Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-08-19
S464,S6S.0O
S6O2,552.14
S738,30S.05
S42o,SS4.0C


the nature of taxes
r pe1. es' w seps' 'A' $738,368.05
The peoples money had
been thrown away almost in
proportion as the people
have increased Republican
maiorities.
In 1892 the valuation of the state was
Sl49. 1874 069 and the population census
of lSsOl 332, 2s6. In 1903 the valuation
was Sl66O74.7l0 and the population
census of l900) 343,64l.
Increase in population 3 l-2 per cent
Increase in property ii IL per cent
Increase in expenditures $50 per cent
No other state in the union makes so
bad showing. Maine, with her pro-
hibition and her next largest and stead-
est Republican majority, comes next to
it. But Names increase of population
in the same period was l-2 per cent or,
over twice as great as ours, and her in.
crease in taxable property 40 per cent,
or over four and one-half times ours,
though her bloating of state expenses,
from the same disease of Republican
misrule. was about the same as ours.
Yet this grand little state, where
comes such sorry showing from Repub-
lican policies and Republican legislation
and administration, was in the first
quarter of the last century, under the
Democratic Governors Galusha, Butler
and Van Ness, the FL Dorado of the
union, developing faster, proportion
ally, in population, wealth and resources
than any other.
She was then what Nature and Ma
lures God intended her to be, and what
she will be again when blessed with
Democratic ideas and Democratic
methods, with her peculiarly good and
quick.renewing soil, whose products are
everywhere recognized as the choicest
in the markets, her pure air and water,
that not only give such advantage in
dairying but make her the Switzerland
of America" in delightfulness of resi-
dence, her vast resources in mine and
quarry and timber-land and the we'll
nigh limitless power afforded by her
mountain side streams.
Some shallow pates in the class of
politician economists not political
economists-have sought to explain this
condition of things by the fact that Yer
mont is without seaport. The truth is
that the states wonderful development
under Democratic rule was in times
when ocean commerce was large ele-
ment in the nations prosperity. The de-
cline-as it may fairly be called, in COM
parison with other states-has come in
the era of neglect of ocean commerce and
direction of American energies to inter
nal development. In the former era
Vermont prospered greatly in spite of
the disadvantage of lack of seaports
from which other states profited, In the
latter era she has Jagged far to the rear
of the procession among The states in the
kind Of development for which she was
by nature fitted best of all.
How far she has Jagged the census
shows In the 20 years from 1880 to
1900 while her wealth increased only
II ~ per cent--or but q small fraction
of what simple interest should have
added to the capital with which she
started-the wealth of the nation as a
whole has grown, in round numbers from
S4400OO00 900 to $4,000, 100000 or lis
per cent or ii l-2 times faster than
Vermont.
Others of these shallow pates say the
trouble has been the rapid development
of the West and the drain of our popu-
lation and energy to it. Undeniably this
has been large factor; but so it has
in the other New England states, whose
progress has been several times greater
than ours.
The simple and the whole truth is
and there is no escaping it-that it is
mans folly that has so sadly marred
what Nature intended for Vermont,
and that folly has expressed itself in the
tremendous Republican majorities that
have taken away all sense of political
responsibility, all the stimulus to good
work which political competition would
arouse-have lodged petty politics where
craftsmanship should behave brought
personal intrigue and caucus manipula.
tion where real appeal to the people
would bring broadening and invigorating
and progressive policies-have brought
stagnation and decay where in Other