St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-08-17
$42o,SS4.OO


Republican promises and as
o result found the yearly
expenses, at the end of the
1897 1897, t to- b PERIOD S6O2,552.14
Then came the era when
the Republican party felt safe
from opposition, and though
still regularly repeating its
promises of economy, still
kept swelling expenditures
until in 1908 they reached
1921 ,00l.64. and after de-
Quoting every dime of in
come from state institu-
tions, or that was not in
the nature Of taxes
s pss. as' w ssss' 'A' S738,368.05
The peoples money had
been thrown away almost in
proportion as the people
have increased Republican
majorities.
In 1892 the valuation of the state was
$l4o, 1894, 900 and the population census
|of l6SO) 332, 1856. In 1903 the valuation
was Sl66, 074,710 and the population
tosnsus of 19OO) 343,64l.
Increase in population Sig per cent
Increase in property IL IL per cent
Increase in expenditures $50 per cent
No other state in the union makes SO
had showing. Maine, with her pro-
hibition and her next largest and steadi-
est Republican majority, comes next to
1t. 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-haf 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
Hcan policies and Republican legislation
and administration, was in the first
eyarter of the last century, under the
Democratic Governors Galusha, Butler
and Van Ness, the Ell Dorado of the
union, developing faster, proportion
ally, in population, wealth and resources
than any other.
She was then what Nature and Ma
tare's God Intended her to be, and what
abe will be again when blessed with
Democratic ideas and Democratic
methods, with her peculiarly good and
guick.renewing soil, whose products are
everywhere recognized as the choicest
Ia the markets, her pure air and water,
dairying but make her the Switzerland
OF America" in delightfulness of resi-
dsnce, her vast resources in mine and
quarry and tfmber-land and the we'll
nigh linnitless 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-
Hent in the nations prosperity. The de-
eline-as 1t may fairly be called, in COM
parison with other states-has come in
ths 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
che disadvantage of lack of seaports
from which other states prohted. 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
IL l-2 per cent-or but small fraction
os what simple interest should have
edded to the capital with which she
lstarted-the wealth of the nation as a
whole has grown. IN round numbers from
&c, 000, 600 900 to sos, 900 900 900, or lis
per cent or IL LIZ 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 married
what Nature intended for Vermont,
and that folly has expressed itself in the
tremendous Republican maiorities that
have taken away all sense of political
responsibility, all the stimulus to good
work which political competition would
srouse-have lodged petty politics where
craftsmanship should behave brought
personal intrigue and caucus manipuIa-
tion where real appeal to the people
would bring broadening and invigorating
and progressive policies-have brought
stagnation and decay where in other