Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-03-07
TIE TOWN NEETLNG-

For the information OF the voters of
Brattleboro It l. hardly necessary to enter in
to detailed account Of last Tuesday, town
meeting, because the voters were all tbera
and ready TO take hand in whatever spro.
ceedings' might arise. For moderator s. n.
Herrick and Col. j. j. Estey were placed IL
nomination. The house was divided on mo-
tion OF Gen Lynde, and MI Herrick was
elected. motion having been carried IN
suspend the regular order of business and
take up the auditors report for consideration.
Mr. Herrlck said that as the occasion WAS ey
identity meant TO be Ibis funeral he would
call on Mr.. c. F. Thompson to present some
facts with regard to his record as a tax oolIec.
tor which had been called in question Mr.
Thompson thereupon took the floor and made
detailed statement in regard to the disputed
state taxes from 1868 TO 1874, during which
period Mr.. Herrick was collector Mr.
Thompsons statement showed the operations
IN connection with the state tax with the ex
cess or deficit year by year. In this state
ment all excesses due the town on account OF
the state tax were charged to Mr. Herrick
The uncertain element IN this whole matter
Mr.. Thompson said. Is connected with the
Attachments, the state allowing a fixed ann, NJ
= per cent. for abatements-au amount
which sometimes was and sometimes was not
sufficient TO cover the Attachments which the
AoWh hA7 GuAlEtl 10 AllOM-LlH town bplup
the gamer or loser ss the case might be-. In
four out OF the - years in the period named
the attachments as allowed by the board of
civil authority were not separately given by
the town officers ut the time. and CONSEQUENT
~ the attachments allowed on the state tax
can only be estimated These were the four
years from 1860 to 1865 when the abatements
must Of necessity have been very large In
loO' no record whatever of abatements on
the state tax appears Giving the town the
benefit OF the same average excess for these
four years US IL the other eight years when
the excess, as positively arrived at amounted
to Sl02 the balance in Mr. Herrick's favor
for the whole = years amounts to about $40
"A sum 30 small as to show that no error of
any magnitude could have occurred. This
was the substance of Mr. Thompsons state
ment The figures we do not attempt TO give
because in due time an official statement of
the whole matter will be made public When
Mr.. Thompson was through, Gen W. W.
lynde took the floor, affirming that he knew
Mr.. Thompson's statement was not correct
and giving figures which, he claimed showed
there was large deficit in Mr. Herrick's &C.
counts ss collector. Gen. Lynde also thought
that remark OF Mr.. Thompson about bear
ing false witness against ones neighbor had
been aimed at him
@. II. Davenport, Esq, editor of our es-
teemed contemporary, the Windham County
DetdmeT, then appeared upon the scene. Mr..
Davenport was so shocked that Mr.. Thomp-
son should presume to appear in public with
an ser pdrte" Statements statement which
the speaker 'grieved TO say" he believed 10
be knowingly fRlse"-that his emotion
would hardly allow him to proceed. In his
INST Mr.. Davenport waved Rloft handful of
Boiled and rumpled papers, shouting that they
contained Figures from the Office of the
state treasurer" When, finally, Mr. Daven-
port had sufficiently curbed his outraged
moral sensibilities to allow him to proceed.
he essayed to read some of the figures from
his papers, but was at once brought to a halt
by Mr.. Thompson, who showed him that his
figures corresponded exactly with those which
he (Ihompson) had presented. Mr.. Daven-
port stammered, hemmed and hawed, and
finally gathered himself for another effort and
attempted to give some grand-list figures,
but was again Immediately tripped by Mr.
Thompson, seconded by Judge Newton, and
thereupon our esteemed brother in the profess
sion retired from thescene, covered with con
fusion If not with glory.
At this point Mr.. Herriek said few words
for himself, producing and reading a letter
which Gen. Lynde had written him lust after
the town meeting year ago, and which Gen.
Lynde had himself mentioned in his remarks.
This letter referred to the error of $500
which occurred in Mr.. Herricks account a
year ago, asked Herriok to meet Lynde alone
on certain afternoon, said that he, Lynde,
could show Herrick larger errors" in the
tax books for 1868 10 '6G, and added that he
Lynde, had known Of those errors since he
was auditor in 1880, but he thought he would
say nothing about it then-Rs he had none Of
the money to pay. The reading of this letter
naturally produced a sensation in the meeting.
At this point, at the suggestion of several
gentlemen, this discussion, which had oontin-
ued two hours, was suspended, and com
mittee was appointed TO investigate the sub
Jsot OF Mr.. Herriek's old state tax accounts.
get at the bottom facts and report. This
committee was made TO consist of Geo. S.
Dowley, chairman, G. +. Thompson and W.
W. Lynde.
The regular order of business, which was
the choice of officers, was then resumed. s.
N. Herriok was nominated for first selectmap.
nc other candidate was named against him,
and he was elected by reclamation by an over.
whelming vote. All the other officers were
elected by reclamation, the whole remaining
business Of the day being accomplished hi