The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-10-07
FRANK c. HOWE. EditOr and Publishs
TAXING CORPORATIONS, AND
STATE EXPENSES
AND

column the Burlington Free Press evil
IDENTIFY thinks better of its charge
that in this state corporations are
MIXED to the danger point through
special taxation and modifies its
statement by saying that there is
tendency in that direction. The Free
Press always strives to be eminently
fair in discussion and undoubtedly
never intended to charge anything
worse than tendency, but even on
that basis we think it will have diff
ficulty in proving even a serious ten
dency."
No longer ago than at the last ses-
sion an attempt to raise the rate of
railroad corporation taxation failed
signally though it was shown con-
clusively that the railroads now pay
less than half the rate that private
individuals are assessed. Does that
look like a tendency to milk corpora
tons in Vermont? AT the same SEES
sion of the legislature the attempt to
put onto the public service corpora.
lions the expenses of the public ser
vice commission was voted down
though the added cost to the corpora
tons would have been very slight
and in the opinion of the Banner this
expense is legitimate charge on
these corporations. Did this refusal
show a drift in the direction of milk
ing corporations?
The charge is freely made that New
Hampshire is governed by the Boston
and Maine railroad, yet railroads and
other corporations in New Hampshire
are taxed considerably higher than in
Vermont. New York is a state of
VIGOROUSLY corrupt government.
where manipulation in favor of spec
ial interests has been rampant for
many years, yet corporation taxes in
New York are higher, in the main,
lhdu III vermont.
If the Free Press wishes to prove
its charge why doesn't it give some
specific instances Mere say so does
not make a case and if there is a
tendency" as charged there must be
some evidence to support the charge.
Give us the evidence not an insinua-
alton.
In its further argument in favor of
retrenchment the Free Press takes
a commendable stand and supports
some OF the things that the Banner
has been urging for years, although
we do not agree with all of the
changes advocated by the Free Press.
For instance we believe the state
should pay practically the full value
of a domestic animal found diseased.
1t would be mighty blow against
agriculture and rural development in
this state were a farmer exposed to
the danger of having his herd Of
cattle killed without getting pay for
the animals. In recent years we do
not believe that there has been any
considerable over-payment, and none
at all except through pardonabe mis-
take.
AS rule, too the salaries paid Of
iicials in Vermont are not too high.
The state should pay well and then
demand the highest class of service.
Better pay good man what he is
worth than hire an incompetent one
at any price. There are some useless
salaries paid in this state and a few
that are too hign, but no citizen who
holds the welfare of the state dear
should object to paying fairly for
value received.
Nor do we believe in retrenchment
in state expenses for the mere pur.
pose of saving money What we want
is to save the waste and cut down
the extravagances in order to turn
the money where it will do good.
We need more money for roads; we
need money for manual training
schools and schools of domestic
economy; we need money to take
better care of our iunfortunates: it is
inhuman to send man with an incur
able appetite for liquor or drugs
either to Jail or to the asylum; we
need more money in the fight against
tuberculosis and other diseases: we
need state forest reservations to pro.
tect our water supplies; we need, a
high grade normal school to train
teachers, and after we get it we need
to turn at least two of our present
normal schools into agricultural
training schools where men and wo.
men from the farms can go during the
winter for sensible courses in practi.
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