Evening star., 1896-04-09
A. misrepresentation of Vermont.


When Mr.. Powers of Vermont opposed the
free library bill for the svowed purpose of
protecting his constituents contributions to
the national taxes from being misapplied
in any such fashion The Star expressed sur
prise that a representative of Vermont
should assume this attitude. Opposition to
an education proposition in development
of the national capital was not expected
from Vermont "a state of intelligent, edu-
Gated, broad-minded and patriotic people,"
"a state of public schools and free libraries"
and an additional factor in the surprise
at this unnatural and unpatriotic stiEginess
and dnarrow-mindedness in an alleged repre-
sentative of Vermont the fact was pointed
out that Vermont was only an inf1nitesimal
contributor to the fund of which Mr.. Powers
had constituted himself the guardian.
In the House On Tuesday Mr. Powers re-
piled to this expression of surprise as fol-
lows: NOW what do in ternal revenue taxes
come from? They come from rum and to-
bacco; and the highest compliment that
that paper could have paid my own state
was 20 call attention to the fact that it was
a state with a hundred thousand more peo-
pie than this city, AMI that that whole
state pays less than one-twelfth as much
for the privilege of selling rum as this city
pays. There is where the fallacy of that
argument rests"
Instead of showing any fallacy in The
Stars argument Mr.. Powers Strengthens
and confirms it. He admits that Vermont is
an iRfnitesinial contributor to the national
taxes, and contends that this fact is evil
dence that the state is neral and intelligent,
which is the very thing that The Star
claimed in expressing surprise that Mr..
Powers should misrepresent his state by
opposing free library. The Star is glad
In every way, directly and Indirectly, to
compliment the people of Vermont upon
the possession of moral and intellectual at
tributes, which necessarily involve the re-
pudiation of Mr.. Powers so far as his
course upon the library bill is concerned.
A free library with reading rooms open
at night is the modern substitute for the
saloon as re sort for the young men of Il
community. The Vermonter, as an enemy
OF rum and a friend of education, would
naturally favor the establishment of a free
library at the capital. The fact that there
were rumshops here which needed to be
neutralized, from which his state was COM
Pa ratively free. and the alleged fact that
the WashinStonian, from the presence of
rum shops, was heavy contributor to the
fund from which the library was to be
created while he, from the absence Of such
shops, contributed little or nothing, would
convince him of the justice as we'll as the
wisdom Of blessing the capital city with a
free library.
Mr.. Powers continues: "Now get beyond
the matter of national taxation and take I'D
loo al taxation. There is hardly a town in
the state of Vermont but that pays nearly
double the tax for the support of local in
stitutions and local affairs than is paid by
the people of this District
The census figures contradict this state
ment emphatically. According to extra
census bulletin No. Is, concerning the
finances of municipalities having 1900 or
more of population in $780, there is not one
Vermont town Of which this statement is
even approximately true. The general rule
Is that taxes increase with the populat tion
of the municipality
There is no room to believe that towns of
less than 1000 population in Vermont are
taxed more heavily than those above 1000.
The figures concerning all the towns in
Mr.. Powers district having more than
1000 people as compared with Washington
are as follows: