The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-09
A QUESTION OF ETHICS

OF all the offenses against the eth
les of the editorial profession, one OF
the worst is to garble, distort ana |
misrepresent what another paper has
to say and then to print the distorted
version without printing the actuai
statement. A few days ago in reply
r. n question asked by the Montpelier
Arpns The Banner printed an editor
ial paragraph relative to tax inVeh-
tories. Without reprinting what Inc
Banner said, the Argus published the
following:
Frank e. Howe, of Bennington, VINO
! centres IN he lieutenant governor, al
ter aoundering around bit IN We
! columns of the Banner, admits tna1
no is not in favor of law making
COMPULSORY the filing of inventories
NV everyone. This might be con-
strued to indicate that he Is not III
favor of taxpayers OF the state peal'
inc the burden of taxation equally III
accordance with their possessions
The man of moderate means ana the
noor man make out their inventories
&c required by law, and there Is no
escape for them. Some men VI
wealth refuse to make out these III,
ventories and they are open 10 sus
nicion that there Is but one reason
why they so refuse. The Banner py
it's statement has not placed ltseI "
very favorable light with the vas,
majority of voters, who make out anc
Ale inventories, pay their just snare
: of taxes and wish to be treated on al
. eouality with those whose possess
ions are much greater than theirs.
! The editor of The Banner was 10
six years resident of Montpeiie'
and for half that time was an EN-
4 Move of the Argus. Under these Gil
q cumstances. the editor of The Banne
: feels that the Argus ought not to prin
1 a garbled excerpt calculated to mis-
d lead and he therefore asks the Argu
|. 70 reprint what The Banner actuall
said which was as follows:
% The Argus should read anew the oil
II odage that "Yod can lead a horse |
3 water but you can't make him drink
m Possibly under the old system OF pm.
5, eical torture used during the oar
IA AGES Il might be possible to comp'
- a man to make out an inventory eve
X. If he didn't wish to- We shouiu pr
w sumo that most any ordinary clti1eI
pr or oven an editor or millionall
d. wonld prefer making out an inventor
M IN being branded with a red-hot ire
IN or having his toe-nails pulled out !
b. the roots. or any other similarly de
cote little attention calculated TO owe
ms come false modesty or an unduiy
on firing disposition. AT the implied
er opest of the Argus we have consla'
( ed the matter carefully and, FRANK
s,s we are not inclined to approve j
MS tber use of the torture chamber as
ny mart Of our tax system so we q
nj. obliged TO say that we are not IN
II. vor of compelling every taxpay
4 IN make out an inventory. what
. are In favor of is q law giving the
tors and tax collector power 10
TO" a taxpayer who neglects or rel
es 10 make out an inventory ana
Dlss 10 him hard enough so that he
II be glad to make out an inventory N
. time. But we have such law Il
or and have had as far back as we
h. remember. II the listers have
Oll fools and fail to use them 1t Is IN
i fault entirely isn't It? The Ban
|, OF has been drawn into this discuss
ito. against its will, merely to aid It's 8,
t ear friend. the Argus, as far as possi
idle In arriving at just conclusion.
II ter due examination and somewhat
two vestigation we cannot avoid the
an clusion that the coon the Argus
an 9i after is not up the tree at the 100
own own which the Argus dogs OF war are
y. ing.