St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-02-24
HOW TO RAISE THE MONEY.

SNOW you.
have been looking over the auditors
report of the state of Vermont, and l
md that 80 years ago, that's in 1870 or
1871, 1t cost to operate this state $780,
goo. In 1881 it cost $303, 900. In 1891,
$451. 000 In 1901. $685., 000,-an increase in
that period of S355.000 a year for run
ming expenses, or more than 125 per cent.
Now a good many of you can remember
our conditions in 1S70-1S71.
WHERE DOES THE MONEY Coz
What have we got now in the state of
Vermont more than we had then? What
are we spending this money for? Where
does the $4,000 that it required in 1901
more than 1t required in 1871 to run the
state of Vermont, where does it go to?
A careful analysis of the expenses shows
that the expense of the executive de-
partment has remained about the same.
In 1871 it was $4,000, in 1891 it was $17,-
600. The expense of the legislature has
remained practically the same,-s55, 900
in 1871, SCI, 600 in 1891; but the expense of
the courts during that period has in
creased tremendously. In 1871 the net
court expenses were $4,000 In 1881 1881
were $4,000, and in 1901, $175,000.
From the period of 1881 to 1891 there is
an increase of more than 100000 in the
expense of justice in this state, but we
are told that litigation has not increased.
Certainly the population remains about
the same. In 1881 it was 1872, 900. In
1901, 343,000,-only an increase of about
1000.
INCREASED COURT EXPENSES
Why this tremendous increase in the
expense of operating courts then? 1t
can be charged only to one thing,-the
cost of prosecutions for violation of law.
The most of these prosecutions were
against violators of the prohibitory law
We had the prohibitory law in 1881 and
we had it in 1901, but in 1881 apparently
the prosecutors had not awakened to the
possibilities of making money out of
prohibition. With the law repealed we
shall make a great saving in the ex-f
penSe of operating the courts. The
expense of conducting institutions dur
ing this period has remained about the
same,-there being an increase of only
about $4,000 or $12, 900.
OTHER INCREASED EXPENSES.
The military in 1871 cost $1,000; in
1891, $25,o00,-that has doubled. Pen
sions, including soldiers home, cost
SIS, 700 in 1S71,-that was before the sol
diers' home was built,-and cost $1,000
now.
The state paid for the care of it's in
sane in 1871 $4,000, and in 1901 the pau
per insane account was $158,000. In 1871
the Waterbury asylum was not built,
and we were maintaining our insane at
Brattleboro. If the state of Vermont
bad put the promoters of the Waterbury
got that bill through, apparently the
state would be better off by more than
100000 a year; however, it is too late
to talk about that now: but the expense
of the insane in this state is much more
than it should be, and more per capita
than it is in other states, as you will
see.
Massachusetts per capita
per week, 1892; average per capita per
year, s172.64
nInr. Of
tents, 2,192.96; cost of maintaining
same, 1891, 12O.o7; cost per capita per
year, $150.99.
New York-Per patient per week,
1919; per patient per year. N165. SO.
Rhode Island-Average number of pa
TENTS. 1,4S4; cost per capita, $135.27.
Vermont state hospitalIAverage mum.
Der of patients, 4933 cost of maintain
ing same, s115,S69.3S; cost per capita.
$234S6.
INCREASED COST OF EDUCA-
Money devoted to educational pur-
poses has increased from SIT 900 to SOL
coo by payments to the agricultural col
lege at Burlington and normal schools,
etc.
EXPENSIVE COMMISSIONS.
In 1871 all Of the commissions in this
county commissioners etc., cost the
state $4,000 The commissioners have
been increased by the creation of new
officers in insurance, taxes, health, state,
highway, special fish and game, dairy
men, maple sugar, towns and cores, I'M
til it cost the state in 1891 $65, 900 to
maintain these commissions. Now while
I do not favor abollshing all OF these
commissions | would certainly advocate
the consolidation of them with view of
reducing the expenses to the state. An
increase from $4,000 to $4,000 in the
expense of maintaining commissions is
too much for the benefit that the state
receives.
AN APPLICATION OF BUSINESS
PRINCIPLES.
IF a proper accounting and audit were
kept of the moneys received by the state
state was transacted along the same
lines that any successful corporation fol-
lows we could certainly save enough
each year from our present running ex-
penses to build so miles of macadamized
road. In five years we would have five
of such roads, running across our noun
tain ranges, east and west, from the
Canadian line to Massachusetts, and it
would not really have cost us anything.
WHERE THE BLAME LIES.
You may say: "What has the state
of Vermont been doing all Of these
years to allow such an increase in state
expenses" Well my answer is that it
is nobody's fault but our own. [ am
speaking as a Republican to Republic
cans. Every two years we attendl a
state convention and nominate state Off
GERS There has been, except two years
ago. no particular platform upon which
campaign for state officers has been
based merely the time had come around
when we needed some new men, and we
have assembled and nominated them.
Once in a while the convention will pass
a resolution advocating economy in state
expenses, and then after the summer
campaign we have taken thatsold resolu-
ton and hung it up behind the door to
serve for the next convention. We
would have our election. send a lot of
new green men up to Montpelier,-.men
usually who had no experience in legis-
lation, charged with no duty in particu-
lar, except to go up there and draw So
day and have as good a time as they
can, and we ought not to complain if
the state expenses have increased under
these conditions 125 per cent. with little
or no apparent benefit to the state. It's
our own fault.
CONVENTION PROMISES AND IN