The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-19
To Senator Gibson.

We are constrained to find fault
with Senator Gibson for his attitude
toward the state fair appropriation
bill, whose fate rests with the body OF
which he is a member. In letter to
a BrattleborO constituent regarding
the matter he writes:
In regard to the state fair appropri
alton they are being worked quite
effectually. | am looking out for
bill appropriating $4,000 for the bene
fit of the Brattleboro Retreat. That
bill has passed the senate and is in
the hands of the appropriation COM
mittee of which Mr. Bacon of White
River Junction is chairman. OF
course the purpose is perfectly appar-
ent. | am in duty bound to secure an
appropriation for the Retreat if pos
sible and | don't dare to strongly OPP
pose the state fair appropriation until
this is disposed Of"
In other words, Senator Gibson Is
allowing his own appropriation bill to
be used as club to keep him silent on
the state fair matter He IS willing to
give tacit support to Mr.. Bacan's pet
project provided Mr.. Bacon will be
kind and generous regarding the Re
treat appropriation. This is the you
scratch-my-ba -Ill-scratch- yours
policy which is so popular among leg
tslators and so inimical TO the best in
terest of the state at large. We know
of no reason why Senator Gibson is
more in duty bound to secure an APP
preparation for the Retreat than he is
to oppose the state fair appropriation.
He knows or ought to know how nine
tenths of his constituents feel on the
latter proposition. AS the Montpelier
Journal says, the bill will commit the
state definitely to the show bust
ness. 1t means that the state must
take over losing concern with lot
of collateral real estate, and run a
state fair at loss at least for some
years. Senator Gibson is too keen an
observer to be oblivious to the real
situation; his foregoing letter is an
admission that he would like TO OPP
pose the bill If he dared His reason
for not doing so looks to us like a
poor excuse. It prompts us to pro-
mitigate bit of advice TO all aspir-
| ing politicians, whether Senator Glib
son belongs to that class or not
Don't spend your time continually on
the fence; some day you'll get dizzy
| and jump the wrong way"
Evidently the legislature has elimi,
mated from further serious considera-
ton the proposal to abolish the offset
privilege from the states taxation
system Trlple-function measure
which the senate suddenly put up to
! the house was reported unfavOrably
by the special taxation committee and
then quashed on the ground that the
senate has no constitutional authori-
~ to originate revenue measures.
This bill provided for the abolition of
Offset, low fiat rate on intangibles
and a three-man tax commission. In
It's humble knowledge The Reformer is
against all these propositions. The
abolition of offset would, in our opin-
ion, make the burden of taxation fall
as unfairly upon the honest debtor as
II does now upon the honest property
owner. That a low fiat rate on in
tangibles would swell the grand lists
perceptibly appears to us like an idle
dream. The man who is cOncealinf
his securities from the listers under
the present system is not doing so t
avoid paying a high tax but to escape
taxation of any kind. A lower rate
would not induce him to disclose the
source of his income. AS to three
man commission, we think it unnec
essary With the authority granted
in the Bacon bill we believe one com
missioner could accomplish enough t
i. IL.
value of this plan. If the Legislature
decides to adopt the plan embodied il
Mr. Bacon's measure We believe i
will have satisfied the majority of The
people of Vermont.-Brattleboro Re