Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-31
our STATE EXPENSES.
How and Why They Have increased
Does Anybody Want the state to Do
Less In These Various DlreotIons7
Huntington News.1

Less In These Various Dlrectlons7
Huntington News.l
1t seems that in the course Of a quar-.
ter OF century the expenses Of this
| commonwealth have increased from
S2SO,619.3S for the year ending July 81
1882, TO 1891, 1877 for the year endine
June 30, 1906 The chief items respon-
sible for this increase, as well as the
/ chief items in the total expenses then
and now, are the administration Of Justice
and the care of the insane The third
important item the appropriation for ed
/ ucation-our normal schools and cd
/ leges. These three classes aggregate an
| addition of 1852, III 40 to the expenses
| about five-sixths of the total increase.
Every intelligent person knows the su-
preme Importance of these departments
OF modern government it is impossible
TO either discontinue, cripple or degrade
them They are absolutely essential to
civilized and christianized government
| and they must not only be kept in oper-
alton but conducted in decency and dig
nifty 1t would take long time to ana
lyze the details Of this increase; but it
Is not difficult to locate some of IT, There
was no appropriation for colleges in 1882;
they got twenty thousand in 1906. Who
Will say that this sum was not worthiy
and profitably spent? The increase in
the normal schools was $4,000; that Is
in 25 years of time the expense Of train
ing teachers in three normal schools of
this state has increased by the enormous
sum Of two hundred dollars for each
school per annum! Burlington alone has
Increased its school expenses more than
that in the same period
The increased cost of the courts comes
from no single thing but many some Of
which are wholly uncomfortable. One
considerable item is the doubling of wit
h..
from one dollar to two dollars. Is that
extravagant? The heating OF court
houses alone. formerly paid by the
counties, adds nearly eleven thousand
dollars Salaries have taken the place Of
fees, and the courts everywhere are con-
Quoted differently.
An examination of the details of court
expenses. which is not yet complete,
shows that as we all knew, there has
been progressive increase for many
years. The increase from 1882 to 1898,
seventeen years was S1O0.011 80: and Il
progressed by practically the same per-
centages in every department. as follows:
Grand jurors; petit jurors reporters: re-
ferees; assistant judges; witnesses; JUS
tice bills Of costs in high crimes. in lid-
uor cases, and in misdemeanors; jailers;
sheriffs and clerks. This almost uniform
percentage of increase shows that Il was
due to longer court terms, which means
increased litigation both civil and GRIM
inal; and we regret to reach the conclu-
sion that the larger part was due to in
creased criminal expenses. Grand and
petit Jurors cost $24,2S2 more; witnesses
S775S; justice bills OF costs s5.327; liquor
cases S20,5S7; misdemeanors 1865: Jail
ers $6976; sheriffs 81 .972-total $50. $40,
in these departments dealing largely with
criminal cases.
A large item Of the increased expenses
-S47 ,503-was devoted wholly to the pub
lie health; n department that did not
exist in 1882. This was for tuberculous
cattle killed and the cattle commission
the laboratory of hygiene, board OF health
and tuberculosis commission. VIII any
voter say that this was either graft or
extravaganza or an unnecessary expense?
We would like to see a man who would
now condemn that item.
The old veterans received out OF this
increased state expense the very modest
sum Of s12,53S. VIII anybody criticise
this expense? Our military department
added nearly sixteen thousand dollars.
but 1t was we'll spent. The militia must
be maintained
The department of prisons makes n re-
markable showing between 1882 and 1906
In the former year the state prison was a
net expense to the state Of almost $780,
900 and in 1906 only $50, 600 net gain Of
$47 900. The house OF correction cost the
1882 and in 1906 earned the safe $4,000.
The department OF prisons, next to the
insane asylum, Mr.. Clement has criti-
cised the most severely. yet II makes
n most remarkable showing and as we
understand, its record is unexcelled as to
business management
But why chase Mr.. Clement all about
the lot in his reckless criticisms Of the
state? The stern and unrelenting fact is
that Vermont is a model OF economical
administration. In fact most of the crit
icism leveled at the state heretofore Is
that its administration has been too
parslmonious; that our public economy
has kept us behind other states in tina
race for business-and we think there is
something to It, Mr.. Clements COMPARE
son between expenses twenty-five years
apart is the only way he could make a
sensation out of these figures. II he had
taken them year by year and showed the
progressive increase item by item, the
explanation could easily have been seen
in the changed conditions year by year.
the new departments and the progressive
increase in old departments which be-
came necessary in order to follow the
steady rise in the cost of living and the
conduct OF business. II any business
man will take pains to compare his ex-
penses now with 1882 he will find an even
greater difference than is shown in the
expenses OF the state.
In no period Of its history has Vermont
made such progress as during the past
quarter century, Ideas of living have
changed everywhere; incomes have in
creased as well as expenses. and we are
glad that the old state has kept up in
the race with other commemorative as
near as an agricultural state can. Life
is different In every state, in every home,
including Mr.. Clements. The particular
thing about 1t all. however, is that no.
body is taxed to pay these increased state
expenses. The Republican party years
ago abolished state taxation and the cit
izen has to pay only his local assessments
and this fact is true OF only six states in
the Union. Like most OF Mr.. Clements
charges the state expense charge is mere
language without meaning Place 1t un-
der analysis and II vanishes like a ghost
An epidemic OF typhoid fever is rag
ing in Canaan, N. H.. Thirty cases have
been traced to the public well in the viii
lage, over which there has been much
contention as to use and ownership.