The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1908-03-18
UNION.

UNION.
Mrs. Roxey Wales celebrated her
8Oth birthday Sunday, March 9Th.
Ralph Towne and George Roger of
Monson academy were home over Sun
day.
George Towne and son, Raymond,
spent few days in Springfield last
week.
Blanche Scranton of Dodge spent
the past week with her parents, Mr..
and Mrs. O. Scranton.
Rev. Fl. A. Hersey of Stafford will
preach at the Congregational church
next Sunday afternoon.
Mrs. May Etheridge of Eastford
spent few days the past week with
her mother, Mrs. Miller.
A severe thunder storm passed over
this place Sunday evening about 8
O'Clock, but doing no damage.
Editor of The Press Last week
there appeared in your columns an
article about present conditions in the
town of Union. Will you kindly
give space to another person who for
some years has cherished more than
a passing interest in the above men
toned little town? There is no name
signed to the communication, but it is
surprising that native of Union, a
resident Of Union, should write an
article which seems SO disloyal. 1t
ia especially unfortunate, because
wherever The Press is read by people
of adjoining towns and by former
residents of Union, . very unpleasant
and erroneous Impression is made.
Towns, as we'll as individuals, like to
retain the respect of their friends and
neighbors. II the voters of Union
made a serious mistake at the October
town meeting by not reducing the rate
of taxation, it is to be hoped that
they will have the good sense to
rectify thar mistake in the near
future Let us believe that the as
SCISSORS have done their work con-
scientifically. Is it not possible that
some of the largest property owners
have been listed less in proportion
than some of their less prosperous
townsmen? Young timber grows
rapidly, and by "hard labor and the
expenditure of much money" places
grow more valuable as we'll as more
attractive. Valuations need to be
changed from time to time. What
was just and right ten years ago may
be very unjust to-day. If the law
calls for foil valuation, then the
remedy seems to be q reduction of the
rate. The query is raised as to what
Tax Commissioner Oorbin's ancestors
would say Of present conditions in
Union. The gentlemen mentioned
have long since passed to land where
taxes cease from troubling, so it can
not be known what they would say,
but the hearty, generous public spirit
of the family is 80 we'll remem bered
that we may be sure they would be
very careful not to say Tor write) any
thing that could be an injury to their
native town. We honor the memory
of such men, but we still have men
of high Integrity" for our town
officials. 1t must indeed be vivid
and twisted imagination that can see
any similarity between the grinding,
bloody oppression in Russia and the
quiet. peaceful life enjoyed here. and
1t does not seem likely that many of
the intelligent men and women of
Union carr to have the Russian peas.
ants held before them as worthy ex-
amples for imitation. There is prob
ably no immediate danger of a whole
sale advertisement of Union farms and
general exodus from town to escape
the ravages of taxation. "Steam
saw-mills going all over town. Lum.
bermen taking all of the profits out of
town. or course we would all be
glad TO preserve the forests, but the
writer fails to take into consideration
the fact that large part of Union is
by Nature better adapted to forestry
than to farming. Many farmer has
had a steam saw mill on his timber
lot, not TO escape taxation, but to
get cash to make some improvements
on his farm or buildings. He can
obtain this cash more readily by SELL
ing his lumber than by raising pota,
toes and carting them over the hills
to market. Does this money all go
out of town? When the out.of town
lumberman comes to cut timber, if he
does not already own it. does he not
have to pay some one for it? Is not
this money brought into town? Many
of the men employed at the steam
saw mills are residents of the town.
Are not the wages which they receive
3 benefit to Union? One resident has
owned and operated Q steam saw mill
for more than twenty years. A large
part Of the time he has worked in
Union, his family residing here all of
that time. Has all of the money
which he earned gone ont of town?
1t seems probable that some of it h as
been used to make home here and
care for q growing family of bright
boys and girls. The forestry work
done by the state has given employ.
ment to residents of town. The out.
of-town capitalists who purchased
the thousands of acres' have also en-
ployed local help-one of our enter
prising citizens being employed at
for many weeks. Thus we
zee that the lumbermen and capitalists
are not unmitigated evils to the town.
and they do not carry eUe1.y red cent
away with them. A word about
keeping the young people on the
farms. Not all young people find
themselves fitted for or interested in
farming. II taxes were discarded and