlan tn Ike