The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-05-18
Pounding Bin Rarnum.


we republished comment by the Rut-
land Herald and Bennington Banner
relative to the negative action of the
last legislature in the matter of the
proposed tax reforms. Both news
papers seemed to assume that the
questions involved were settled by the
majority on basis of personal sell
lishness, suspiciousness, ignorance
and prejudice. They complained that
the measures did not receive the fair
and broad treatment to which they
were entitled, but were viewed from
a narrow and bigoted standpoint.
They further complained because the
members of the assembly whose
vision and experience were assumed
to be limited showed no disposition
to defer in Judgment to certain men
assumed to be wiser in the know
ledge that applied to this question.
To these things the two contemporar-
les attributed the failure of the ses-
sion to enact so-called tax reforms.
II may be that these newspapers
are correct in their analysis to de-
gree but even granting that. perhaps
the condemnation is not fully merit
ed. 1t takes all kinds of men to
make up a legislature, in order to
have It truly representative. And.
honestly, we believe that the last as
sembly, in its action, or want of act
ion, as to tne tax measures, repre-
scented the prevalent feeling of the
people Had the various reforms pro-
posed by the commission and EN-,
bodied in bills been submitted to the
voters, separately or together, they
would have Jared worse than they did
in the halls of legislation. II seemed
to us that the members of both
houses came to the questions with
minds as open as could be naturally
expected. and did what they honestly
thought was best for the state as
whole, rather than lent themselves
to any small personal interest. 1t is
quite as unfair to assume that Mr..
Bill Barnum of Shady Nook voted
abolishing offsets at the behest OF
Mr.. Jones who runs a store at Bunko
Corners, and for that reason alone,
as il would be to assume that so true
and patriotic q citizen as Mr. Joseph
A. DeBoer favors abolition because it
means a larger grand list, lower tax
| rate and less taxes for him-and no
one would think of suggesting that.
1t is probably true that each mem
| Der did take the questions home to
| his own town and tried to determine
what the effect there would be. We
are not going to say he served mis-
state falsely by so doing, for his first
duty is to his constituents. Abolition
of Offsets, fiat rate on fntangibles and
a heavily salaried tax commission APP
pealed TO members In different ways
| Although the so-called leaders mostly
| favored the program all of them did
not, and were able to make their OBJ
| jections known on the floor as forcib-
| ly as the other side championed. For
instance. when Mr.. Fletcher of Cav
| endish finished his speech against a
| fiat rate on intangibles. he had
knocked from under it every prop
that II stood upon, and had shown. In
the most clear and convincing way,
that such a system in Vermont would
work unfairly and oppressively, es-
pecially in towns where tax rates
We're hign and grand lists small II
needed just such an exposition as
WI IltAtucl gave ~, anu hO ulcIhDti
could be accused of narrowness or
personal selfshness or woeful ignor-
ance if he promptly agreed with Mr.
Fletcher, rather than Mr. DeBoer or
Mr. Howe, OF Mr. Davis AS to Offset
abolition, 1t appeared To many mem
bers a doubtful expedient, whose only
certain feature was that it would Sc
riously cripple hundreds of poor and
honest debtors. We honor their judg-
men, too, in this matter We believe
| the majority acted well in setting their
feet upon it, even with the prestige of
support that it enjoyed.
Ii is no altogether conclusive that
because silent and inconspicuous men
take stand on a great question like
this they do it from unworthy mo-
tiyes. They may be as valuable in
their service as greater intellects and
noisier tongues that are apt to be Wis
ionary and impractical. At any rate.
they are safely within their rights in
voting as they please.
The disinclination to follow any
leaders consistently so noticeable in
the late session may not have result
ed more from the sheer obstinacy of
those who were counted upon to be
led, than from very distinct feeling
OF petulance on the part of those
counted upon to lead because the
rank and file did not promptly and al
ways accept their dictum as rule of
Notwithstanding Herald and News