Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1880-06-05
1864, and all the signs indicate that

1854, anu oil inc signs inuicate tuat
the end thereof is not yet.
The entire amount OF our state
expenses in tho year 1860 was $142,'
0S2.4S. In the year 1915 the eX-
penses OF the state were 1926. 726.-
90, being $lS3,744.4S in excess of
the year 1860, more than double, as
can be seen. The state expenses
for the year 1877 were 1915, 50l. 60.
The expenses for the years 1878
and 1870 will he made known when
the state auditor publishes his re.
port, which will be done in the
month of September in the present
year. | have no doubt that the two
last years will show quite IN in
crease in the expenses of the state
over the years preceding. We have
on our hands now to support two
re l0rmatory institutions. as they
are called, which we did not have
in 1860, u reform school and u house
Of correction. Whether our tax.
burdened people can well afford to
sustain such luxnrieS in a state so
purely agricultural rs is Vermont,
may well be questioned, but the eX
istence and support of these insti-
tutiOns in no way accounts for only
a small portion of the increased ex-
penses of The state.
1t il the expenses of our courts,
and the increased costs of criminal
prosecutions, and the increased fees
and salaries consequent upon the
extravagant legislation in the years
before referred to, that this vast
increase of expenses and the cOnse.
quent high rate of taxation must
be chargeable to. And the same
must continue until such time as
the legislature, in its wisdom, shall
undo the inflated legislation refer
red to, and bring us buck to the
economy and trugality of former
years, to the years previous to the
time when an irredeemable paper
currency was, from imperative ne
cessity, made by law II legal tender
Tor honest debts.
The great majority of the fines
imposed are in the liquor cases
which come up before the courts,
and most of the money paid into
the hands of the clerk of the court
is realized from that source; but
the Legislature, in fit of generosity
at their session in 1869, passed an
act, whereby one.lourth of all the
money realized from fines in such
cases should be paid, not to the
state as formerly, but to the COM
plainant, Or to the prosecuting Of
ticer. 1t seems to he as it now
stands very unequal partnership !;
for, while the prosecuting officer,
who is held to be he states attOl-
ney, is made liable Tor no COSTS or
expense, and is paid remunera-
tive salary for his services, whether
a successful prosecutor or not, still,
if he SUCCEEDS in proving any num-
Der of offences, great or small, he
has paid to him One-fourth of all
the money collected. If a fine OF
$500 is imposed, one hundred dol
lars of it is paid to the states at
torney. The attorney is liable to
no risk or expense, yet takes one
fourth of all the fines. AS Will be
seen at once, it is in the nature of
a bride to the prosecuting officer
and cannot be regarded in a very
complimentary light by the legal
profession, and such, | think, is
the view that most if not all of the
profession take of it.
The states attorney for Windsor
county has yearly salary Of $500,
which is an ample remuneration for
the service required of him; and the
salaries paid in other counties are
undoubtedly ample for the service
rendered, as | have never yet
known a lawyer to decline to take
the Office by reason of the made.
quacy of the pay. Four or five
weeks at the longest, in any one
year, is tue extent of time that any
states attorney in this county, com
petent for the place, has to devote
to the duties of this office exclusive
of other business. 1t is by far the
most lucrative office in the county,
except the Office of sheriff. | am
not aware that since this law of
1869, giving to the states attorneys
One-fourth of all liquor fines, prose-
BUTTONS of that class have been any
more vigorously looked after than
they were before, or that any more
fines for violation of the law have
been imposed, or any more money
collected. think, perhaps, some
more expense has been made to the
state, but no more money collected /;
while by means of this law, the
state loses One-fOurth of what it
ought to receive, and ysthe same
to the attorney, whom the state al
ready pays an ample salary TO for