Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1908-10-16

at Waterbury Tor the care
and safe keeping of the criminal insane.
Governor Proctor recommended that
the Court of Claims, the state fish batch
cry al Roxbury aud the tilted officers
on the staff Of the Governor be dis
pensed with, and that the regular officers
of the State Militia he called upon To
do the honsrs a. members OF the Gov
ernor's staff in place of the "tin soldiers
now performing that duty, bat of course
the Governor did not refer to them as
.'tin soldiers"
The retiring Governor also reconf
mended that the railroad commission be
given such powers ss TO enable them to |
perform their duties for the hest public
good that the work now being done by |
the tuberculosis commission be taken NJ !
aud carried on by the State Board OF
Health; that all liquor licenses I've grant
ed 10y state commissioners instead OF
local ones and that all licence fees lie
paid directly 10 the state treasury: that
the tuberculosis cattle test be made
compulsory as to all suspected herds
and thai the law as to trustee process
he so amended that the laborer could
hold ten dollars and the attaching cred
i,or hold only the sum in excess OF ten
dollars.
! have only given the general state
ments that he recommended, but he
went into details as to all of these, ex-
cept the one as to trustee process, and
by his logical argument made it plain
that each was backed by sound common
sense and business judgment. In each
his whole message was so filled with
sound economic principles that many Of
his hearers thought there was nothing
left for Governor Prouty to say in his
inaugural message.
All such thoughts were quickly dis
PEELED in the afternoon when Governor
Prouty, after receiving the oath Of office
from Chief Justice Rowell, mounted the
rostrum and delivered u message which
judged by common report about the state
house was of an equally high standard
as that Of the retiring governor. The
recommendations of the new fitted ~
nicely with those OF the old that it left
no doubt that "my policies" are to he
carried out in Vermont as we'll as in
the nation.
After giving the assembled Legislators
the usual good advice az to their dates
and responsibilities Governor Prouty AT
= once entered upon thorough discus
. sion of the question of taxation. After
, mentioning various evils resulting from
the fact that taxpayers refuse to be- hon
est in their returns he recommended
that all offsets be abolished. THIS re-
communication is in perfect harmony
, with the report of the commission on
taxation which has carefully studied the
matter for the past two years. Theoret
lcally this would not he considered
poor mans measure but practically il
would result in his favor, because tn,
. rich man who is dishonest takes grea
advantage of law primarily formed
Tor the benefit of the poor man who il
honest. The allowing of offsets puts
premium upon dishonesty.
4 The point of his argument WAS tina
the trouble did not lie in our system o
taxation, or in double taxation, but il
X the persistent evasion of taxation an,
that this evasion of taxation was due t,
negligence or ignorance on the part o
. the listers The Governors message aut
the talk I hear about the hotels ant
S corridors conynces me that no radica
e changes will be made in the system o
y taxation in Vermont, but some of tn,
s administrative features of the law viii
y be 80 changed that the tax reforms ma,
= he worked out in the several towns b,
f the careful selection of listers who viii
e be elected by ballot to serve for three
f years 40 that at all times there will bt
g two experienced listers upon the board
$ Governor Prouty further recommend
= ed that system of district Courts be es
tablshed throughout the state and tina
= the system of referees be re-established
d Both these measures have q tendenc,
7. to increase the efficiency of our judiciar,
!. system at less expense. He also urget
=. the passage of what is known as tn,
d Employers Liability Act similar t
d that passed by Congress. Under GU
is present law railroads and other larg
J. corporations employing help are no
IS held for damages for accident by reason
o of their own gross negligence if the neg
p ligence Of the injured one contributes
lie even in the slightest degree. Governo
/. Prouty would have the law so amended
that the injured one must suffer only TO
=, his own negligence. He would also ex
y tend the powers and duties Of the Raj
If road Commission to all other publ
d service corporations aud especially t.
~ | tolanhona md falauIanh nnmna N 90