Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-12-26
URGES VERMONT TO ADOPT
INCOME TAX AMENDMENT
Chairman Prouty of the Interstate Commerce
Commission Argues That Wealthy Classes
Should Heed the Voice of the Times.

"
tee on federal rclato"s III '"c rouse 'his
evening, where an 'uuic"oe " aoou' ="
people listened l" '"e argument OF 'he
lion. C. y. irou'H !" i'No' IL income
tax amehu'he"' !" Nv i'"''"' ,onS'iVu-
non MI i'"'F " ''"" VI Nv III
~terstate commerce COMMISSION Ills al
uress loiioNS'
me last i"slsla'ure refused 10 ratty
the income 'dN ""'enuiheht' ana IL Is said
'nat '"e icci'"S '" inns ''cs'SN''urc Is
w n.. ."'
,ho ot,i,rdc of Vermont, ,oward mic suh.
io.t Xoc.ss.rilv con,o ir,o cnu,oc,
uitb this ouostion T., n somewhat broad.
c, vav than vou do Tho noo,,o az tbo
Iri,.d states nc whole includirc two
host Informed and host tbinkin, neoplo
are overwhelmingly IN favor of n, in
roma tax EARNESTLY ho,ievo IN i, NV.
self moi, hecauso +, 10 ono -, tbo things
Ia bnlad nrogrossiv, h,t hoc,uso tho nm.
1orlyirr ,rincinl, soou,s irs, am any
ions th,t my nur st,t, should f,l in.
IN s,on with IN. sentiment os ,bc ma
,ior ,ror All. and L;udroa suht,c+s !
holiovo ina, tic failure 70 do ca rosn,ts
,ot fro,, ary Inherent ch.r,rteris,tc nr
ITO reorIo M, hocouso tho subioct itself
to mot ,rororlv rrdors,ood and I have
Gonna boro ir tho homo ,b,+ 7 ,,tgbt con-
trih,,to IN vorv irsir,irc,u+ d.rr,, ia
q moro ,borov,h, ,,d,r,,,rdinr of This
,ra,,ar
,b,, no, o..or,n q, ,oorrod diecps-
etc, 90 +bo t,oouo .ox historical tbnn-
,..i.,, or ,,no.too, f,. h,va mo-, tha
qualification h,t shan roet content with
nresantirg ,bis ,rosort stua,ion IN Won
ne II rosts f., NV own ,nird
,.~.r,o<
Ihere is no hlSher iun't"h OF govern
Heht imam that OF 'aN"''ui' 4"r ny '"e
eA'f'Fc OF '"at luhctoH Wv PI"i'l'F VI
the lndlvldual is approprl't'd AGAINST HIS
VIII to the use OF the pupIlc' NJ III" same
tiine' no function OF government Is more
In the general interest LOT ny IN" power
OF taxation government "Srl is H''"-
tanned ana without II th'rc '"u"' '' no
social or industrial d'NeI'phn'hl
Every year adds TO the Importance "i
TINS SUBJECT AS the cost OF HNInE mounts
upward, so 90 'He eApe'f'S "' so''.",
ocornm and s,oto oconomv of toyn
and urricinaI econorv but If Inv All
chic &c moan, +ho .xrerdituro oe loss
NANCY in tbo maintenance of government
IN tic va,,ous functions If il an idle FAM
t,sv With tbe nroyress of civili2,tio
Government activities will mo enlarged
and berco rovornncrt exnondituros in
+hoir various forms arc hound unon the
,ybnro to inc,.,so oven IN nronor+ion Tn
wealth
l., ,ao +bo c,,,o nc vor,,or. ovnerd.d
,r wound .io,ra. scos no. IL 7qto tbis sur
,oa ;ncroosod 60 g, ooo 20, l., IN yoore
tho outlay b,d ,,o,bl.d vbiI. ,ccordino
=, ,bo r, ,a.,,r. the ,,,u1.tion and
a.. uroa,.h p. var,,o,+ ha,, r.,nat,oi
,oor,v s,a,,or,rv
OIL n fo,. ,o,,s oco tbo frccr n.
.cor, q ,ot,.od a, ,bo vacarce
80 ,,o &c. hiui,,-dol,r con.ross TN,
,,.x+ CONGRESS- which fairly meets h,. its
concentration. tho nocoesttias or tho ma
,for,l onvorrn,.rt win onnronriate an.
rovinoto,v afteon hundred n~,,lione and
~ ere+ anar,o, az Two ,rosor. con,ur,
Win hordI,. ba t,rrod hororo tbo two.
,uiior do,,ar corgross bocor,o, tho rrlo
~
Up to tn" present Tune we OF the l nltec
States have raised the necessary taxes
without apparent cffort' nut as we grow
older, as margins become narrower, ~
the amount of taxes grow larger, II VII
become more and more dliilcult 70 mo
the means of producing the revenue dc
sired. Already England is falling be
nina every year. al'housh she ~ con
tinuallN seeking out new ways Tor IN
'reaslnS her revenues IN every Euro
pean country to-day the problem OF lax
alton ~ becoming acute IL pehooN"s us
therefore,, to address ourselves careiull'
10 this difficult and delicate supJect'
IN 'hS country OF ours we ""No Az"
.a,tan .rd th,s ;r,olvos = dua, svster
Of taxation. Originally the expenses q
the State, and all the subordinate poltl
cal divisions of the state, were usuaii
met by direct taxes upon property /
recent years the expenditures OF IN
State itself nave in many cases pee
covered by taxes upon franchises' COZ
porations, inheritances, etc, but the eN
penses Of the town, the school dis'rlc'
the village are still borne by a tax upo
property. This, in theory, is aosolutel
Just, since each man pays in proportlo
to the property which he has, nut !
practice many gross inequalities resul
OF all this | shall say nothing mere he
yond the Observation that Wine d" Al
come tax for certain reasons IS bette
adapted to national thah 10 state US
there is no reason why II might not I
employed IN poth the state anu lchel'
systems.
our national taxation proceeds upon a