Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-06-15
A LETTER TO CHANGERS.

LOT Cne cnleI executive OF our state the
candidate whose platform most nearly
conforms to our views, be he Republi-
can~or Democrat, rich or poor, and so
follow on down the list of officers.
The next Legislature will of necessity
have important matters to deal with,
including some proposed changes in
u constitution; also the proposed
amendment to the federal constitution.
1t should take up and work out needed
legislation that our last legislature
failed to, in taxation aud education.
These we believe are the two subjects
that most vitality affect the farmers of
u state.
The legislative committee of our
state grange recommended to the last
Legislature the enactment of a law,
eXempting from taxation, to the listed
appraisal of the property, all money
loaned on mortgages within the state,
where the rate of interest charged
does not exceed four and one-half per
cent. After the passage of such a bill.
they recommend the repeal of the law
allowing offsets for debts owed. With
the enactment of such a law no prop
erty, by it, would escape taxation,
and to that extent, double taxation
would be avoided.
The time was when a private in
dividual was glad to lean money on a
Vermont mortgage. Now the private
individual either puts his money into
the savings bank, the doors of which
have been thrown wide open for the
benefit of the poor widow and orph-
an or invests it in western mort
cages, which he usually fails to put
into the list
Today, If a young man wishes to hire
money, with which to buy a farm in
Vermont, he is compelled to deal with
a bank, which will loan him sixty per
cent of it's appraised value. If he has
not the balance he cannot buy, and
often leaves the state. With the
mortgage untaXed, many a man in our
state would be willing, and glad, to
sell to a young man, in whose ability
he has confidence, a farm with scarce
ly nothing down and the young man,
if he had to pay only four and one-half
per cent interest on his investment,
would stand a better chance for
success, and be more apt to stay in
Vermont. We need more of our young
men to stay in our state. We have
lost altogether too many of them in
the past. The only interests that
would naturally oppose such a law are
our banks, which under our present
law, have multiplied rapidly. Such a
law would also help the business man
of small capital who could mortgage
his stock in trade and get his money
1T a low rate of interest. Cheap
money would all kinds of
industry. With such a measure there
would be little occasion for the present
offset law, with its attending evils.
Our constitution provides "That
every member of society hath a right
to be protected in the enjoyment of
life, liberty, and property, and there
fore is bound to contribute towards
the expense of that protection" This
is supposed to mean that everyone
shall contribute his share and no more.
The intangibles probably comprise one
half the wealth of our state. The
special tax commissioners say in their
report, Statistics show that intangi-
bles generally escape taxation" We
believe in the enactment of a law
providing that no one shall receive any
share in the distribution of an estate
until he produces proof that all moneys,
credits, and securities of the deceased
were duly returned for taxation by hin
in his lifetime, and if such proof be
not made, an amount equal to what
should have been paid, with Interest
thereon, be paid, one-half to the towr
IN which the deceased lived, and one
half to the state. This would make
men of wealth careful to leave a clear
record.
There can be no question but wha
the state has the unbounded right t,
protect it's revenues. Today too many
seem to regard it as all right to take ;
false oath relating to taxation. Sucl
a az would tend to improve pubIi
morals.
No m can make a reasonable argu
ment against such a law, and no on,
should be elected to the legislator,
) this year who will not support such
: bill. Anyone who would put upon hi
: fellow citizen his share of public bur
dens is not a safe man to make on
laws for US. Our laws should b
, changed so that trivial affairs coul
not be taken into county court. Gu
state and county expenses are out o
proportion to population. The estab
lishment of district courts with fna
jurisdiction, would decrease the cost
! and greater and quicker just ce woul
q be obtained.
AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRY
! AL EDUCATION.
e The movement for agricultural an
vocational education is world wide
> In our country fourteen of the state
have laws requiring agriculture to b
taught in all the rural elementar
L schools, and thirty-one other state
n and territories have made a beginnin
in taking up this work. In this RI
e spect Vermont, the best agricultur,
state in New England. is behind ever
state east of the Mississippi rive
!, The development of applied sciene
- is a strong factor in this new cover,
e ment. and it is evident that all indu,