Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-08-29
$42o,SS4.OO
S64,868.OO

Still the people OF the
state continued to trust
Republican promises and as
result found the yearly
expenses, at the end of the
next ive-year period, r<o0
1897, to be 0OUZ,00Z.l If
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
1897, 0Ol.64, and after de-
Quoting every dime of in
come from state institu-
tions, or that was not in
the nature of taxes
t pe1. es' w st9te s7- $738,368.05
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
$l49. 1874, 069 and the population Census
of lSSO) 1872, 2s6. In 1903 the valuation
was Sl66O74,7l0 and the population
census of l900) 343,64l.
Increase in population 312 per cent
Increase in property ii IL per cent
Increase in expenditures $50 per cent
No other state in the union makes so
bad a showing. Maine, with her pro-
hibition and her next largest and steadi-
est Republican majority, comes next to
it. But Names increase of population
in the same period was IL per cent, or,
over twice as great as ours, and her in
crease in taxable property 40 per cent,
or over four and onS-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 Ell Dorado of the
nnion, 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
s quick-renewing soil. whose products are
everywhere recognized as the choicest
in the markets, her pure air and water
that net only give such advantage il
dairying but make her the Switzerland
of America in delightfulness of resi-
dence. her vast resources in mine ant
quarry and timberland and the well
nigh Emtless power afforded by he
mountain-side streams
Some shallow pates in the class o
n0li+ioiou economists DOlItIpa
economists-have sought to explain thi
condition of things by the fact that VeI
mont is without seaport. The truth
that the states wonderful development
under Democratic rule was in time
when ocean commerce was a large ele
ment in the nations prosperity. The de
cline-as it may fairly be called, in CON
parison with other states-has come i
the era of neglect of ocean commerce an
direction of American energies to inter
nal development In the former er
Vermont prospered greatly in spite o
che disadvantage of lack of seaport
from which other states profted. In tn
latter era she has Jagged far to the rea
of the procession among the states in tn
kind of development for which she wa
by nature fitted best of all.
How far she has Jagged the censu
shows. In the ~ wears from loOU u
1900. while her wealth increased onl.
HIP per cent-or but a small Fraction
of what simple interest should hav
added to the capital with which sh
started-the wealth of the nation as
whole has grown, in round numbers iron
$4,000 900 900 to S95 900 100000, or IL
per. cent or HIP times faster tina
Vermont. -,
Others of these shallow pates say tn
trouble has been the rapid development
of the West and the drain OF our popl
Iation and energy to it. Undeniably tn
has been large factor; but so 1t ma
in the other New England states, who's
proeress has been several times create
than ours.
The simple and the whole truth is
and there is no escaping it-that it
mans folly that has so sadly MARIE
what Nature intended for Vernon
and that folly has expressed itself in II
tremendous Republican majorities tha
have taken away all sense of polite;
responsibility, all the stimulus to GOO
work which political competition woul
nrouse-haye lodged petty politics wheI
statesmanship should behave brougi
personal intrigue and caucus manipul
hsnn where real appeal to the Poop
oesA bring Broadening and invigoratir
Rs&~nHAwe policies-have brougi
~sasnarion and decay where in 9th