The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-26
RAISED A FLAG
AT G. @. P. RALLY
Continued from first page.)

law, publicly administered for 25 years
during which time such men as billing
ham, Page, Woodbury., Bell, Grout, Proc
tor and Prouty have occupied the gov
ernor's chair, has been overlooked by thu
people, the press and such governors i
it is so 'iniquitous' and fraudulent al
Mr. Howe claims. You know that thu
intelligence and sterling manhood o
Vermont is such that no such gross
wrong could have been continuously per
petrated upon them for % years"
Here the speaker interposed by tell
ing of the special commission created BY
the legislature of 1906; how it was in
structed to inquire into the tax laws Of
other states and compare them Will
those of Vermont, and how the commits
sion reported that "the system was al
well adapted to our needs as any other.
And this report, said the speaker, had
to do with the same tax laws which Mr.
Howe now declares to constitute an Jaw.
| full crime Continuing, the speaker
said:
| "The Democratic candidate says that
the proposition that the farmer should
be taxed 81 and the railroad SOC is all
wrong. He says the railroad should be
taxed in towns where it's lines penetrate
1t is too absurd to argue, but / want
to say that his is a proposition founded
on economic fallacy, proven by the ae-
tions of all public men for the past %
years. 1t is taking argument of Mr..
Howe's but it will not bear scrutiny.
what is a public service corporation
Take for example railroad. Railroad
corporations are corporations whose
property Is devoted to public use. A
public use that is essentially govern
mental function, the operation and
maintenance of public highways, and the
most important of all highways, the
vast arteries of commerce. They are az
much engaged n public function as the
city of Barre in maintaining it's streets.
Railroads are engaged in governmental
function that the government would
have to perform if it did not delegate
it to private capital. So, you see, a
railroad is fundamentally different from
an ordinary person. The state cannot
tell you merchants how much to get for
a suit of clothes or the farmer how
much to charge for his oats. Now the
railroad gets its money to operate its
road, to perform its governmental fune-
ton, in precisely the same way as the
state gets its money to perform its gov
ernmental functions by taxing the peo-
pie. Now from whom does the state
get its money to run the government?
Why, the people, the same people who
use the state and use what the state
wants the money wherewith to furnish
And in that proportion that person
uses the state, in that same proportion
he should pay for what the state fur
nishes him. BY this method OF indirect
taxation, also, the person pays the rail
road, and. in turn, the state, for just as
large an amount of goods as he ships, or
for as much mileage as he travels"
AT this juneture, Mr.. Redmond con-
sumed considerable time in telling abons
the financial condition of railroads in
Vermont. As public service commits
sioner, he was able to produce persuasive
figures that go to show how little divi-
dends the railroads are paying stock
holders. how large are the taxes which
the railroads are paying the state and
how much they are putting back into
their rolling stock. The speaker went
on to show how the legislators perceived
that the state must have certain
uHIOuIt VI nlbntN W tOiuuCt tue gpN-
eminent, provide good schools and main
tain good highways. They thereupon
rightly agreed that the best way to
raise the money was by indirect taxa
tion, rather than by direct taxation upon
the people. They decided that, il they
taxed the railroads, the railroads would
tax the people that used them in order
to get the money wherewith to pay the
tax, and so the state would get the
requisite money without any direct tax
on the people. He told how if we taxed
the railroads as we tax individuals. tn
railroads would have the right to offset
all their rolling stock and other personal
against their debts, and tins
deprive the state OF so much tax money. |
In closing, Mr. Redmond warned his
that the Democratic candidate |
would soon be in Barre, and he counseled |
his hearers to remember his words if the |
st. ,Johnsbury man attempted to pass
any "balderdash." 'Our legislators and
our executives have not been quite the |
corrupt persons that Mr.. Howe would |
have you believe" said the speaker
Metzger Now Taken Up.
Latterly, Mr.. Redmond dealt with the
candidate of the so-called Bull Moos.
party in Vermont. He told of his sur
prise at learning of the candidacy and
of his subsequent inquiry as to "who
this Rev. Fraser Metzger was He went
on to tell who he was as revealed in
later inquiry, how he came from GLOW
srsville, n. ". and settled in Randolph, /
and how he went as a delegate to the
state Republican convention in Burling-
ton. sIe is most singular and unique
specimen said Mr.. Redmond, "and as
Artemus Ward once said, he is an anus
ng cuss The speaker proceeded to
read excerpts from Metzger's address
1T the Progressive convention in Bur
ington and commented on several of its
features. He told of Metzger attending
The Republican convention as a delegate,
IF his pledging himself to the state plat
form and the state ticket. During his
remarks concerning the third-party man.
Mr. Redmond produced photograph of
resolution which the Randolph preach
sr signed at the convention of Orange
county Republicans July 2, some days
after the state convention.
He said that Metzger was on the COM
nittee on resolutions and showed in the
taken from the original draft
where the minister had appended his