Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-13

to enhance its value will receive your cor
dial support
| Fisheries.
| am informed that your attention will
be called to the necessity of some change
in the present law relating to the protcc-
ton of fish
| The subject is one of no little Importance
to many persons, particularly to those living
on the shores Of Lake ChamplaiD, and to
the thousands who therel make their SUM
mer homes.
The Fish Commissioners have practical
and scientific knowledge, and trust that
ample power will BE- given them, or other
proper persons, to enforce such laws AS arc
enacted.
Methods OF Taxation.
Many writers on this subject hold that only
real estate should be taxed while the other
extreme view would tax all property, visible
and invisible, the amount of invisible prop
erty to be asccraincd by placing every per
son under oath as to the list returned by him.
The latter is substantially our present plan,
though We make many exemptions in both
classes and allow offsets for debts, against
personal property. You will probably be
asked to enact a law by which offsets can be
made against real estate, to the amout of the
mortgages thereon, but such relief would not
he uniform unless extended to debts not So.
cured by mortgage. Such laws would be
Just, but would tend to increase the number
, of mortgages, and to perpetuatc those al
ready existing. Exemptions and offset!
, should be abolished or made uniform upor
every species of property. Perhaps cqua
, justice would be done by abolishing offsets
which in our last list amounted to over $50
100000. This sum, added to the presen
| UnnlI hn raj &
per cent of taxation, and be more uniform
and just than the present system. In any
event, justice demands that the owners o
/ real and personal property should he put oi
the same basis of equality.
The present law was the result of an earn
est, honest effort to equallZe the burdens o
taxation, and to remedy the evils notorious
, y existing under the old law. The stcI
o having been taken, and apparently approved
o by the people, no pains should be spared T.
make the law AS perfect as possible. BY il
O operation, the amount of personal propcrt
I, subject to taxation has been more increase
G than that of real estate relieving to this eN
tent, only the owners of real property
$ Those who pay only poll tax have recevc'
G tue greatest benefit, and this is the class tina
e most deserves relief.
@ The appraisal of 1881, without equalizin
n boards, created perhaps the most unequl
s real estate grand list we have ever had Tha
= of 1882, after equalization, is much NOR
Y uniform, but is far from perfect. When tn
j, county boaTdsmee the fact that one of the
/. number is to be chosen II member of tn
!, State board has bad effect. | would sul
= gest that, in future, State boards he appoint
l. ed by the Governor from the members of tn
\, county boards, or that ii he made the dut
n Of county boards to elect their members {
the State board before doing any other bus
n ness.
1t is claimed that the present appraisal c
IL railroad property, not having been submitte
to the equalizing board. is much lower tina
u it should be- and this deserves your after
g ton.
d No law will prevent the race of iraudN' /
> ESCAPED taxation. II will never cease III
till State taxes are raised in some other mai
IT ner. Several States pay their ordinary el
1t penses by a tax on corporations bi
II adopting this system was presented to IL
last Legislature by Ex-Governor Page,
Is Rutland. Another plan is that embraced
IS Il bill introduced by Senator Dwinell at Il
C same session. by which State taxes are /