The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-11-26
A Farmers Standpoint.

An article entitled ''The Vermont De-
velOpment Association appeared in the
OPINION of October 22d, which should re-
ceive the careful perusal and thoughtful
consideration of everyone who has at heart
the future welfare of Vermont, present
ing as il does, so plainly and forcibly, the
deplorable condition of affairs with which
we are face to face. 1t is to be hoped that
the subject viii be pursued and discussed
in all its bearings until some method is
devised to regain for the old Green Noun
tain State the position which it once held
and to which it is justly entitled.
1t is an oft repeated truism that "Ver-
mont must either bean agricultural Stateor
nothing OF the three industries mining,
manufacturing and agriculture which are
the true sources of income to any place,
the two former are, and, necessarily,
must be of minor Importance in this state,
while in agriculture rests the prosperity,
the hope and the dependence of the peo-
pie and from the farmers standpoint, the
situations to state it mildly, is not flattering
If anyone wishes to satisfy himself as to
! the true condition of the farming nous
try let him travel through any of the back
towns and note the number of deserted
farms, upon which once lived thrifty and,
generally speaking, welltO-dO farmers
with large families, all prosperous and
cOntented, obtaining good livelihood and
preparing themselves for industrious
lives. But now, alas desertion and des-
OlatiOn reign supreme. House after house
tumbling down, farm after farm growing
up to bushes, and before many years shall
have passed away, where was once a
thriving farming community, will be
a wilderness
Should he want more evidence let him
go to the Office of records and look up the
number of mortgages about to be foreclos-
ed,and the number that would be foreclos-
ed did not he mortgage prefertoleave the
incumbent in possession rather than to
foreclose and have the elephant" on his
hands. BY the time he is through with
the investigation he will be satisfied that
something ought to be done and done i'm
mediately.
Ex-GOv. Page, in the article referred to-.
as a remedy for the difficulty, recommends
establishing manufacturing industries
in our villages" provided with "cheap
money, cheap power and cheap transpoT-
tation, thel eby creating ''home market
to absorb the products of our soil at fair
ly renumerative prices"
Manufacturing industries are a great
help to any community, and create a
''home market for whatever they puT-
chase of home products" But "cheap
transportation" enters in, to enable others
to compete with the home products and,
to-day, in nearly every manufacturing
town and large village in the state can be
found western beef" "western lard"
and western mutton" in competition
with the "home prgdpct.''
Now the question arises: What meth
od can be adopted to preserve The ''home
market for the home product" and
again how manv and how large maIufac-
turing in dustiies must there be to con-
sumo the products of our soil.
Now, as the question involved in Gov.
Page S PROPOSE ion apparent Y relate sole
ly to the welfare of the farmer, why not
take short cut out of the difficulty by
giving to the farmer the direct benefit of
"cheap money and thereby place him
upon an equal footing with those engaged
i'll other Industries.
mortgage upC farm property of one
fourth to One-half of its value, with insur-
ance upon buildings running to the mort
gagee, is conceded to be one of the best
and StUeSi investments known. Notwith-
standing this fact while most other busi-
ness is conducted upon a basis of from
three to five per cent, mOrtgaged farm
property is paying six per cent, and to
cOmplicate affairs and make the bad mat
ter worse, the double taxation law com
pels the mOrtgager to pay taxes upon what
he does not own, while the Fifteen hun
dred dollar exemption law increases
those taxes in exact proportion to the
amount exempted.
Could any other business have borne
this unequal burden and Surviy ed as long
as farming has?
Is it to be wondered at that so many
are compelled to forfeit their farms, los
ing all they have paid toward them (Which
is often two or three times the amount of
the mortgage), virtually starved from
their homes. discouraged and dishearten-
ed. How often is the following enacted
over and over again, in nearly every
neighbOrhOod among the green hills of
Vermont?
Young Mr.. A. having grown to manhood
about him for home. Having been born
and reared upon farm, farming is his
natural vocation. Neighbor G. having a
farm upon which the mortgage is about
to be foreclosed, young A. goes to him and
learns he can purchase it for little more
than the amount of the mortgage. He I
then goes to the savings bank and finds /
he must pay six per cent interest. Then
he goes to neighbor d. (who, together with
his wife and four children, each have tif- /
teen hundred dollars in the bank and he, |
also, demands six per cent interest.
Young A. and wife talk il over. Should /
they purchase this farm they will be COM (
PEELED to pay six per cent interest upon
the purchase money, they must also pay
taxes upon the farm, i'll which they really .
own nothing, and, to make it more dis
couraging, they must also pay their pro
portion of the taxes upon the nine thou
sand dollars of neighboT ID. and family, [
which is snugly deposited in the savings .
bank free from taxation. They conclude .
it is too much of an undertaking and eth
er ''go west to growup with the country"
or to some city to seek A livelihood in
some other way. Consequently G.. does
not sell his farm and, being unable to pay
the mort gage, the mortgage foreclOses,
gains possession and either rents or lets
1t on shares" until the buildings tumble
down and the fan m grows up to bushes
adding one more to the number of aban-
doned and deserted.
There is an abundance of evidence to
prove that the above is no Overdrawn i'm
aginative picture, but is descriptive of
what is actually occurring more and more
frequently, and will continue so to do nm
til some mFasure is taken to right the
wrong and give to those who are willing
some encourage ment, and offer them
more inducements than they now have
Looking o this end the first step to be
taken should be to wipe from the statute
that most discriminating, unjust and un-
reasonable law called the double taxa
tion law" and the next step to wipe out
the Fifteen hundred dollars exemption
law which was passed with the avowed
.f ha IA,