St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-03-14
UNEQUAL AND UNJUST TAXATION.

Mr.. Editor In 1882 a state law
was enacted to divide the taxable
property of the state. The object
(as explained at that time), was to
make a fair division of taxable prop
erty-One part to pay the state ex-
penses, the other to pay the county
and town expenses.
Now it turns out that the state
and town expenses have materially
increased since 1882, particularly the
state expenses for the current year,
but the entire burden to pay the ex-
travagant expenditures of our last
legislature falls entirely upon one
class of property, and for some unex-
planned reasonit turns out to be that
class of property that is the least
able to pay. If fair and just divi-
sion of property was made when the
new system of taxation was adopted,
can any fair-minded man tell why
one part of this property should be
exempt from paying its share of any
additional expenses that may have
been legally incurred from time to
time. 1t looks to an observer as if
the tools of corporations had said to
the farmers and wOrkingmen: We
will spend just as much of your mon
ey as we please, and you poor igno-
pay the bills.
Suppose the farmers and working
men had .petitioned the legislature
for relief from the heavy burden of
taxation for county and town pur-
poses, and a bill had been framed to
assess additional taxes on corpora
lions for the relief of the hard work
ers, does anyone suppose that the
State House would have held the
lobby that would have been on hand
to defeat such a measure, and yet
tax of over three hundred and fifty
thousand dollars was assessed on
one class of property, which is much
more unreasonable for the simple
reason that the corporations are
abundantly able to pay, while it is a
severe hardship for many of our citi-
zens to pay even their just share of
taxes
We think that the time has come
for the farmers and workingmen of
the state of Vermont to assume and
run their own business. They can
not afford to work, when called upon
by the state to decide the most mo-
mentous questions, for mere pit
lance, scarcely enough to pay their
expenses, while the state commission
erS and committees with no very diff
ficult or responsible duties to per-
form, are paid from three to eight
dollars per day, besides theirexpenses,
and when no special price is set this
class of state employees are to receive
five dollars per day and expenses.
The truth is the servant is a long
ways ahead of his master. The mas
ter is obliged to economic at home,
and when away on business is obliged
to patrOniZe only plain entertain
ment, while some of the state ser
wants dress in purple and fine linen,
patronizing all the high priced hotels,
and attending all the receptions
necessary to perpetuate their office
and keep up the high standard of
their salaries.
1t seems to me that the time has
fully come that this one sided man
should cease, and that all
the property i'll the state should pay
its Just share of the taxes and that
the public servant should not fare
any better than the great mass of
his employers.
Farmers and wOrkingmen, you
have the remedy for all unjust legis-
lation in your own hands; will you
use it, or will you still
continue to select men for your law
makers whose sole aim seems to be
to spend money, and make places
with high pay for the few that live
far above the men they serve.
CHARLES WILSON
Danville, VT, March -, 1889.