The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-10-07
Corporation Building and state Re
trenchment

We spoke the other day of the need
of retrenchment in connection with
the management of affairs in this
state, and of the tendency TO milk cor
porations through special taxation TO
a point where there is danger of driv-
ing concerns from our state. The
esteemed Bennington Banner in an
editorial reprinted elsewhere, says:
"Will the Free Press state for the
benefit of the public what corpora
tions are MIXED to the danger point
through taxation in this state"
We have in mind two different syn
dicates already interested in Vermont
with which the editor of the Free
Press in another capacity discussed
the matter Of developing certain pro-
ieets in this state, and the chief OBJ
iections urged to the propositions
were the disposition manifested, par
ticularly by the last legislature to
largely increase expenses every two
years and force new and struggling
corporations TO help bear the burden,
and the lack of limit to which this ten
dency may be carried. AS result,
capital, which was to have been in
vested here has been put elsewhere,
and the concerns already here stay
because they cannot be unloaded
1t is not difficult to understand why
other capitalists, casting about Tor a
place for investment should scan leg
islation and note the tendencies pre-
valent in our state, just as any careful
investor would do.
These investigators recognize that
in the state, as in the family. money
which comes easily goes easily, and
that so long as we can escape a dir
ect tax upon the people, the tendency
in Vermont will be to heap up expen-
ditures and make savings institutions
which so largely represent the savings
of the poor as well as other kinds of
corporations. including public service
pay the fiddler"
We believe corporations should
bear their fair share of the burden of
taxation, but we repeat that Vermont
cannot go on increasing expenses use
lessly in some instances, under the
specious plea, that the corporations
will bear the cost without reaping ir-
reparable damage particularly TO the
cause of the development of our nat
ural resources, for which we havt
come to rely so largely upon outside
capital.
If we are to induce capitalists from
other states TO help develop our nat
ural resources, we must treat with
entire fairness the organizations
through. which they under the circum-
stances to a large degree must Oper-
ate and afford them some sense of Sc
curity
In this connection the esteemed St
Adams Messenger in an editorial also
reproduced in full elsewhere says
that retrenchment has pleasant
sound and inquiries just where re-
trenchment should begin If we had
our way we would put all salaries
back where they were at the close of
the administration of Fletcher d
Proctor as governor members of the
legislature and all. Vermont never
lacked public servants on account OF
the size of salaries. and it remains to
be demonstrated that increased com
pensation as a rule has resulted in adj
ded efficiency We recognize the
fact that there is ground for differ
ence of opinion regarding the expedi-
ency Of any such curtailment. how
ever, but we believe the people as a
whole would be well pleased with
such contamination
Another point about which there Is
natural controversy is the cutting
down of the size of our legislature,
but that matter is not essential to the
discussion, as to where to begin to
retrench.
The esteemed Messenger itself has
advocated some of the following chan.
ges about which there can be no con-
troversy. which occur 10 us offhand
The fee system should be still fur
Their abridged.
We should stop paying justices of
the peace for service which munich
pal judges are paid to perform.
We should stop feeding in idleness
in our jails at the expense of the state
prisoners who ought to be paying
their own way at least. to say nothing
Of considerations connected with the
increase of pauperization, resulting
from our present system.
We oHphh DldtN SblllG lllllldNlOU u
the amounts involved in cases which
can be carried 10 the higher courts, so
that it will no longer be possible for
two men haggling over a horse worth
thirty dollars to force the state to
spend several hundred dollars over
the animal; and in various other
ways we should reduce the expenses
of our courts, which have increased
tremendously
We should limit the duration of the
legislative session for which members
are paid and thus remove one source
of temptation to prolong sessions and
thus increase the expense of legisla.
ton
We should stop forcing the state to
pay for diseased cattle more in many
instances than their owners could re-
alize in another channel than through
the state treasury.
No one can seriously question that
there is room for reasonable retrench-
ment in connection with state expen-
SEES that are needless and in some ca