Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-10-05

ers usually constitutes an overflow meet
ing as far as the capacity of the judges !
kitchen is concerned, things have al.
ways gone as the Judge seemed inclined
to have them.
Again. a potent factor In tho rule of
the Mattisons Is the fact that the Judge
has two other sons fast approaching tho
age when they can go up to the town
meeting and cast their vote. The time Is
not far distant, accordingly, when the
Mattison family alone, even without their
friends, will be able to pack any con-
vention and run things just about as they
choose.
Glastonbury is n small town.. Its treas.
ury is not very large, and the Judge, not
caring to bother with furnishing the
bonds necessary to hold that ONCE, has
always declined II. saw In the one in
stance when through an unexpired term
on the part Of the incumbent he had to A.
sumo the duties of treasurer.
OFFICE HOLDERS POORLY PAID.
And besides, II a man were to hold
every Office in the town at once the
revenue would not be sufficient to sup
port him alone. not to speak of his fam
lily.
For instance, a selectman Is paid at
the rate Of sl.5o for every town meeting.
and as these are held at the most but
six times n year his annual revenue would
be. therefore, but 80. Assessors and list
crs get the same salary, and their duties
take up a similar number of days. Chalk
up 81 more to the credit of these two
officers.
The town clerk gets but s per year..
while the town treasurer, who is under
heavy bonds, gets Just twice this sum.
The tax collector and constable is al,
lowed about 4 per cent. of the taxes
which he succeeds in collecting an
nually. This is the star job of Glaston-
bury, as it nets Judge Madison about $40
annually.
AS Glastonbury's town agent the Judge
gets a revenue Of about $50 a year, and
ne is willing to turn this ONCE over to
anybody qualified to hold the position.
The county pays n trine better than the
town for its salaried officials; all get n
pretty fair income. and as judge of the
county court Judge Madison rakes in So
every day the court is in session.
But take it all together n man could
hold every Office In the town, and have
to hustle for a living at that. His in
come would be considerably less than
$50.
SMALL TAXES. SMALL SALARIES.
OF course there is good reason Why
the salaries should be small in Glaston-
bury, for its annual tax receipts are only
about $1,000. And 1t is n rather amusing
feature, that practically every voter in
the town is free from having to turn any
money into the town treasury.
For now and then there is snow to
be cleared. repairs to be made on the
town building or roads. or some slight
service to be rendered in case of fire.
And every man in Glastonbury belongs
to the Glastonbury fire department. Con-
seQuently when taxes fall due it is gen.
orally found that the voters have paid
for their taxes by services rendered.
and the only ones who hand over any
actual money to the town are non-resi-
dents who possess valuable timber land
within the town limits.
For just three terms in the year the
lone little school in Glastonbury opens
its doors. These terms are of eight
weeks each. and here again the Matti-
son family comes into prominence. The
only boy in town attending the Glaston-
bury school is Ira, the 11-year-old son
of tho judge. He is the biggest. the
smallest and the only boy in school.
and despite the fact that there is but
one other pupil. n little girl, school must
be kept open and a school teacher pro-
vided rs we'll.
Glastonbury's only schoolma'am is Miss
May Bentley, a pretty young miss from
Sunderland. VT. She has been teaching
2 school for two terms here, and boards at
| the Judges house.
JUDGE POSTMASTER, TOO.
, There is Just one other Office that
r Madison holds in town, but he doesn't
include this in his list, and no one else
has ever applied for the position, as
= there isn't any salary attached. Til
position is that of postmaster. and as
the town boasts no postofice, being
4 proud and contented with the promise
, that it may one day include Il railroad
station, the judge has the towns letters
put in his own mail box and then cithe,
: in person or through one of his son
, sees to the delivery of the mail at night.
[ There is neither church nor store ir
, town, the nearest location for either be-
, ing at South Salisbury. about thre,
p miles distant. But every man in tow
q has his own horse and team. and conse
~uuently distance docsr'. eouat.
Glastonbury is small and G%lastonburS
admits it. that is, as far as the numbel
of it's population is concerned. but il
, other ways tho town thinks it is Just a!
;. fortunate and perhaps more so than man.
, of it's more famous ncighbors.
For situated at the top of one Of tn
most beautiful of the Green ountai
. ranges, at the very limit of Bald Mount
land in a vcritablc pocket which Seems
ALMOST to join the Green and the Ia
r comic ranges. it can boast the most beau
E tiful scenery of any place in Vermont
. while as far as health is concerned tn,
a death rate for many reasons is lowe
here thar in any other place in tn,
3 State.
Besides this its six square miles o
v TERRITORY include some Of the most valu
able timber land in New England. Their
are miles OF virgin forest where the AK
g of the woodman or the destructive SON
n of the saw has never been heard, thougl
timber men are encroaching fast. and tn
. end of the great forests Of pine, spruce
oak and tamarack is n matter Of no YER
remote date.
1t is a prosperous community wher
lcyery man has his own we'll cultivate
farm, where every farmer enjoys a goo