The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-09-20

10 support Government


u Is common and TO a large extent
perfectly natural popular notion that
the great industrial corporations doing
business 10 this state do not contribute
any more to the support Of the govern.
ment than they have to. Perhaps one
reason for this is TO be found IN the
long accepted idea that corporations
have no souls and are instituted for
avowedly selfish purposes, ana another
and equally forciablo one, although not
individually emphasized very much, Is
that probably none or us outsiders
would pay any more taxes than we had
TO i We were corporations, either.
But there Is another side 70 the mat
ter, Few people have occasion to know
I just how much some of these great COR
porations actually do pay toward the
support of government and many people
oftentlmes assail them ofFhand for sup
posed failure to pay their share without
stopping to take notice that in some IN
stances that might be mentioned local
municipal governments would have hard
work to Get along without the revenues
derived from them.
Here Is the Vermont Marble Co., for
instance, the largest concern OF it's
kind n the world, not long ago careful
" estimated to be greater than any
six other marble companies combined
IL is unnecessary 10 dwell upon the inn
mense and well nigh incalcnable bene-
dt the state IN general derives from the
conduct Of this enormous industry
through the various channels lending ont
of It's complex operations to circulate
money among the people The adver.
tisement Of Nermont's great mineral
wealth that it daily distributes over the
continent is a valuable asset in itself,
while the stimulation Of collateral in.
dustries that may be more or less incl
dental to its own operations, the quick
ening of industrial life generally that
comes from the example of its own sue
cess, the benefits to trade and TO al
branches Of loealizing business that are
disseminated BY means Of the great
sums Of money II distributes IN wages,
oil count ia the score OF its Importance
to the state
But what does 1t do for the support
OF government The Vermont Marble
Co, paws taxes in % towns in Vermont.
The principal towns are Proctor, West
Rutland, Rutland town, Rutland City,
Pittsiord and Dandy. in the order nam
ed, while considerable taxes are also
paid IN New Haven, Grafton, Windham
and Sherbune, the assessment IN the
remaining 12 towns being small and
only Incidental. The total taxes paid
in these 22 towns BY the Vermont Mar
BE Co., this year Is s46,77l.53.
Here is snug little fortune, "a YER
monters reckon dollars and cents, an.
nuallY distributed among towns that,
with one exception, perhaps, have COM
paratiyely Inexpensive local govern
ment to maintain. And this Is rela
lively but a little part Of the direct
money benefits from the conduct of this
business chat all those towns directly
participate IN, say nothing Of that
which accrues to the state as a whole
The matter is pertinent to no par
tiular public interest under discussion
at this time. to ID sure, but It may be
of interest to the thoughtful citizen
that likes to keep IN touch with same
of the details that now aud then unex-
pectedly becomei involved IN problems Of
state policy and are not always easily
available for public information. st.
Adams Messenger