The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-06-02
An Excellent suggestion.
Mr.. EDIToR:-

An Excellent Suggestion.
Mr.. EDIToR:-
The two great questions of the day
upon which the minds of the people of
the state of Vermont are most divided
and which are likely to be the leading
questions that will engage the attention
OF our next Legislature which is TO COM
mence at the Capital in October are the
regulation of the sale of intoxicating
liquors and the subject OF taxation.
III IS not my purpose to discuss the
former question at this time, but 10
confine my remarks to the latter.
70" long .~-.-- "a Uais IA tor tv 1901,
30 long that the memory of man goetb
not beyond, the burden of taxation in
this state has been very UNEQUAL and
unjust. What may properly be called
the visible property, by which mean
the real estate and such personal pro.
perry as could not be very well screen
ed from the investigation of the listers
has borne the great burden of taxation
Keeping the machinery of our STATE
government in all its branches. eyec1.
tive, legislative and judicial, in motion.
building our public buildings, support.
ing our public schools, maintaining our
highways and bridges, paying the mun-
lcipal expenses of our towns, Villages
and cities, &c. &C., while the Invisible
property, the money of the capitalist
has IN great measure, under one nre.
text or another, been kept from The
grand list, and has shirked its inst pro.
portion of the public burdens.
The possessions of man of moderate
means in the country are well known
to his neighbors and townsmen, rem.
dering 1t almost impossible for him to
hyela Rati!ng 81 hlses nTR eeffssoSS in t Tie
the capitalist may hold bio tiyusanus
and tens OF thousands of dollars worth
of securities unbeknown to his neigh.
bors or the listers, unless he is honest
enough to disclose.
10 correct tho then existing evils and
make taxation more equal the legisla-
ture OF 1880 enacted our present listing
law. Its great principles had been
adopted by our sister state of New
Hampshire. and has been found TO oc.
complish the desired result, and its
practical working in our own state.
where properly enforced, cannot fail to
be gratifying to every lover of Justice
and equal rights. The prominent fea-
ture of the law upon which its greatest
excellence depends lies in the provision
that every tax payer shall make list
under oath, in writing, of all his tax
able property, and also make oath that
no has not in any way disposed of any
for the purpose of avoiding taxation.
The effect has been to bring forward
for taxation over twenty millions of
dollars which, under. ss9me. spretfett ,qqg
relieving the masses of the tax.Sayers.
and placing an equitable share of the
public burdens upon the capitalists
where it belonged. A law producing
such beneficent results, while it does
injustice TO no one, should receive the
hea rty support of every good citizen.
The law is distasteful TO many of the
capitalists of the state, as is evidenced
by the reluctance on the part of some,
and the refusal on the partof others, TO
comply with its requirements.
Whether it is sought to be evaded
through fear of exposure of tho short
comings of the past or desire to shirk
their snare of the public responsibilities
l am unable to say, nevertheless the
fact is patent, and if can read the
signs of the times desperate effort
will be made on their part to wipe il
from our statute book and restore the
good old times of the past when the
farmers paid the taxes.
If the mass of the people desire to
sustain the law the time for action
is at hand; II ! The ppssqplse nTqn1 Bnf
if they are caught mapping the conse.
quences may be serious to them. Let
| fn of
lature is made up of men who will
labor for the best good of the greatest
number and not to make the rich richer
and the poor poorer.
Let them not wait till the slate is
made up and the political machine is
oiled and set going by few politi-
cal wire workers striving for places
for Themselves and their special friends,
but take the matter into their own
hands and see to it that no one gets a
place who will not act for the general
good.
Elect men whose interests are iden-
teal with the interests of the masses
1t is idle to suppose that the average
legislator, when he has any pei sonal
interest in measure, will vote against
that interest. He will find plenty Of
arguments that are satisfactory in hi:
own mind, to make his course consis
tent.
In the order of time the first thinl
!, that demands the attention of the voteri
of Addison county toward the making
up of our next legislature is the selec
ton of candidates for county senators
and on this point shall speak only o
the Addison district. r
While we have good many men TO
the place in this part of the county Their,
has no name been suggested whicl
seems TO be any more filling than tina
of Dea. Sam'l James of Weybridge
: Mr.. James is so well known that Il /
useless to enlarge upon his qualities
: , lions for the position. Suffice It to sa
!, that he has had legislative experience
= that he is sound upon the liquor ques
: ton, and all the great moral question
= OF the day; that the present listin
J law has received his attention as lisie
!, for the past year and the present, an
: !. has his hearty approval, and that his Ia
: terests are Identical with the interest
J OF The great mass OF the tax payers {
the stale. CAUTION.