Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-01
THE LEGISLATURE AND ITS WORK.


The Legislature concluded It's labors on
Wednesday morning. Its session began on
the fourth day of October, and consequently
included forly-cight working days. Or the
legislation perfected n these days 1t is as yet
too early 10 speak in detail but there are
few lcahing measures which will make the
session long memorable--wllich loom up like
Pyramids in the midst Of vast desert OF en-
actmenls Chartering church and cemetery
associations, protecting the cheerful muskrat
iesalizing grand lists and doing Other in-
consequential things in great variety. All
these things have, as usual, occupied AN al
to4cher dspronor,iouatc amount OF thr
lie .isn,urc's timc aud attention, but beside
| them there are measures eff glcat and FAR
reaching Importance to he placed
to the credit oi HE great aud General
| Assembly. FIRST aud fnrcm 81 among
these IL the act lcyyng tho state tax
upon corporations. This law is wholly en-
perimcntal but If it works as VOL as its
| t. end claim that 1t will, it will alone I've
well worth the eNporsc and trouble OF the
entire session. The objections 10 il have
been made familiar tn oar readers. The
chief, ST is that II is unconstitutional. How
,ha' may prove 10 b., remains TO lie seen.
A. TO the otter great objection, that it bears
hardly on the people Of the smaller towns, VT
are unable 10 see any force whatever. Moth
nr, in or opinion could be faircr than ~"
per capita tax laid on the whole body OF The
cop'c and if such n tax becomes nCces.
sary--wbich is not absolutely certain We
believe It will be pai,! promptly and cheerful
! ~. Tho good points Of the bill are numcr.
Gus aud wcighty. 1t taxes organizations
wkich have heretofore enjoyed all the beue
fits of government without giving any
thug In return. 1t relieves he
people Of Il taxation which did
not Justly belong IL them to pay II
sweeps away the whole awkward and cum
bcisomc machinery of boardsof equalization
| With these aud other good points which /,
includes, VT sincerely hope that the bill will
work well in practice and that il will prov,
all that its friends expect Of it.
Tao so.cliltd "uew lax law has beer
amended So ia 10 make it more efficient and
to diminish the objections brough, against
some Of its more inqnistoral features. We
aic not sure that the amendment which pro
vidcs that the inventories shall not be opcr
to public inspection is altogether to he com
| I,tt ! l.. liz.
mcnt in lis favor that under the old system t
man was Obliged 10 lay ovcn his whole pri
waite business to the public-a disclosure moi
only icpugnant in itself but which in n great
AMI result in much trouble Otherwise the
amendments will commend themselves to the
popular judgment and with the law thus
perfected we shall expect TO sec coutinl-
| ancc Of its great success.
The host of other hill, adontrd will call fol
| notice n, some future time, when all the
r-turns shall be ill., In the mass, there are,
We believe, none Of first rate Importance savc
taose already alluded 10, and when they 90
mo effect they will cause no great upheavil
IN nur social and political life. OF the things
left undrnc by the Legislature, that most t.
be regretted is its failure to do anything for
the improvement of our common school sys.
ton "a failure upon which we have already
commented ami The disastrous consequence
of which we have pointed out. The wide
" obnoxious highway Inv was left in pretty