St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-09-03


ing mule. VOTER.
Published by Request of the Grange.J
What the Nominees Say---and What
They Don't Say.
Below is the correspondence of the
ex. committee of the Caledonia County
Pomona Grange, with the nominees for
Senators of Caledonia county:
Believing that the present system of
taxation in the state is oppressive to
the agriculturist, that many of the sala-
ries of state officers are unnecessarily
high, that the present listing laws are
defective and the state expenses bur-
densOme to the people, we would re-
spectfnlly request you to give your
views upon the above subjects, and the
course you would feel bound to pursue
should you be elected to the Office for
which you are nominated.
P. L. PIERCE, Sec'y.
RESPONSE OF ALEX. COCHRAN.
Yours of the 10Th is received, and in
reply would say, that 1 am not in favor
of the present system of taxation in the
state as 1 have always been opposed to
it, believing it to be unequal, for the
reason that the farmer or land-hOlder
often has to pay taxes on his whole
property and even more than he is
really worth in dollars and cents, while
the man who has his money in bonds,
stocks or notes often does not pay on a
tenth part of his property. This is not
right, and l believe it to he oppressive,
and l would favor a system of taxation
in the state that would more fully equal
ize the burdens of the state and other
taxes and l further think that many of
the state officers salaries are unnecessa-
rily high, and while the agriculturist
and producer have to fall back to the
prices they received before the war, al
so the labOrer has to take the same
compensation that he did at that time
Why should our state officers have
more? Is there any lack of getting
good men to serve in these positions at
a less salary Not any. do not answer
this letter with any expectation of ever
having the honor you speak of confer
red upon me, but remember that l am
willing to lend a helping hand in what
l believe to be right in regard to taxa
alton and expenses of the state.
RESPONSE OF E. D. BLODGETT.
have just received from You as sec
rotary of the executive committee of
Caledonia county Grange, communi-
cation expressing as an opinion of that
society, "that the present system of
taxation in our state is oppressive to
the agriculturist, the listing laws de-
fective, many of the state salaries ex-
cessive and@state expenses burdensome,
and asking my views upon these mat
tiers, and also what course | shall feel
bound to pursue in regard to same
should | be elected to the Office fol
which l am nominated" In reply, as
a nominee l beg to say, "words and
promises are cheap" and have none
to make, always intending to act my
best judgment rs the circumstances OF
any question may appear, and my only
guarantee for the future is the record OF
the past. As citizen and tax payer
my interests are identical with my
fellow citizens and taxpayers, and !
feel the burden of taxes as well. If oul
listing laws as they now stand were
honestly and justly executed, there
would be far less reason for complaint.
The fault is not so much with the law
as in its execution. In that great in
justice is practiced. There is but one
opinion, and none more ready than to
apply a remedy to this great wrong,
and a discrimination against any one
interest is a great wrong which should
expenses and state salaries, in 1876
had the honor of being assigned the du-
ties of chairman of a special committee
of the House relating to state expenses,
and herewith enclose copy of the re-
port of that committee and a resolution
offered by the same committee. At
that session many of the state salaries
were reduced while others remained I'M
changed, as they did not then appear as
excessive. With the highest regard for
the interest which your executive COM
mittee represent, remain, &c.
w. HI. Harris has failed to respond.