The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-04-14
Coughing Leads to Consumption.
Kemp's Balsam will stop the cough at
once. 47y1
FARM VALUES AND DOUBLE TAX.
ALTON,


The st. Johnsbury Republican reprints
our remarks on the decline of farm val
ues, and says:
"This is entirely true as far as it goes,
but it doesn't go far enough. The Yer
mont farmers who own their farms can
not Justly complain of the decline in
values; but the trouble is that one-half
land if the truth were to be known prob
ably more than one-half), of the farmers
do not own their own farms. Many of
these unfortunate tillers of the soil
bought their farms on mortgage years
ago when prices were high; and now they
find that after many years of unremitting
toll and self-denial their property is not
worth the equity. That's where the
trouble with the farmers comes in. A
farmer bought his farm for $4,000 and
gave mortgage for $1,000; in the course
of time he reduced the mortgage to
$500; he now finds that his farm isn't
worth the $500 which he owes on it;
there are hundreds of such cases in this
immediate vicinity, and thousands in
the State at large. And in many and
many case old age has OveTtaken the
farmer in the course of his hopeless
struggle, and unless he is fortunate
enough to have children who have
gone into some other business and pros
pered, the alms-house is his inevitable
doom. And will the Register and others
interested please note the fact that our
rObber State encourages and helps those
poverty farmers by making
them pay taxes on their farms, of which
they do not really own one cents worth?r
The picture which our contemporary
draws is trifle highly colored perhaps,
but it is in the main fairly accurate. The
number of mortgages shown by the cen
sus returns is undoubtedly larger than
it should be, as there are ON the books of
every town clerk in the State more or
less of them that ought be discharged,
but never were. Nevertheless there are
mortgages enough on Vermont farms.
But admitting the fact, and conceding
also the further fact that some farms are
not to-day worth the fraction of the
original cost still unpaid, we fail to see
what is to be done about it, or how the
farmers are worse off than others in the
several communities who made poor in
vestments. 1t is quite likely that nu-
merous manufacturers bought in war
time mills that are not worth half the
purchase price. In other words, the
shrinkage did not affect farmers alone :;
all owners of property suffered. The
reason that the farmers side of the story
is heard so much more frequently than
any one else's is because there are more
farmers in the State. The man who in
vested in land when prices were high had
to take his chances of success or failure,
just as did every one who embarked
then in other bu-iness than farming. If
he has failed of achieving success, he is
entitled to pity. Bat we do not see any
clear way out of it. Mourning will not
help the burdened agriculturist, nor will
continued efforts to make them think
they are the most oppressed of the
States inhabitants benefit either them or
the State.
As to double taxation, the second
point made by the Republican. 1t goes
without saying that our system of taxa
ton works injustice, but it seems to
puzzle the wise men who make laws for
the commonwealth to get over the diff
Guilty. II the Republican or any one can
suggest a plan that will work, there
ought to be no serious obstacle in the
way of trying it. The farmers W uld
not object, certainly, and as they always
compose a majority of the legislature.
they could unquestionably be persuaded
to pass any measure of the sort that
commended itself to ther Judgment
Register.