Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-11-20

| two years from now There Is Just as
| much reason to take fifty per cent on a
dollar OF the grand list as ten per cent
| and there would seem to be In reality no
limit to the possibility of this mulcting
process, provided the large towns submit
It Is very evident however, that the
spirit of the early Vermont boys Is al
ready moving the citizens of the mulcted
towns to resist this tyranny Of the smaller
towns. Here is what the Barre Times has
to say regarding the road steal:
There seems to be a disposition on the
| part of the small towns Of the State to
squeeze" the large towns and cities In
this matter of highway tax. As the law
| now stands n State highway tax OF hve
cents on dollar is annually assessed upon
the grand list for the support OF high
| ways. When II is paid the amount Is re-
| apportioned to the various cities, towns,
villages and cores on the basis of mileage
of roads. which is ascertained by the sell
| ectmen or council of the town or city.
The law manifestly works an injustice
upon the towns with large grand lists
| and AS II that were not enough the small
| towns which are receiving great benefits
| for nothing now propose to Increase the
| tax to 10 cents on dollar and thus re-
| double their unearned gains. The meas
ure has already passed the House OF Rep
resentatives, not however. until after
strenuous objection from Barre city, St.
Johnsbury, Brattlcboro and Burlington
which arc hard hit by the proposed enact
ment. But the small towns, under tho
| present system of representation, are
much in the majority. and opposition is
futile until the injustice of the scheme
| can be brought home to the small towns.
| Tor instance the city of Barre, badly
burGened with debt. now pays out for the
| State highway tax about $500 After the
re-apportionment Is made the city finds
that 1t has slightly over 5000 coming to 1t.
| The same with all the large towns Of the
| state, many of whom are as badly bur
| dened by debt as Is Barre On the other
hand there are several towns that receive
from the reapportionment two and even
| three times as much as they put into the
state highway tax. Barre city can not
afford to pay for keeping roads in other
| towns when 1t can not keep its own in
decent shape
What the Times has to say about the
inability of the people of it's town to keep
| up their own roads. let alone helping
small towns in distant counties to build
short pieces Of road ought to appeal to
an average sense of fairness and 1t is
difficult to understand on what grounds
this communistic measure can be justi
fed We do not agree with the Times
however, in saying that opposition is
futile until the injustice Of the scheme
can be brought homo to the small towns .
on the contrary, there are different ways,
not necessary to mention at this time,
in which a remedy can be secured, and
the end may be the wipng out entirely
of this injustice.
There is another aspect of the case.
which is limited at by Mr.. c. II. Daven-
port in the Brattleboro Reformer. He
says:
The people of Brattlehoro have a good
chance in the bill doubling the State
highway tax which passed the House
Wednesday to see what the democratic
policy in the Legislature means for them
us compared with the other thing. Brat
tleboro this year paid s25l7.06 on this tax
and got back s56.49. This bill means she
will pay S5O34.1o and get back s1,092. Is.
Under the per cent State school tax
brattleboro paid this year about $4,000,
getting back about Sl7C. A republican
nil IN the LEGISLATURE proposes to in
crease this to y per cent, which would
mean for us paying some $500 and get
ting back perhaps s2,ooO, The two meas
ures together mean round 1880 out OF
the pockets of our taxpayers to subsidize
!
policy, as formulated in the Bundy bill,
on the other hand, simply by stopping
plumber and waste, by the application Of
the democratic principle, Is to save enough
to give the highways and schools two or
three times as much as they can get by
those pocket picking bills, and so avoid
any necessity or excuse for them.
The present policy means the picking
Of the average Brattcboro voters peck
ct to the amount OF a full s. year.
J The democratic policy, between the
!sundy, Conland, Gale and Porter bills
would ston this and still distribute back
: from what are purely and properly State
= funds si,ON year, or nearly 50 for every
average voter, to tighten his taxes. and
at the same time yield what is equivalent
to a % per cent tax TO build up the schools
t and the roads of the State that have beer
I so depleted by misgovernment that they
are everywhere crying and struggling for
help and feel forced to take II by what Is
l no less than legislative robbery.
S 1t Is a matter of IS a year for the Frat
n tleboro voter and even more for him 81
the back towns. And the average vote
I can't dodge paying It in rents. prices
d etc. for it Is the nature of taxes ever
n lastingly to distribute themselves dowr
. 70 him and to labor.
He pays his money and he takes hi
h choice. He can save It and have 1t, o
IL he can contribute it to the machine am
to misgovernment. And he doesn't wan
C to forget that the longer he continues tn
S present regime the more he will pa,
II through pocket-picking bills like thos
- now before the General Assembly.
+ Nothing would so surely drive the larg
"a towns to democracy as the persistence o
the small towns in passing communist
legislation to compel their more wealth
neighbors to divide their possessions wit
themselves. and this would mean a dem
ocratic Senate, with all that this Nigh
9 imply, II indeed the State itself might no
- tremble in the balance when it came I
10 matters depending upon popular vote
i Other possibilities will readily sugges
'e themselves.
g. There are numerous reasons why tn
l. small towns should go slow"